Plans that didn't happen

Today was a lost, do-nothing day.  It didn't start out that way.  I had many plans.  First, get up at 6.  Meet DeLee at 7.  Go hiking out at Rosaryville, then get cleaned up and head out to Annapolis Mall.  Get some lunch, then buy clothes to wear to Alex's wedding.  Drive home so DeLee could go to her evening engagement, then go to the movies to see the Avengers.

Only the first part happened.  I got up at 6 and texted DeLee to make sure she was awake, then fed all the animals.  I started to become aware that everything wasn't quite right as I was feeding them.  I felt a little crampy.  Hmm.  Instead of a big breakfast I had a banana, water, and a cup of decaf.  And started hurting more.  I told DeLee I was going to have to cancel.

I sat there, wondering if I had the world's worst case of gas, and if I should go to the ER.  Then I started wondering if maybe I should call an ambulance, as passing out from the pain was starting to seem like an option.  My gut jabbed me with a vengeance.  I hobbled into the living room and lay down in the recliner, as sitting upright was just too painful.  And then the pain started to recede.

I went upstairs and went back to bed.  4-5 hours later I woke up.  I still have a feeling of pressure, but I'm not having tremendous pain.  My guess?  (And I can only guess because I'm no doc, and neither can I see into my innards.)  Ruptured ovarian cyst.  Nothing to be done for it.  After googling and pondering, I'm just grateful that it was over so quickly.

So.  Unexercised.  Still nothing to wear to the wedding.  But on the up side, I didn't spend $3k today having an ER doctor tell me that I'd be fine.  (I mean, I would have, if it hadn't started feeling better.  But it didn't become necessary.)

You know who is isn't feeling all that great today?  The Schnork.  She didn't want any food this evening, and spent a couple of hours sleeping in the cats' heated bed.  I feel for her.

While I was lazing around the house, I watched movie trailers.  And I noticed the movie Albert Nobbs.  I decided to rent it.  It was cheaper than going out to the movies, at least.  I'd say it's a pretty excellent film.  It's a sad story, though.  No happy ending for Albert.

I think it'll be an early night for me, assuming I can sleep after that long nap.  And then in the morning, also assuming I feel better, off to the mall to look for clothing.  Because that's not going to happen on its own.

My dream house has four kitchens

Oof.

I kept hitting the snooze button this morning until I finally just turned off the alarm.  Half an hour later I woke up from a nightmare and decided to get out of bed.  It started out as a good dream - JD and I found a house we really liked (with four kitchens!  That's almost enough!) and that we were going to buy.  But for some reason we spent the night in it, and of course JD left early for work, so I was there alone and underdressed (with a yorkie peeing on the carpet) when the owner showed up with people to view the place.  The owner was unimpressed with me and my "But we want to buy it! "  protestations.

First world dream problems.

Once I woke up, I realized that I felt worse than yesterday.  My stomach hurt less, but my lymph nodes hurt more.  I made a command decision and called in sick, for real this time.  Not "I feel awful but I'm going to soldier on from my home office."  This time, I said I was going to go lie down.  Which is what I did.  After the nightmare sleep wasn't coming easily, but I stared at the ceiling, and occasionally read a book, and petted various animals.  Petting animals is a very healing thing to do when you feel like crap.

Around 3 pm I started to feel better, and I must assume that being super lazy has allowed my immune system to triumph over whatever bug was plaguing it.  (See what I did there?  I amuse my own self.)  So with another early bedtime I hope to wake up all normal-like in the morning.  But I'm turning my alarm off to make sure I rest as long as I need to.  I hope I feel good, anyway, because I have organized a social event for lunch tomorrow and I'd really like to go.

The real reason I long for the first warm days of the year

It apparently got up to 70 today.  I don't know, I was asleep.  I apparently caught the thing that's going around.  In theory I was just going to stay home and telecommute, but it quickly became obvious that I was just going to stay home and be sick.  I did manage a couple of billable hours, but..

So, yeah.  I missed my opportunity it seam seal my tent again.  Dammit.

I also need a note so I can stay home from work

Dear Internets,

I am tired.  I appear to be coming down with a cold.  I was just going to go watch a John Cusack movie and then go to bed, but then I thought "What if the Internets worry?  "  So I'm telling you that I'm okay.

Okay, goodnight, Internets.  See you tomorrow.

Love,

me

I prefer not to be the sauté

Wow.  I'm glad I'm not, like, REALLY sick.  Being just a little sick is annoying enough.

I just spent the whole day feeling a wee bit chilly, until suddenly I was sweating and I had to take most of my clothing off.  Hello, fever!  It's been a while. Don't get comfortable.

So now I need to stop drinking hot drinks (of which I have so far consumed ~80 oz) and switch to cold drinks.  Until I get cold again.

I tell you what, though, those -Quil products work very well.  I have Dayquil, and then I feel fuzzy but otherwise reasonably well for a couple of hours.  I can definitely tell when it wears off, because I turn into a miserable, whiny brat immediately.  And what's worse is I finally cleaned us out of Christmas chocolate, so now I'm a whiny brat in chocolate withdrawal.  (PS please don't get me more chocolate.  There's no point in delaying the inevitable.)

I hope to drive to work tomorrow for at least a little while.  I don't know if I'm contagious, but as long as I'm not spewing fluids the coworkers should be safe.  So as long as I have access to Dayquil, it's all good.

Last night I tried to go to sleep but I was SO HOT.  Probably feverish.  It was like nine bajillion degrees below comfortable out, and I was there on the bed with the fan blowing on my bare skin.  I felt like I was being sauteed.  Finally I decided I didn't care if it had been enough hours since my last dose of Nyquil, I was having more.  And voila!  Sleep.

Despite my current health impaired state, I have Springer Fever pretty bad.  I need to get together with DeLee to plan out our backpacking trips for this year.  A weekend in the woods is a good vaccination against Springer Fever.  You have to repeat the procedure every month or so, but it works.

nothing to see here

Today:  Please see yesterday.

We watch tv and we hope the dog holds down dinner.

JD and I are watching the X-files, season one.  Neither one of us watched it, back in the day.  We are starting with episode one and moving forward.

It's interesting to note the signs of the 90's.  Hairstyles, clothing, enormous telephones.  Stereotyped characters that weren't a stereotype yet.

The acting is wooden and horrible.  I remember watching later episodes and it wasn't like that, so obviously they got better.  But it's almost hilariously bad right now.

Before the tv watching, JD and I and the dog headed to the vet today.  Doggie has been refusing to eat on alternating days, and she didn't hold food down yesterday or this morning.  First possible diagnoses are pancreatitis or inflammatory bowel disease.   They got a stool sample while we were there and the poor dog is pooping blood and mucous.  Which, ew.  But also very bad.

So now we have anti-nause pills and antibiotic pills, and are waiting on the results of the first battery of tests.  If those don't pan out we have some even more expensive tests to do.  Yay!  Because we were wondering what to do with all of our money.

Oh, in addition to expensive tests we also need to buy expensive food.  Just which expensive food we aren't sure yet, but for the time being it's at least in the low-fat genre, in case of pancreatitis.  Sigh.

I'm bout to sucker punch a germ

You know what I hate about these winter illnesses?  It's easy to hate the fever, and the aches, and the fatigue.  But what I really, REALLY hate is how long it goes on.  Every day you think "I'll get a good night's rest and I'll feel better in the morning."  And it doesn't work.  Because the bugs aren't done with you yet.  You are the bug's bitch, and you are going to suffer until it is done with you.  And your puny little immune system.  The bug sneers at your immune system.

I'm sure JD feels the same way.  He's been sick twice as long, and with a nasty cough.  All I really have is a wussy illness.  JD has a manly illness.  His illness could kick my illness' butt.  (And I wish it would.)

Even the dog doesn't feel that great.  I'm really glad the horse has somebody watching him, because lord only knows how he feels..  I sure haven't been out to see him.  That whole "ride twice a week, minimum" thing?  Not happening.  Anytime soon anyway.  And seeing as how it's freaking JANUARY I figure by the time I'm feeling pretty perky, a foot of snow will dump on us.[1]

Um.  I feel like I should say something that isn't complaining.[2]

So JD and I met for lunch and he had the genius idea of heading over to Chanan for delicious Mongolian  + Chinese buffet.  I am not being sarcastic.  It was wonderful.  I had a plate full of Mongolian veggies and it knocked my socks off.  Ah, Chanan.  Not so good for the diet, but wonderful for the tongue.  I totally did not stay within my dietary calorie range today.  But, as JD pointed out, I've been sick and it's no good to diet when you're sick.[3] On account of your body is working hard to fight off invaders, and all.[4] 

BUT!  I was fairly good.  I didn't have anything coated and fried, and I didn't have Fluffy Dough(tm)[5].  I was sad that there were no Szechuan string beans today.  I love those things with an unnatural passion. 

JD went on up to bed around 8 (again) and I believe I will follow him soon.  We persist in our misguided idea that some day we will sleep long enough to wake up refreshed.  I know it's crazy but it's all I got.




[1]  But if not: Tara, we have a riding date at some nonspecific point in my healthy future.

[2] I'm thinking, I'm thinking!

[3] If he was mistaken, I don't want to know.

[4]  Really, at this point I don't take much convincing.

[5] Kind of the Chinese buffet equivalent of a yeast donut, with no hole.

It's a New Year and a new bluh

I had a severe mood swing this morning.  All of a sudden everything pissed me off, including JD.  I decided to get the hell out of the house and go for a hike, which usually helps.  It didn't, though.  Now I'm mad at park officials.

When I got home I settled down with the hating, but then I got a headache.  An awful back of the head headache.  And now I'm coughing and I feel pitiful.

JD is making me eggs because I need to eat something.  And after that I might go back to bed.  Or remove my head with an ax.  Or take Nyquil.  Maybe more than one of those.

TV ate my brain

Totally forgot I had a blog yesterday.  Oopsie.  I was home sick and watching tv.  TV will eat your brain.