Being sick ... well, it sucks!

After several months of working long, hard and stress-filled hours ... my body became immunity compromised.
I could feel the attack coming on.
Knew it was coming.
Just didn't know when it would strike, or from what direction. 
Made it thru the holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and even New Year's. 
And then.
New Year's Day. 
That afternoon I took a hot shower, put on clean night clothes, and since I was feeling very tired - decided to call it an early night.
About 5:30'ish p.m. I settled down under my blankie and turned on The Reba Show. 
Did not take long for the sleepies to take me under completely.
I woke up sometime during the night with a stomach raging against me. 
For the next 48 hrs or so, I was held in the grip of a nasty stomach flu. 
Most of that Sunday was spent in the recliner, literally cuddling with a heating pad on my belly. 
The room temp was 72*, but I was freezing with fever and chills. 
The only time I crawled out from under my blankie and heating pad was to inch my way to the bathroom and back. 
Monday came with time to clock in at work for 48 hrs straight shift. 
I managed. Slowly. Easily. Doing what was absolutely required, nothing more, nothing extra. 
Sprite became my bestest friend. Sipping slowly to keep the nausea at bay. 
Wearing a mask was most unpleasant, but was necessary to at least try and keep my germies from the ladies. 
I endured the 48 hours. 
Finally Wednesday morning 7 a.m. came, and my other caregiver came to relieve me. 
I came back to the cottage, took a hot shower and decided I needed a couple cups of coffee please. 
Thinking I was just tired and run down from the stomach flu and working 48 hrs straight, I curled up in the recliner after my coffee and promptly took a sweet nap.
Only when I woke up a couple of hours later, I was SICK.
Headache. Fever. Chills. Earache from some dark netherworld. Hard to swallow. A pain in my upper left bronchial tubes. And a cough that was beginning to sound hacky. 
I took some cold and flu meds ... curled back under my blankie, again reaching for my heating pad. 
Up and down thru the night. Couldn't rest. Couldn't sleep. 
The next morning, Thursday, I called my insurance company to see if they would cover the local urgent care clinic. Yes!!!
Next call was to the clinic. She said to come on in, that they were not very busy at the moment. 
The sweetest dr came in and examined me. She asked a few questions. Then said:
: You have a double severe ear infection. Left ear is so swollen it has sunk in. And the right ear is so infected, it is bulging out.
: You have a severe case of allergies, that has now gone down into your bronchial tubes. Your lower lungs sound good, but I am concerned about either bronchitis or viral pneumonia trying to get set up. 
: Since you had the stomach flu, it has most likely compromised your immunity even more than the long, hard and stress filled hours at work that you have told me about. 
: And, I cannot be positive without the blood test that is not recommended at this time, but I am almost positive that you have the Omicron variant of Covid 19. 
She prescribed antibiotics and prednisone. 
Told me to NOT lay down, no more than a 45* angle. 
To get up and walk around at least once every 1-2 hrs. 
Drink lots and lots and lots - water, juices, coffee, sodas. 
Eat when hungry, but eat light. 
Stay away from people.
No work for 5 days. 
So ... for 6 days, the recliner had my butt being held. My blankie and heating pad got a major work out. 
And I drank enough liquid to float the Ark! 
I put movies in the player to watch ... and went to sleep on each one, I'm pretty sure.
I don't remember them, except knowing that I have seen them so many times before. 
This past Tuesday I began to feel a bit stronger. 
Good thing - cause I had to work Wednesday and Thursday, another 48 hr straight shift. 
Again, I took it slow and easy. Doing what needed done, without doing much else. 
One of our ladies had been moved to a rehab unit for intensive therapy. Leaving me with only one precious lady. 
Sadly, she had just tested positive for Covid and strep throat. So we kept our distance, while working thru the discomforts. 
Yesterday afternoon I started feeling better. Not good - but better. I think my fever was finally breaking - I could not stop sweating! 
She also started feeling better yesterday afternoon. She woke up early this morning, with a "wild hair" she said. LOL It was so good to see her up and about at 6:35 a.m.!!! 
I am still coughing, a choking congested cough - but thankfully, there is production in it. Nasty production - but still! As Rick would say, "More room out than in!" 
My head hurts, but not the raging headache as last weekend was. 
My right ear has little pain in it. The left ear is not so good. Still a lot of pain and pressure there. 
I sat there yesterday afternoon making my notes for work, wrote that it was 1/13/2022 ... and just stared at the date. How in the world has 13 days gone by already? That's what being sick will do - steal away the time!!!
I am to finish up the antibiotics come this Tuesday morning. Hoping that this ear issue will be resolved by then! 
Back on my vitamins, and supplements, to build immunity. 
Still drinking much water, and juices. 
Trying to focus on proteins when I eat. 
It's not easy to get well. Just saying. 
But better than being sick! 
I would not wish this on a worst enemy!!! 
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