I’m still down for the count, so there goes my whole two day sickness theory, but all hope is not lost. Truth be told, I think Sunday was just the initial sickness creeping in (I like to think my sick radar is very in-tune), while Monday was really the full-blown “I’m not gonna make it” kind of sickness, and today, Tuesday (although you’ll be reading it Wednesday), is still down, but definitely not out. In fact, I think I’m on an upswing. Let’s compare, shall we…
On Monday, I woke up at 8 a.m., in order to call the doctor and schedule a 10:15 a.m. appointment. Exhausted by my simple efforts of going down and then back up the stairs, I went back to sleep until 9:15 a.m., when I woke, only to shower. Even in my horrific state, I knew a shower was in order. After all, I spent the better part of the night alternating between sweating and shivering. God forbid, I go to the doctor sickly and smelly. Oh the shame. Showering wore me out and left me wondering how I was going to drive myself to the doctor’s office and back. Somehow I made it without harming myself or anyone else. That’s a relief, although I screwed up the directions more than once, and this is a place I’m familiar with so directions weren’t really necessary.
I stopped on my way home and picked up some tomato ginger soup. Since I hadn’t eaten since our Sunday Father’s Day lunch, I knew food was a must, whether I was down with it or not. I came home and ate my soup on the couch, in my jeans and t-shirt because I didn’t think I could make it upstairs to retrieve my sweat pants. How sad is that?
The first few bites (sips) were tumultuous since I hadn’t eaten in almost 24 hours. My stomach was not pleased to go from 3 meals with snacks each day to starving. Literally, I didn’t know if I going to be able to stomach the food. I went slow and made it, although not without a few WTF moments, all from my aforementioned tummy. There was a whole lot of “you best not stop feeding me again,” and “who you think you is pulling a stunt like that.” Yes, my tummy talks in slang.
Slow and steady, I ate my 12 ounces of soup (I know, not enough, but I didn’t have the energy for more), and then left the remnants on the coffee table, just siting there, all dirty and what not. Gasp. Those who know me realize what a travesty this is and just how sick I must have been. I crawled (“twos, not fours,” as the Hubby likes to say) up the stairs and passed out for the next five hours. This was after sleeping a solid eleven hours the night before, with a three-hour nap preceding Sunday’s bedtime.
I woke after 4 p.m., and slowly made my way back to the first floor and the land of the living. I perused my work emails, and one from a coworker made me laugh out loud. She told me “not to worry about work; all was well.” She knows me so well, but for the first time since pretty much ever, I wasn’t even concerned with work. In my present state, I wasn’t concerned with much of anything. I typed up my sorry Monday Rundown blog and then napped some more, until the Hubby came home with sustenance. He brought me Mac and Cheese from Panera Bread. I’m sure it wasn’t clean, but it was food and weirdly one texture (soft), and sadly all I ate for the rest of the day. Then, it was back to bed for me.
So on Monday, I was down and maybe even a little bit out. On Tuesday morning though, I woke around 6 a.m. (no alarm needed) and swallowed. Throat pain: definitely still there. Fever: gone. Chills: gone. Night sweats: gone. Energy: a little, which is significantly more than the day before. So not 100%, but on an upswing. I decided to be smart (imagine that) and take another day off from work so I could completely recover.
I will say this about clean eating. The amount of energy I typically have now is ridiculous and off the charts (aside from the whole present illness thing). Before, I used to nap every weekend. I loved naps and couldn’t get enough of them. Now, I have too much energy to nap. I actually miss my beloved naps. So after having zero energy yesterday, I realized just how fortunate I am to have the kind of energy I do now. Think of what you can accomplish if only you have the energy to do something about it. Seriously, it’s amazing.
On Tuesday morning, I awoke with a little bit of energy, but not enough for total world domination and what little I did have, I didn’t want to overuse. So, I logged into work to let everyone know I would be gone for yet another day. I’m trying to set a good example of staying home when you’re sick; not bringing it into the office and infecting everyone else. I took care of small maintenance items and then signed off. I started a load of laundry. Yes, I know probably too much, but it was our sheets and I couldn’t bear to spend another day/night sleeping in them. The thought made my skin crawl, or it could just be my virus, but whatever.
Realizing yet again, I need food to recover (how is my body going to focus on fighting this virus when I’m starving it), I made my typical morning smoothie: strawberries, bananas, ice, pineapple juice and flax powder thrown in for good measure and protein. Gotta have protein (see carnivores, I get some). I took my smoothie out to our three season room and hung out and read other people’s blogs on my newish iPad (you rock Hubby), including this one I’m completely obsessed with (in a healthy, non-stalker way, of course), http://fitandfuninthird.com/. The important thing is I actually had enough energy to make a smoothie, something I couldn’t even manage yesterday.
A couple of hours later, my tummy, still speaking in slang, piped up once again, “That’s all you got; you better bring it and by bring it, I mean sa’more.” So, I went inside and reheated some homemade broccoli soup I had made and frozen weeks before. It was my first self prepared meal since Sunday. And in my present state, I count reheating defrosted soup as preparing. In my overly eager or still shaky virus way, I spilled soup all over the counter and the floor, burning my hand in the process. I almost cried until my big boy, Max, showed me how appreciative he was. Max has a little problem with overeating. He doesn’t get the moderation thing, no matter how many times we talk about it.
After soup, I had some crackers. Yeah for solid foods! Last night’s mac & cheese doesn’t really count as a solid. Go to Panera and try it; you’ll see.
And then the Hubby came home from work early to take care of me. Yeah for Hubby!
He made me some tea, and told me after researching my virus on web MD, he and his coworkers are convinced I have Shingles. Ok, whatever. They are also all scared he will infect them just because he shares space with me, even though he has no symptoms, and I do not have shingles. Men can be such sissies, except the Hubby, of course. Hugs and kisses for the Hubby. Although, I’ll wait until I’m no longer dying or at least not contagious to share them. In the meantime, I will snuggle with the felines because they can’t catch human diseases (I guess because they’re a whole other species) and don’t really care if we’re sick. See, pets rock. They will still love you and nuzzle you even when you are germy.
Come mid-day, I bathed….finally. I know, it was getting kind of funky up in here. I didn’t get exhausted, but I wasn’t standing either. While I cleaned up, the Hubby went to the Apple store to get my replacement iPhone and a new case (I’ve been known to drop mine…weekly). He came back with the phone, but no cover. He said, “There weren’t any sparkly enough for you.” He knows me so well.
I spent the rest of the afternoon/evening lounging on the couch, napping, playing on my iPad and watching some So You Think You Can Dance. I heart Cat Dealy, in a platonic sort of way. How can she be so pretty and so nice, all at the same time. She’s impossible not to love. If (big if here) I had girl crush, she’d be it.
For dinner, I had a lovely salad, and it was so nice to eat something green again. My beautiful vibrant salad, oh how I’ve missed you.
The salad wasn’t what the doctor ordered, but it should have been. She didn’t really mention food at all. Obviously, she’s not hip to my whole lifestyle. Maybe one day, the whole medical practice will jump on the “food makes you feel good” band wagon. I really think they should consider it. I bet a nutritionist would back me here.
After dinner, a little more lounging, blog reading, and napping before finally going to sleep. All in all, a definite improvement from Monday, and I am happy about that!
Side note: if interested, you can now “Subscribe” to my site by entering your email address and clicking the little subscribe button on the right hand side. Join me, pretty please with berries and non-dairy cream on top.
Erin says
I had no idea you were so sick…why didn’t you call me?! I would’ve come over after work!!! PS – tell the “hubby” to stop reading WebMd!!!