Sick, slack, suck...

So I’m sick. I don’t like being sick, mainly because it tends to affect or inhibit other things I do often, such as walking up flights of stairs or going to work. This particular illness seems to’ve circulated around a few different people thus far, resulting as follows:

1. Nicholas: A rather wretched case of bronchitis, now abating.
   
2. Katie: A few sniffles and such, apparently, but luckily nothing major.
   
3. Joey: 48-hr.Rom curse flu.
   
4. Dave: A few sniffles and the desire for a 5-hr.nap the other day.
   
5. Allison: Pneumonia and a hospital visit.
   
6. Matthew: A reminder to take extra vitamin C.

...and I got Type A flu, which I mistakenly thought was bronchitis as it feels much the same. Good thing I stopped by the iNova on the way back to the apt.last night. The symptoms are much the same except my lungs are just a wee bit clearer than most bronchial infections & it’s a viral strain, not bacterial. On one hand that’s nice because no one wants bronchitis. It’s a terrible piece of business that makes one feel like battered Hell. On the other hand it blows a bit because it means I can’t take antibiotics to knock it out; I just get to sit here & wait while dealing with most of the same kinds of symptoms for bronchitis and the common cold. That latter part’s for choads. While I don’t *like* being sick, I know it’s going to happen, so for the most part I can deal. What I actually don’t like is not knowing when it’s going to be done.

SIDE NOTE: By the way, care to try something terribly uncomfortable? Anyone else had to have a “flu swab” done? I haven’t. I was not aware that this means the nurse takes a 6”-long Q-tip & tries to slide a good part of it up your nose in order to tickle your brain, torturing it into telling her what’s wrong with you. This was...unpleasant. I felt sort of like a dog on a vet’s table. You’ve no idea why the person in the funny-patterned shirt’s speaking in soothing tones while simultaneously scratching your frontal lobe through your nose with a stick. She seems nice, so you don’t want to hurt her, which means you’re left trying to be patient while shifting further back on the exam table and making scrunched, discomfited snuffling faces after escaping said stick.

Doctor said I’d be smart if I stayed home for about a week, got as much bed rest as possible and just waited it out. I reminded Doctor of current job market and said that was not an option. Doctor offered staying away from work another two days, I counter-offered going back Wednesday, Doc wrote the note. Followed up with work again this morning, told my supervisor what the doctor said and was informed I was *not* to come in today whatsoever, that she might see me tomorrow. I told her she would see me tomorrow because I’ve too damned much to do. Warned her ahead of time that I’d likely be hacking like no one’s business and would sound horrible, but that I’d come armed with Purell and Lysol and that if people were going to be sketchy about my presence she’d best tell ‘em all today that I’m coming in tomorrow so they can stay the Hell away. Bitches be crazy if they think I’m stayin’ out of work for a whole damned week.

Now I go to the grocery store high on cold syrup to obtain anti-coughing pills and an inhaler the doc prescribed last night. Maybe some juice & more tea, too. Oh, by the way? 3 parts blueberry green tea, 1 part lemon green tea & 1 part pomegranate tea + honey & lemon = really quite good.

More later.

~E.