This and that

What the hell is up with the weather? I have turned the heat off in the house like 3 times since May. Again, today, I had to turn it back on in the living room as I was freezing. Not that I want it to get hot but really it would be nice not to have to heat the house.

I have been so sick this week, I have not even had the energy to eat and cook. I managed to marinate some chicken today and hopefully I will have the energy to cook it and eat it. This virus has been the worst thing I have had in a very long time. I know I have been whining and whinging about being sick for days. I am a little concerned that I am developing bronchitis as I am coughing and I have crackly lungs – never a good sign for an asthmatic.

I plan to do nothing this weekend. I have to work on Monday, which never makes me happy so it is a short weekend. At least I have a long weekend next week with Canada Day. I really need to recover my energy as I am going to be extremely busy over the next couple of months.

Dispatches from the Swamp – the ‘I need the plague to go away’ edition

• We decided to get Bella groomed this summer. Mostly the decision was made because I was going away for a week and she mats as soon as I am away. She got a lion cut. She looks absolutely adorable. We could certainly see all the weight she lost as a result of her hyper-thyroid. She lost about 8 pounds. It was very hard to see how much she had lost under all that hair. Her demeanor has completely changed since she was shaved. She is much more interactive and demanding for attention. She preens around as if to say: “look at me, aren’t I cute?” It is too funny!

Isn't Bella adorable!!!

• I have named this virus the ‘motherfuckervirus.’ It is one of the worst illnesses I have had in a long time. I have had a sore throat, congestion, fevers, hot sweats, cold sweats, and fatigue plus it has settled in my lungs and I am coughing. It also never seems to get better. It is slowly going away but after being laid out flat for 3 days I have to go to work now. I am tired of sweating and feeling like I am going to pass out every time I move. It looks like everyone here is coming down with it too. I am very sorry.

Gratuitous Piper Pug picture.!

Piper is so cute!

Re-Entry

I went back to work today after my vacation and being sick this week. Wow. I did not check any email for the whole time. Funny thing, the longer I went without checking my email the less I wanted to check it. When I finally checked this morning, I had 239! Uggh. Other than that it was fine except I feel like crap.

I am feeling slightly better today. But the roving fevers have been a little much. I seem to be ok as long as I don’t move around too much. If I do, I seem to sweat uncontrollably and cough.  At least my hands and arms don’t hurt today. Yesterday, I couldn’t even make a fist yesterday.

I hope to be back to some sort of normal content soon!

Still sick…

… day 4 of the plague. I have not been this sick in a long time. I slept 14 hours and it still took all I had to take a shower. In fact, I am so sick that this is the first time I have even been in front of the computer. I have to get into work tomorrow so I hope I feel better soon. This has been a very strange virus. I have had a lot of pain in my arms, wrists and hands for 3 days. I literally cannot grasp things with my right hand today. I am going to bed early again tonight and hope that it will break over night. Wish me luck.

The Plague Day 3

I woke up this morning feeling like I was hit by a Mack Truck. I was up several times in the night and I kept falling asleep before I pee and go back to bed. I spent a lot of time sleeping in the bathroom last night. So far, here are the symptoms I have had:

• Nasal congestion
• Coughing
• Tight lungs
• Inability to breathe
• Diarrhea
• Sore joints and muscles
• Dizzy
• Weakness when I try to move

This thing really needs to fuck off now.

In other news, Matthew Barber’s eponymous album is fabulous. I heard a track from it a couple of months ago on the CBC and jotted down a note to look for it. Well, I was completely blown away. I loved the initial song I heard: ‘I miss you when you’re gone.’ The rest of the album is equally fantastic. Barber’s lyrics are mature and sophisticated. His voice has that little edge of imperfection that I love. I think he has a great career before him.

Checking out from the Swamp for the day.

The Plague

Both Deb and I have the virus from hell. I am so sick. It started yesterday with sneezing and a runny nose. As the day progressed, I began to run a fever and get dizzy. Every time I moved, I felt weak and my lungs hurt.

I rarely take sick days. I know that sounds odd coming from someone who lives with a chronic disease. The only time ulcerative colitis keeps me away from work is when I am really sick – sick enough to be hospitalized. Most mornings I feel like crap when I wake up. I am exhausted, sometimes in pain and always dragged out. But I get up, shower and go to work anyway. Most days I feel better once I get to the office.

My GP is quite often amazed that I continue to work. She tells me that most of her patients with IBD[1] do not work. I think if I didn’t work, I would go absolutely stark raving mad. I enjoy learning new things and taking on new challenges. Plus if one of us becomes unable to work we will need to change our lifestyle quite dramatically. At this point, if I didn’t have to work for monetary reasons I might change how much I work or start a consulting business.

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[1] IBD is Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis and proctitis are all IBDs.