Just Another Herd Creature

It's now been over a week since I first got sick.  My foot was so swollen, I could barely put my largest shoe on it.  The cellulitus felt like it was at stand-off with the meds, so I went back to the doctor yesterday.  She agreed it wasn't going well.  As a precaution, she sent me for a sonogram to rule out a blood clot in the leg.  That was fine, so she changed my antibiotic.  Day one on new med and it looks a little less red - it's still as sore, esp. when I go from laying down to standing.  I'm off work until next Monday, when I really hope all will be well enough to go back.  I'm using 7 full sick days for this stupid stuff. 

Well, I've been up long enough - back to bed with me, myself and the red, swollen leg - thank goodness we have a king size bed! 

I have a cold, a nasty "sit in my sinuses, hurt my whole face" kind of cold.  My brains have turned to cotton and I think I have weevils.  My ability to track even the smallest item takes an extraordinary amount of energy.  dbubley had another meal of meat loaf (which she doesn't like) and plain penna pasta - no sauce, no salt, nothing - at the rehab center tonight.  I had planned on cooking tonight and bringing her dinner, but I just dumped 1/2 can of peaches into a 1/2 cartoon of cottage cheese and called it dinner.  Taste buds have deserted me, so I could care less what I ate.    Yesterday and today are Mandatory Business Shut Down Days, so I didn't have to work, but then I don't get paid either.  The only thing that could make this worst right now, is if stonebender or dbubley got sick too.

What's better than one medical problem at night - that's right two.  We're having us a twofer night.  After dbubley called from the ER and said to stay home tonight because they were admitting her, stonebender and I headed to bed.  Anyone want to guess what I found on his hip?  You win (and you know us too well) if you answered a large red and hot patch of skin.  Yep, cellulitis hits us twice in one night.  We had a paper prescription for his antibiotic, so off I go to the 24 hour Walgreen's drive-through pharmacy.   Even though no one was in line, it took an hour to fill it because they close for a 30 minute break about 10 minutes after I pulled up.  I drove around because I hate sitting in an almost empty parking lot at 3 am, I feel like a target.  Now I'm home, I need to take a few of my meds and try to get some sleep.  I think I'll sleep in until 6:15 am.  I might get 2 hours of sleep - oh boy, tomorrow/today's going to be fun. 

Edit/Update: Doctors say it's a UTI, gave her iv antibiotics and want to send her home.  I've off to pick her up now. 

I seem to be on the other side of this cold, but then stonebender got sick. He was having a lot of problems coughing, as usual and didn't think he could go to bed last night and lay flat. Finally about 3 am we decided to give it a try. Instead of actually laying in bed, we kept him in the sling and attached to the lift. I only reclined him to a point he felt comfortable and was ready to get him upright anytime he felt he might choke. He asked for his bi-pap mask to be put on, hoping it would open us his nasal passages. Until about 6:30 am, we did the dance of down a little, up a little, legs on the bed, legs off the bed, sips of water and repeat. Then he fell asleep. At 10:30 am he woke up and asked for some water and to be lower more. He's actually almost in his regular sleeping position and he's SLEEPING. Blessed normal sleep. With the pneumonia last year he went days without sleeping. The sleep deprivation raised his already high anxiety even higher. I really didn't want him to get to that point again.

At least all of this held off until after our return from Vegas. Stonebender's wheelchair stopped working the 2nd day we were home and I was in the full throes of fever and pain. If both of these had occurred a couple of days earlier, I don't think I could have driven home, let alone push stonebender around the hotel. Good news, it was just his battery and he has a new one and all is well. Now if only we could get our bodies back into a working state so easily.

The creepy crud has me in its throes.  I have a sore throat, achy ears and a nasty cough.  I don't have to go back to work until next Wed., but I had planned all kinds of things.  Today was suppose to be a trip to the Exploratorium with dbubley and dinner in S.F., possibly with some friends.  We also wanted to go to a museum and a movie or two this week.  Now I just feel like staying in bed, which I've mostly done today.  I'm glad I didn't get sick while in Las Vegas, but still I could really do without this now.  Time to heat up some more water for a cup of instant Miso soup. 

Not particular bad drama (although the only really good drama is on the stage/movies/tv), but drama never-the-less.  stonebender  was going to take me out for dinner Sunday night at some fancy restaurant in S.F., but I was sick all weekend.  The doctor failed to mention the possible 4 - 6 weeks of gallstone like pain you can get after gallbladder surgery.   I was in so much pain Saturday night, I thought they made a mistake and didn't take out my gallbladder at all.  Sunday was better, but still not feeling well enough to go out.  

For our actual anniversary meal on Monday, dbubley  made a very tasty meatloaf.  When I came home from work,  I added a baked potato, left over asparagus and some garlic bread and we had a very nice meal.   Thank you dbubley!

A few hours after dinner stonebender  said he wasn't feeling well.  I felt his head and he was a little warm.  It took us a couple of more hours to get to bed and by this time he was burning up.  Since he didn't have any more congestion than he normally does with his allergies, we had a pretty good idea it would be cellulitius and not a cold.  Once undressed, it was immediately apparent, with the bright red and hot patches on his inner thigh and backside, that we were right.  

A 1 am call to his doctor's office service got us a call back in about 15 minutes from the on-call doctor.  Once he explained what he had, she called in a prescription for an antibiotic at the 24 hour pharmacy.  This pharmacy not only is open 24/7, but it has a drive through pick up.  By 2:30 am I was back home with the meds.  He is now sleeping under a heavy cover, staying very warm while his body fights this creepy little bug.  We know from long experience that the sooner we get him on an antibiotic the better.  Even 5 or 6 hours would have allowed it to spread over more of his body and he would be feeling crappier for longer.  It's been at least 5 years since he's had this infection, we've become complacent; we use to keep a full course in the drawer to save waking up a doctor and my road trip in the middle of the night.  

So that was our big anniversary drama.  I could have done without it, but all in all, not the worst thing either.  Overall, we're just tired of all the illness this year has brought to our family.  Enough, okay.

Now, off to bed.  I need to be up in about 3 1/2 hours for another fun filled day at work!