Grab a chair and a couple of root beers...

Okay, so... maybe shouting myself hoarse through two games in an open air stadium while the temperature drops into the forties and only wearing a hoodie because I left my jacket in the car wasn't the smartest thing I could have done.

Lesson learned? Carry the damn jacket and make the Impossible Son carry the blankets.

Oh, and next time I drive by the farmer's stand, buy the big jar of local honey.

I spent the weekend curled up in bed on the Husbandly One's orders, because I woke up Saturday morning with no voice and a nasty, rattling cough. Yeah, I probably had the bug already, and Friday night just made it worse. Fortunately, THO didn't have his usual trouble keeping me in bed because keiramarcos had a lovely new fic up, and it pretty much kept me engrossed for the entire weekend.

When I finished that, there was Netflix and movies.

And when I get back from seeing the doctor, there will probably be more movies and such until it's time to pick up the kids.

I hate being sick. Of course, this is a good opportunity to do things like finishing up crochet projects I've been putting off, or making more jewelry to sell, or ... writing.

*sigh*

Or I could read that book about Julia Child and Avis DeVoto I'd started reading Saturday, but had to quit because they mentioned food and Saturday, me and food... no, not so much.

Did I already warn you guys about the ultimate nastiness of chicken chili? Smells great, but looks like barf. Avoid at all costs. Do. Not. Go. There.

Anyhow, hopefully, I'll be well in time to go sit in the cold and wet on Friday (since tomorrow's game has been canceled, due to the other school's team not having enough players to make up a junior varsity and varsity team, long story) where the long range forecast says, "It ain't getting out of the forties all day plus SNOW FLURRIES, folks!"

YAYS!!

Texas, folks. This is Texas. Where the weather can't make up its mind. Ya-hooo.

*sigh*

Okay, on top of the low grade fever... now I'm itching something fierce!! Just took the last of the Benadryl and hope whatever it is slows down until tomorrow morning, when I can call the doctor.

My arms, legs, back, cheeks, and neck are itching and driving me up the wall, I'm serious! And I've got this weird... blotchy bruisey looking thing on my inner upper arm. Definitely calling the doctor in the morning!!

*sits down to review everything she's eaten and done over the last twenty-four hours*

GAAAAHHHH!!! I'M ITCHING!!!

Don't scratch, don't scratch, don't scratch, don't scratch...

I am so totally overwhelmed.

Here is one reason why...




The Impossible Son has bronchitis, and is really congested (sound familiar), so he's on a course of antibiotics, a mucus thinner, and albuterol breathing treatments every six hours.

*sigh*

Nope, no asthma, just trying to clear his tubes out so it doesn't become a future possibility.

( Cut for possible TMI )

I'm supposed to be resting right now, but I just can't do it. Too keyed up, I guess. I finished the Antibiotic From Hell yesterday, so hopefully, I will start feeling more like myself, and less like something flattened in the road by a Mack truck.

By the way, I've somehow managed to lose about 11 pounds. Not that I mind, but I can think of better ways to lose weight, you know?

Soccer season is starting up soon. Sign-ups finish this week, and try-outs for the select teams is Thursday afternoon. Miss Priss is split on that. She'd like to try-out for the select team, but... she also wants to play with her friends. I can understand that. I know she's also worried about me. You see, the select teams travel, not just to Austin, but to Corpus Christi, Victoria, etc. And since the Husbandly One will be once again coaching the Impossible Son's team, this means that I will be the one who will be driving the Impertinent One to those away games, and seeing how sick I've been, I know they're all worried. They should know better. I'm a tough old bird. In fact, I plan to be hitting the track before the end of the week, because all this sitting still is getting to me.

I even went out to turn the compost pile this morning, and yeah, it wore me out but you know what? It was nice to have a reason other than being sick to be worn out.

On a side-note, the Impertinent Daughter says things that convulse me, and a lot of times, it's not stuff that anyone but me would find funny. Like this morning. We're in the car, tootling along to school, and I've got one of my own personal mix cd's in the player, and L'Arc En Ciel's "Neo Universe" is on. I look over at her and say, "Want me to change it?"

"Nah," she says, looking out the window. "It's okay."

I'm not fooled, because I already know this song is favorited on her music player, and she knows all the words and has been singing along with it. "Okay," I say, and keep driving. The song ends, and she reaches over to change before the next song can play, because it's one she can't stand, A Perfect Circle, I think. She doesn't like the song after that, and pushes the button again and grimaces when another L'Arc En Ciel song pops up, and then Gackt when she pushes it again. "Great," she mutters as she tries again. "That's all I need to listen to first thing in the morning. A bunch of guys groaning and moaning in Japanese."

I nearly had a wreck. I started laughing, and that made me start coughing, and she had to start thumping me on the back. When I could breathe again, she grinned at me. "Yeah," she said, laughing, "I know, Mom, that was all kinds of wrong, wasn't it?"

Then there was yesterday, when the kids were searching out their soccer balls to air them up, and check them over. The Impossible Son was being an Irritating Little Brother, and I heard her say in exasperation, "No! I don't want to play with your balls, I want to play with mine!!"

You know, squirting Coke out of one's nose can be acutely painful.

I've never seen her face so red, I must say! She looked up and stared at me for one horrified moment, then fell over laughing. She's lucky her papa didn't hear her say that, because he'd never let her live that one down!

She also had a boy she doesn't know come up to her at school to tell her a horrendously bad joke (what is a cow's favorite song? Moooove along!), stare at her in terror, squeak, and rapidly flee the area, leaving her with no clue who, what, or why. "Why do they do that, Mom?" she asked, completely flabbergasted.

"I have no idea," I said, trying not to grin. "It may have to do with wanting to impress you, and having it sound so much better in his head, and then having the reality of how awful it truly was hitting him right after he actually said it. And all he could think of was getting away before you either started laughing or screaming in terror."

She snorted. "Okay. Whatever."

"They're boys, dear," I said, trying so hard not to laugh. "Their little egos are so fragile right now."

"Ew, Mom, that's disgusting! I don't want to know how big or little their ego-thingies or whatever you're calling them this week are!!"

I stared blankly at her for a moment, then nearly swallowed my tongue. OMG!!! It took me a while to straighten that one out!! And it makes me wonder if I'm up to the challenge of dealing with a teenaged girl.

No wonder I'm so tired all the time!!!

So, LAST weekend, Miss Priss, before starting her new womanly adventures, brought home this lovely little virus. It starts out like strep... but isn't strep. By Wednesday, Mr. Manzie has it, and by Thursday, the Husbandly One has it, and by Thursday night, I have it.

The kids are over it.

THO is mostly over it.

Me? Are you kidding? I had to go to the doctor today, because I'm still coughing my lungs up. And after hearing all the sucking wheezes in my chest, I was sent for x-rays. Well, there's an "area of interest" in my left lung which may, or may not, be pneumonia.

Yay.

So, I'm on Levaquin, which is this extremely strong antibiotic which has a tendency to knock me flat. I mean, really, it takes every single ounce of strength right out of me and turns me into Auntie the Human Noodle. And I've been told to use my inhaler four times every four to six hours in an effort to open things up in my chest and move the sticky stuff out, as well as taking a mucus thinner to help with that process. So, I'm going to be even more spacey than usual. I go back on Thursday to see if there's any improvement.

Well. Isn't that special? Am I being Miss Cranky-Pants about this? You bet your bippy I am.

However, this does give me more excuses to sit down and write, so... we'll see. We'll see.

In the meantime, Space-Cadet Auntie is going back to bed.

*grumbles*

Went back to the doctor today, and I have to go back tomorrow for a chest x-ray, thanks to some "suspicious sounds" in my chest. More antibiotics, more mucus thinners, drink more water...

Since I'm not running a fever, and because they've already had two cases reported, I've had a flu shot, and because my asthma's coming into play, I got a steroid shot (because they know I'll refuse to take a steroid pack). No, no, Auntie does not look good as a chipmunk!

I also got to go to see the vampires...er... I mean, I went to the lab for blood draws to make sure things are okay with that, too.

Can you tell I'm feeling like crap right now? All I wanna do is go back to bed, pull the covers over my head, and sleep for the next three days. Or five. Five sounds like a good number.

And no, I haven't written on my Nano in ages, because... I just wasn't up to it. So, that's gonna be a fail. *sigh* I'll finish it. Later.

Excuse the whinage, y'all. I'm going to rustle up some energy, go get my meds, then come home to make some chicken soup. Or something. Or maybe I'll just forgo the soup and go straight to bed.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....

Okay, yeah, I'm still alive. Not exactly thrilled about it, but yeah, she lives and all that stuff.

Mostly, I think the worst of the hacking, and coughing is over. Gods, I hope so. Now I'm just hoarse, with occasional bouts of coughing (as opposed to nearly continuous).

I hope I can get back to writing soon. Because I miss it. I miss it something awful.

Well, it looks like I'm going to live.

I went to the doctor. It's not pneumonia. It's just a honking bad case of bronchitis, and at first, the PA was going to send me home with the usual, "Plenty of rest, plenty of liquids," mantra until I started coughing and, well, let's just say she looked at the disgusting mess I left in the vicinity of my chart and said, "Oooo... okay, change of plans. Antibiotics. Because brown is not a good color."

No. It ain't.

So, I'm on antibiotics, and a good goop thinner which won't put me in an altered state of mind (not a good idea with my demon spawn around). And bed rest, of course (HA! like that will happen).

And no, no flu shots for Auntie, for those who asked. Not until I'm completely over this.

*crawls back into bed and pulls covers over her head*

If someone would be so kind as to get this elephant off my chest?  It really is most uncomfortable.  And I have this thing about breathing.  I like to do it.  Often.

Thanks.