Sweaty Relapse

Tuesday I felt great, and was even thinking to myself that I probably wouldn't need to use the inhaler for the full 2 weeks the doctor prescribed. Wednesday I awoke feeling tired and was having a lot more truble breathing. By midday I had the bodyaches and was feeling real,ly bad. Worried that the previous week's illness had morphed into bronchitis or something else serious, I made a doctor appointment for that afternoon.

You can imagine how thrilled I was when the nurse entered the examining room sporting a cough as bad as mine, and proceeded to cough violently several times while taking my vitals. She did turn away from me, but still, especially considering the fact that I had baby A. with me, I cringed. Next entered the doctor, wearing a mask over her face! She said, "Normally I'd shake your hand, but I'm coming down with something and am trying not to spread it." I appreciate her concern, but I'd rather not have seen either of those medical professionals. She concluded that I must have caught a new bug. She did give me a prescription for an antiobiotic, in case I got worse over the next few days.

I stopped at the mill on the way home for rabbit food. By now I had the chills and climbing in and out of our tall van and lifting A's seat in and out seemed almost impossible. I filled a bag with bulk rabbit food, and was confused by the fact that it only held 5 pounds, when they usually hold 10, yet looked like the same type of bag they always have. So I asked the clerk if they'd gotten new bags, and she said yes. She said if I wanted more rabbit food I could get 2 bags full. I told her that I was truthfully too tired to carry 2. She said she'd carry it for me (which they always do at the mill) and I started to tear up! That just sometimes happens to me when I feel really bad and someone is nice to me. I told her I wasn't feeling well, and she said she could tell that when I walked in. Then she told me the best deal was a 25 pound bag instead of bulk and I said I'd take that, and she carried it to my car. I fought back the tears but could tell she was looking at me curiously.

I shivered all through the night, and by morning had a fever (which I hadn't had the day before, even though I had the chills, and was wearing my long johns under my clothes and cranked the heat up). D. left for work as usual, just pausing to wake me up. I called him to discuss the possibility of him coming home and he said "Are you totally unable to function?" (Is it a sin to with an illness upon your husband?) I called my babysitter, who came and took K. to her house. L. was home sick anyway and T. was thrilled to sit and watch endless TV with him. By late that afternoon I was still feverish, but Tylenol was now working on the fever, so while properly drugged I felt OK, albeit rather sweaty. The chills returned when the drugs wore off. D. returned home from work to find me upstairs in the rec room, working on the bills, holding a baby and surrounded by other kids playing a loud game involving pillows and stuffed animals. Working on the bills often makes me sweat anyway, so it seemed like an appropriate way to spend the time.