A window into the life of a professional geek, wife and mother (and nonni), stitcher/designer, bibliophile, old-school gamer, and whatever other roles she finds herself in.

Wednesday, October 27, 2004

Mother's little helper

It all started Monday night with a little bit of a tickle in the throat. Yesterday I woke up congested and talking funny, at least to myself. I'm sure the rest of my family was amused at the squeaky whinge in my voice whenever I tried to raise it - to me, it was just annoying. By the middle of the day, most of the congestion was gone but my throat was scratchy.

Today the scratchiness is gone, and the congestion has migrated upward into my sinuses, and I feel rather stuffy and heavy-headed. Not to mention achy. I'm sure I'll be back to normal by Friday - I tend to run through colds pretty quickly.

In the meantime, I can fall back on my little orange reserve. Dayquil is my friend. I keep a box in my desk drawer for occasions such as this, when I have too much to do, and no time to be sick. (Actually, the orange panacea currently in my desk is fakequil - off-brands are more cost effective when the family goes through it like candy...)

I don't like being sick - either I keep going anyway and feel awful, or I rest and then feel guilty for not being up and about doing productive things. I don't think I've ever been so sick that I don't feel guilty about lying in bed resting.

Once upon a time I never got sick - my senior year of high school, everyone in my family got pneumonia except me. I've never had chickenpox. The worst thing I can recall afflicting me in childhood was a stomach bug. But now, I get a cold at least once a year, and I'm not sure why. Is it living in Florida, where there are a whole different set of pathogens? Is it stress? Has childbirth changed my body chemistry? Maybe it's just the inexorable march of time...as I approach middle age, my body isn't operating as effectively as once it did.

Pass the tissues, please.

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