Black Death

Or something like that anyway. We are redefining sick around here. After several days of fevers, hacking coughing and generally just not feeling well, Heidi took Anna to the doctor yesterday. We are pragmatic when it comes to doctor visits for kids - we don't expect antibiotics like a lot of folks do. We were completely ready to pay our $15 co-pay to be told that she has something viral and she'll be over it in a few days.

As it turns out, she has pneumonia. And we traveled with her. Talk about feeling like the worst parent ever.

She's on Zithromax and is doing much better. Her cough has diminished markedly and she seems to be on her way to her old self again. She has missed 6 of the last 7 days of school (2 of which while we were gone to Phoenix) and even though it's just kindergarten, I feel bad that she's missed that much school. Hopefully, she'll be able to go back to school tomorrow.

And then there's me. I was a bit under the weather while we were in Phoenix, but nothing serious so I got up and went to work as usual. I had a hacking dry cough, but overall, felt pretty good. About 3:30 or so, I started to get body aches. No problem, I just loaded up on ibuprofen and Tylenol. But the last hour I was at work I sat in the chair shivering, my eyes burning up, and the better part of me knowing that I was not going to be at work today. When I got home, I was running at temp of 102 and alternated between (as Eddie Izzard would say) blazingly hot and fucking freezing. I sat with Anna on the couch watching her taped PBS Kids from the other day and then eventually just went to bed when she did.

Usually when adults are sick like this (especially young adults) you never know what it is - some virus you pick up from somewhere that comes and goes. The symptoms I've had - fever, coughing, sore throat, shivering, myalgias point to a very common threat. It is, without a doubt, influenza. I have not had honest-to-God influenza in a while, so I suppose it's my turn. There is a high likelihood that I will miss work tomorrow as well as I'm still feverish and DEAR GOD do my legs and arms hurt.

So that's us. Heidi seems relatively unscathed, but I'm kind of waiting for her turn.

In the meantime, the tree guys are finally here and they are felling the half dead tree in the backyard. Money = easy come easy go.