Thursday, November 10, 2011

Time To Break Out The Mask

Remember these ...


My friend Sarah brought them to me when she came home for a visit from Korea a few weeks ago.  I was told at my last visit with Dr. Gaw that I didn't have to wear a mask right now.  He just reminded me I needed to be careful.  I breathed a sigh of relief.  However, last week when my homehealth nurse came to visit she warned me about a nasty upper respiratory virus going around our town.  She said that so far they hadn't seen any confirmed cases of the flu, but due to the 2 weeks it takes for the vaccine to kick in, I needed to get it done a.s.a.p.  Getting the flu shot has been such an ordeal this year.  We tried to avoid having me go to a clinic so I wouldn't be exposed to anything and everything folks have.  My pharmacist agreed to come out to the van and give it to me, but I ended up just going inside on Sunday and for him to give it to me.  I don't think I've been around anyone who is sick, but I think maybe I should have worn the mask anyway though.

I cannot believe I just admitted that.

I am so sick!  I feel like I have the flu, but I am almost certain it's just a nasty upper respiratory infection.  My head is full of junk.  I have a horrible cough.  My ears and throat hurt.  I have a lymph node behind my ear that is the size of a quarter right now.  My head hurts ... my whole body aches.  I am just plain miserable.

Darryl started me on an antibiotic yesterday after I texted him a picture of the junk I'm coughing up.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I sent him a picture.  I thought a visual would be much better than trying to describe what it looked like.  All I got back was, "Do you have an antibiotic in the house?"  We try to keep one here for when things like this happen, but I didn't get the last one I took replaced.  About 10 minutes later I got a phone call from my pharmacy letting me know my prescription was ready to pick up.  I am really hoping it kicks in quickly.  I've had the pneumonia vaccine, but I'm sure it's not impossible to still get it.  I feel like someone is standing on my chest.  I am praying this doesn't settle in my lungs, and that it doesn't take me as long to get over this as it did the strep throat I had a few weeks ago.

It's not even Thanksgiving yet.  The flu season hasn't even hit yet and I've already had two whammies.  I hope this doesn't mean I have to stay shut-in this Winter.  I think I'm going to bring out the mask.
After all, Sarah did spend a lot of time and energy looking for pink ones for me.

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