3 posts tagged “illness”

I finally felt good enough to go back to work today after being out sick since last Friday. I'm still nowhere near 100 percent, but well enough to make the commute, answer the phone, move my fingers over the keyboard, and annoy my coworkers with bouts of coughing and throat-clearing.

I would like to reiterate that this is one nasty, icky little bug. How nasty and icky? Well, Paris Hilton's limousine seat is like a freakin' surgical room in comparison.

We took Harlan to the doctor yesterday at he it turns out he has -- ta da! -- pneumonia. Lovely. It's actually not terribly serious and slamming amoxicillin shots three times a day for the next 10 days should take care of it. At least he's in great spirits. You can make Harlan sick, but it's hard to bring him down.

Well, this is not fun.

Far from starting to get better, I'm actually getting sicker. I believe this now ranks as one of the worst bugs I've ever had in my life. I actually felt slightly -- ever so slightly -- better last night, but in the middle of the night I broke out into chills. I woke up aching all over. My abs and back are sore from coughing fits, and I'm sweating profusely as I type this.

Mom called last night to say she and Dad are still sick and that they think it's been 15 years since they were this sick.

I don't see how I'm going to be in any condition to go to work tomorrow unless I make a recovery to rival that of Lazarus himself.

I figure that's what I must have since I've been sick for four freakin' weeks now. It feels like a cold with a moderate cough and massive sinus pressure.

After fighting it for 2-1/2 weeks, I saw our old family doctor in Seattle. He diagnosed it as a bacterial infection and gave me a short course of antibiotics and a prescription nasal spray to handle the sinus swelling. Sure enough, after three days I felt significantly better. I figured another day or two of recovery and I'd be 100 percent.

Sadly, the bug, tough little bastard that he is, got up off the mat and got back in the fight. So after several days of a worsening condition I went to our local doctor here in Albany.

At this point I feel as bad as at any point over the past 3-1/2 weeks. This doc says he can't detect any signs of bacterial infection. He says it's purely a sinus issue and that I should count on using that prescription nasal spray all winter. I say, "That's funny, because not only is my head stuffed up but I feel like crap. I can't exercise, I can't play with my kid, I probably shouldn't be going to work."

Reluctantly, the doc gives me another antibiotic prescription, but advises me not to take them unless I don't feel better in 2-3 days.

Last night, I shot more stuff up my nose than Paris Hilton. But this morning I felt even worse. Sorry doc, I ain't waiting another day or two. I completely understand the logic behind not using antibiotics. But I've been ill for a month. I think that counts for something. Gulp. Down went the first two amoxicillin. C'mon, modern medicine, don't fail me now.

At least I'm not bleeding from my eyeballs. Yet.