[Medical] Sein vs. the Bug, 2006
Warning: This isn't a JE entry, so you may want to skip this one...
I haven't been sick for this long a period of time in ages. Usually I can kick the Bug out of my life within 24-48 hours. Not this time. This entry is just for my own reference for when it happens next time. It's in the form of a timeline.
October 2005: I went to get a flu shot on the first day they were available at the local Kaiser clinic. I was fully aware from past experience that such a shot only protects one from existing flu strains and not new ones. But I have been getting shots for ten years now (doctor's orders).
Monday, February 20, 2006: I was still at the gaming convention. It'd been cold & rainy all weekend. I went to visit the Gen Con representative M. at her booth. M. was looking and feeling like crap. She'd come down with a virus. I sorta jumped away. Then, as usual, I helped to tear down and pack up our own booth. I did more heavy lifting than usual; I'm still mad at (convention) Boss for putting the module box lids underneath the heavy boxes.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006: Back to work, and I noticed that my back was aching, but I attributed that to the previous day's lifting, and nothing more. But by that evening, it'd become apparent that what I'd really done was to wear myself out and my resistance just went *poof*. I was starting to get flu symptoms. I took nighttime flu meds and drank a lot of ginseng tea.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006: I should've never gone to work. But I did, because I'm stubborn like that, and almost never take sick leave. I only lasted about an hour and a half before (work) Boss noticed how sick I looked (I probably looked exactly like M. did two days prior). I couldn't stand it anymore, so I went home and straight back to bed. After 4-5 hours, the fever broke in mid-afternoon. I didn't want to stay in bed all day, so I planted myself in front of the TV and watched the Olympics. At this time, I noticed that there was some kind of lump in my throat developing, and it was becoming uncomfortable to swallow.
Thursday, February 23, 2006: I no longer had a fever, so I deemed myself fit to return to work. But I was still having throat issues, and seriously contemplated visiting the hospital. They're open in the evenings, no appointment required. But I didn't go on this night because I reminded myself that I had a *virus*. Antibiotics don't work on those, and it's best to avoid them anyway because taking them only builds up resistance to them.
Friday, February 24, 2006: One of the reasons I went home on Wednesday was that I knew I was conducting a meeting on Friday, and I couldn't miss this. Five other people, including (work) boss, were in attendance.
Saturday, February 25, 2006: Relapse
! I thought I'd been getting better until this point. I woke up with a headache, which meant I hadn't been breathing properly during sleep. I'd had chest congestion for several days (but wasn't coughing all that much), but this was the first time my nose was plugged up. So I practically had to go back to square one and take daytime flu meds so I could meet up with the SoCal crew that night. And as promised, I sounded like a frog
.
Monday, February 26, 2006: I had a very nasty coughing fit after I went to bed. I was absolutely sure I was waking up my neighbors. And for the most part, all the coughing have been "dry" coughs...not a whole lot of phlegm at all.
Thursday, March 2, 2006: Something that Lessa had nagged at me about last weekend came to the forefront. Had I developed complications? And that's why I wasn't getting better? My coughing, although infrequent, had reached the point where it was quite painful. And certain areas inside my mouth (my tonsils? my *tongue*?) were experiencing soreness. So I finally went to the Family Medicine department at the hospital last night. I just wanted confirmation that I hadn't contracted any new problems. The doctor took a look and she didn't think there was anything wrong that wasn't in the normal course of the virus. In fact, she told me I was getting better, and pointed out the chart that I've seen before in my regular doctor's office. It says that the virus generally takes two weeks to get rid of. So there was really no point in prescribing me any special medications. She handed me a list of over-the-counter meds and circled some I could take for my symptoms. I went to the pharmacy and bought cough syrup, which I took just before bed. And guess what happened: I had another bad coughing fit!
Friday, March 3, 2006: Today I woke up with a headache...again. In fact, they've been an almost-daily occurence. It rained this morning. It's pretty cold out there now. I've got the cough syrup on my desk here at work, but I really don't need it during the day. It's really for when I go to bed.
So far, the Bug has been kicking my arse from pillar to post. It's coming up on two weeks since the day I think I contracted it. I'm far from the only one who's had this, though. I think I actually passed it to (work) boss at the meeting on the 24th, because he called in sick on the 27th. I don't dare ask.
And btw, on top of all this, I was on-call this week for jury duty! I had moved it up two weeks earlier than originally scheduled to get it over with. And fortunately, I never got called in *whew*.
This weekend, I almost welcome the opportunity to go completely bankrupt in JE & WaT purchases. I need a distraction!
I haven't been sick for this long a period of time in ages. Usually I can kick the Bug out of my life within 24-48 hours. Not this time. This entry is just for my own reference for when it happens next time. It's in the form of a timeline.
October 2005: I went to get a flu shot on the first day they were available at the local Kaiser clinic. I was fully aware from past experience that such a shot only protects one from existing flu strains and not new ones. But I have been getting shots for ten years now (doctor's orders).
Monday, February 20, 2006: I was still at the gaming convention. It'd been cold & rainy all weekend. I went to visit the Gen Con representative M. at her booth. M. was looking and feeling like crap. She'd come down with a virus. I sorta jumped away. Then, as usual, I helped to tear down and pack up our own booth. I did more heavy lifting than usual; I'm still mad at (convention) Boss for putting the module box lids underneath the heavy boxes.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006: Back to work, and I noticed that my back was aching, but I attributed that to the previous day's lifting, and nothing more. But by that evening, it'd become apparent that what I'd really done was to wear myself out and my resistance just went *poof*. I was starting to get flu symptoms. I took nighttime flu meds and drank a lot of ginseng tea.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006: I should've never gone to work. But I did, because I'm stubborn like that, and almost never take sick leave. I only lasted about an hour and a half before (work) Boss noticed how sick I looked (I probably looked exactly like M. did two days prior). I couldn't stand it anymore, so I went home and straight back to bed. After 4-5 hours, the fever broke in mid-afternoon. I didn't want to stay in bed all day, so I planted myself in front of the TV and watched the Olympics. At this time, I noticed that there was some kind of lump in my throat developing, and it was becoming uncomfortable to swallow.
Thursday, February 23, 2006: I no longer had a fever, so I deemed myself fit to return to work. But I was still having throat issues, and seriously contemplated visiting the hospital. They're open in the evenings, no appointment required. But I didn't go on this night because I reminded myself that I had a *virus*. Antibiotics don't work on those, and it's best to avoid them anyway because taking them only builds up resistance to them.
Friday, February 24, 2006: One of the reasons I went home on Wednesday was that I knew I was conducting a meeting on Friday, and I couldn't miss this. Five other people, including (work) boss, were in attendance.
Saturday, February 25, 2006: Relapse
! I thought I'd been getting better until this point. I woke up with a headache, which meant I hadn't been breathing properly during sleep. I'd had chest congestion for several days (but wasn't coughing all that much), but this was the first time my nose was plugged up. So I practically had to go back to square one and take daytime flu meds so I could meet up with the SoCal crew that night. And as promised, I sounded like a frog
.
Monday, February 26, 2006: I had a very nasty coughing fit after I went to bed. I was absolutely sure I was waking up my neighbors. And for the most part, all the coughing have been "dry" coughs...not a whole lot of phlegm at all.
Thursday, March 2, 2006: Something that Lessa had nagged at me about last weekend came to the forefront. Had I developed complications? And that's why I wasn't getting better? My coughing, although infrequent, had reached the point where it was quite painful. And certain areas inside my mouth (my tonsils? my *tongue*?) were experiencing soreness. So I finally went to the Family Medicine department at the hospital last night. I just wanted confirmation that I hadn't contracted any new problems. The doctor took a look and she didn't think there was anything wrong that wasn't in the normal course of the virus. In fact, she told me I was getting better, and pointed out the chart that I've seen before in my regular doctor's office. It says that the virus generally takes two weeks to get rid of. So there was really no point in prescribing me any special medications. She handed me a list of over-the-counter meds and circled some I could take for my symptoms. I went to the pharmacy and bought cough syrup, which I took just before bed. And guess what happened: I had another bad coughing fit!
Friday, March 3, 2006: Today I woke up with a headache...again. In fact, they've been an almost-daily occurence. It rained this morning. It's pretty cold out there now. I've got the cough syrup on my desk here at work, but I really don't need it during the day. It's really for when I go to bed.
So far, the Bug has been kicking my arse from pillar to post. It's coming up on two weeks since the day I think I contracted it. I'm far from the only one who's had this, though. I think I actually passed it to (work) boss at the meeting on the 24th, because he called in sick on the 27th. I don't dare ask.
And btw, on top of all this, I was on-call this week for jury duty! I had moved it up two weeks earlier than originally scheduled to get it over with. And fortunately, I never got called in *whew*.
This weekend, I almost welcome the opportunity to go completely bankrupt in JE & WaT purchases. I need a distraction!