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subscribeIt’s the Wrong Kind of Cold, Charlie Brown!
December 21st, 2010
It’s been quiet around here.
The past few days have been just horrible. I know that sounds dramatic but I have been sick with the worst cold I have ever had, and drama has rolled itself up nicely and made a home there. It’s like layers upon layers of sickness in my body. It started with aches in every joint, then head congestion and the following evening, pink eye. How gross do I feel, being a 26 year old with pink eye? It’s like the grade school illness. By the next morning it was practically gone but we went to Urgent Care to get checked out just in case…only there to find I had an ear infection as well.
Yesterday I lost my voice. My eyes started looking bad again so at 10 last night Ant called the triage department and the nurse urged us to go to the birthing center for drops. So we went, I changed into the lovely gown and had the straps placed around my belly to monitor the baby. We hung out in that room for about an hour until they directed us to the ER for meds.
Oh my gosh, by this time it was 11:30 and I still had a few more hours to sit in the waiting room with flaming red, itchy eyes. When we were finally called back, we got about the most self-assured physician’s assistant that could have been working last night. He looks me over and asks me, “So what do you want? Other than to get better?”
I didn’t answer him.
“Because you’re going to get better.”
Oh, some hope! Just give me those drops everyone’s been telling me I’m going to get.
“All I can give you for your eyes is time.” And then he went on to explain how basically I have the same cold in my eye that has been in my head and chest and it will clear up in five to seven days.
In my head I’m hearing “everything’s hopeless.” My eyes had already cleared up once, then gotten worse. I thought I was on the upswing the day before and then everything plummeted down again. And now this guy seems to be getting a kick out of denying me the one thing I was clinging to for relief. So I cried. I really bawled. And I tried to explain, “I just want to be better by Christmas!!” but all my tiny raspy voice could muster was “Juh-better-Chri-mahh…”
It was just miserable.
And then the guy agreed to write me a prescription for eye drops, with the guarantee that they won’t really do anything to help my eyes. Well. Thank. You.
I won’t comment on my status now, because I don’t want to jinx things again. I’ve started taking some cold medicine, which I’ve always stayed away from during pregnancy. Everyone is so cautious about what’s okay to take, especially being almost full-term. I’ve been sick a lot of this pregnancy and I’ve just let it run its course each time. But I think I need some help with this one. Heading into day six of this layered infection and I am so ready for it to leave me alone.
I had high hopes for this week before Christmas. I wanted to plan lunch and shopping dates with girlfriends, take Ella out for some Christmas events around town, do some baking…now I think I’ve finally surrendered to the fact that the holidays this year just aren’t the same. I’ve tried like mad to make them feel the way I always anticipate but with diet restrictions and unending colds, it’s just not feeling right. It makes me so sad! Who knew my holiday happiness was deeply based in hot cocoa and cider and baked goodies? It’s where I store my holiday joy.
Anyway, I didn’t mean for this to turn into a long complaint. All I can hope is that I am cleared up by Christmas Eve so I can spend those couple days with family.
On a positive note, I have fabric for Ella’s Christmas skirt here in front of me and I’m working on matching headpieces for she and I to wear at Christmas Mass. I’ve got all of our gifts stashed down the hall so I know a giant wrapping session awaits, which is a task I love. There are still Christmas movies waiting for their yearly viewing.
I wish I could have this weekend back. But something seems determined to make me slow down this year and look at Christmas differently. So I am going to try and do just that.
I know I’ve already got what’s most important around me. I just need to get my health back on track.
*Up there, how I feel. Giant head, bulging eyes, and a big red nose. And Ant looking at me, startled.
