Very Sick

I am not well.  And that is an understatement.

I started sneezing and having a runny nose when I was still at my sister’s house a week ago.  Then, last Wednesday, when I spent the day with friends going to a Bible Study, shopping, going to the movies and then out to eat, I started to feel worse.  By Thursday, I had a full-blown cold.  But it was just a cold.  Looking back, it wasn’t too bad.

Saturday night, at 4:15 pm, I noticed that my left eye had a very thick discharge. Within a couple of hours, it had started in my right eye.  When I woke up in the middle of the night, I couldn’t open my eyes because they were glued shut with this substance.  I had to pry them open and then wash them out.

I laid low all day yesterday, although I did go to church.  I was kind enough to issue warnings to everyone who tried to hug me that I was contagious and they might not want to do that. I had no idea how contagious I really was but, now that I do know, it was a wise decision on my part.

I went to the doctor’s office today and was seen by the nurse practitioner.  I had a test to see if I had the flu, which came out negative. But the nurse practitioner said that I had very bad conjunctivitis and a very bad cold, either caused by a virus or a bacterial infection.  She prescribed eye drops, an inhaler and an anti-biotic, in case it is bacterial.  She also informed me that I am highly contagious and can’t go back to work until at least Wednesday.  And that is only if my eyes clear up and I no longer have a fever.

This is really not the best way to be starting the new year. I have piles of work on my desk that I really would like to get to but, when I stopped by work to explain the situation, my boss wouldn’t even let me close to my office.  He told me to go home, get some rest and don’t touch anything on my way out.  He even opened the door for me so I wouldn’t touch it. (I didn’t mention to him that I had touched it on my way in).

This all just basically sucks.  My eyes hurt and are dry and burning, although the discharge is less since I started using the eye drops.  I keep coughing and think I pulled a muscle. And I feel really lousy all the way around.

I guess, looking at the bright side, at least this didn’t happen right before Christmas.  If I was this infectious before going to my sister’s house, I would have had to cancel the trip.  There is not way I would want to infect her or her family with this nastiness.  I would rather not be sick at all but I guess the timing isn’t so bad.  Hopefully it will clear up in the next couple of days and life will return to some sense of normalcy.

Please send kind thoughts and prayers my way. It’s hard being sick and being alone. So it will be nice to think that other’s are thinking of me.  And thinking and praying for me will not cause this infection to spread. I will still shut up in my apartment to stop that from happening. Hopefully, no one I have been in contact with in the last couple of days was infected. If someone was, I am deeply sorry. I really tried to be as careful as possible. Although, in thinking about it, someone wasn’t careful with me since I caught this from somebody. Oh well. Better me than someone else, I guess. I get paid even when I am home sick, I have health insurance and I have good medical care. Not everyone does and for that, I am really thankful.

Now, before I get into a tirade on the health care system in this country, I think I will end this now.  Be well, everyone!!