TToT – You Have GOT to be Kidding Me.

February 27, 2017 Off By Lisa

I’m definitely still in recovery mode here.

A little background: Zilla, the Hub, and I all went down hard with the dreaded flu the Friday before Valentine’s Day. (Yes, the actual flu.) (Yes, I had a flu shot. We all had flu shots.) Both of them are back up and running and have been for quite some time. The Hub with his Immune System of Steel was ready to go back to work by Monday already but I nagged persuaded him to stay out one more day until he was a full 24 hours past the fever. Zilla was feeling human again by Thursday of that week and returned to school that Friday. Then we had a nice long weekend during which everyone should have been able to drink tea and rest some more, catch up on work, and get back to regular life.

Not so much the case for me. My flu, naturally, morphed into bronchitis. (Everything I get morphs into bronchitis. If you know me even a little bit, you know this is true.) Then I lost my voice because of all the coughing and wheezing and bronchitis-ing. I am certain my Husband enjoyed this phase, although he insists he loves hearing the sound of my voice. (If I were my husband I’d be mildly grateful for the silence, but OK, Hon, whatever you say.) Anyway, I’ve spent the last week (again) battling the bronchitis and fatigue and coughing till you pee yourself and all that other great stuff. (TMI?)

This weekend, I was starting to feel a bit more human. My voice was starting to recover. I wanted to clean my filthy, germy house. If you know me even a little bit you know that I never want to clean my house, so you can deduct that either A) it was that filthy and germy that even I can’t stand it or B) I was just that fed up with being sick. Truth is it was C) Both A and B.

Anyway, after the requisite argument about whether the Hub has a bad attitude about Saturday cleaning marathons or I’m misinterpreting his “thinking mode” while he’s “planning how to accomplish things” as bad attitude, we got to work and managed to whip the place into reasonably clean and healthy shape. We cleaned bathrooms – even the tubs (which seriously seems like a waste of time to me, but whatever). We cleaned floors. We cleaned counter tops. We even have clean window tracks – you know the part at the bottom where all the icky black winter gunk collects? Yeah. That. We had some. Gone. And we even had plenty of time to sit and play an extended game of Heroscape with Zilla.

But I digress.

Yesterday I woke up feeling like hammered shit. Again. I decided I just overdid it with the cleaning. (See why I avoid this as often as possible? It’s detrimental to your body.) I managed to pull it together and make it to the last Mass of the morning with Zilla, but felt awful all the way through. When we got home, I kept on feeling lousy. By Zilla’s bedtime, I was done for – completely exhausted, achy, and generally miserable. I went to bed early after a typical conversation with my mom in which she insists I need to see a doctor and I insist that there is absolutely no point because really, what’s the doctor going to do? Tell me I have RA and I’m recovering from the flu and bronchitis and I way overdid it on the cleaning? She does not need my $20 copay that bad. I need that $20. For cough drops and stuff.

Today I still feel pretty much like shit but more like regular shit than the hammered version. Still exhausted and fatigued, still achy and feeling sort of mildly chill-ish and flu-like, lots of sneezing and nose blowing, and mildly nauseous. But no fever, no coughing, no wheezing. And lots of irritation. Truly all I could think today was, “Seriously? Still sick? Or again sick? You have GOT to be F**king kidding me!

Doctor’s office is open until 8 tonight. No, I did not make an appointment. For what? So she can tell me I probably have a new version of the creeping crud? Or that I have a stomach virus? Either way she gets $20 bucks and I get sent home with the “just has to run its course” diagnosis. When I talk to my mom tonight, she’ll give me grief for not going. But I promise if I develop even half a degree of fever or don’t feel any better by morning, I’ll call and go tomorrow. Really.

So that’s life here. Where’s the thankfulness in all of this? (Finally, you’re thinking…I know.) I actually have a bunch.

I am extremely thankful – which I’ve said before – that at no point did any of us develop pneumonia or become sick enough to end up in the hospital.

I’m thankful for the Hub’s Immune System of Steel and that Zilla appears to have inherited that little genetic trick from him. They are both up and running at full capacity. In general, they don’t get very sick very often. One of us in the house with a lousy immune system is plenty, thank you, so I’m very glad they both have a hardy one.

I am thankful that my mom nags the crap out of me about seeing a doctor when I’m sick. She’s a call the doctor right away person. I’m all about knowing symptoms and knowing my body and handling it at home whenever possible. It’s a simple generational difference thing, I’m sure. But I’m mighty glad that Mom is alive and well and therefore around to bug me about whether or not I need to see a doctor. It’s a good thing.

I am thankful for the most amazing donuts on the planet from the most amazing bakery on the planet. We had our faschnauts a few days early since I happened to find the exact ones I wanted from the amazing bakery at our farmer’s market on Saturday. Win.

I am thankful for beautiful sunsets that light the sky on fire.

I am rather pleased with the cleanliness of the house after our Get The Germs Out binge on Saturday. It feels good to have the house back in the realm of clean at least, even if it’s not uncluttered. That’s a project for another day. And my horrible messy office? Forget it. I can’t even.

And despite my extended recovery phase this last week, we still managed to eat regular cooked-at-home food and not resort to takeout. Well, except for on game night, but pizza just goes with game night. We had spaghetti and meatballs one night, tacos and Spanish rice at one point, seven-layer burritos another night, Mexican ablondigas soup yesterday (I’m sensing a theme), and tonight it’s homemade Reuben and Rachel sandwiches – affectionately known here as “Dad sandwiches” because they’re the Hub’s favorite. The soup was really delicious – check it out over at The Lemon Bowl. Great recipes there!

A little update: Tonight’s “Dad Sandwiches.” So good.

Speaking of food, it’s time to get dinner on the table so I’m out. See you here for TToT next week. Hopefully I’ll be able to tell you that I’m healthy as a horse and have been up dancing the Fandango every day.

No idea where that came from. Clearly, I need to get well and get out of the house.

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Ten Things of Thankful