Tag Archives: flu

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And then there came

And then there came a COLD!!! UGH!!  I hate hate hate colds. I started sneezing a lot yesterday and feeling my nose all stuffy. I thought it was because I missed my allergy medicine but NOOO! :( I woke up today feeling so rotten. The worst thing was I missed a party last night because I hoped and prayed that my feeling gross would stop with a nice long nap. Well it didn’t :( !!! ARGH!! Don’t you hate it when the colds just sneak up on you :(

So anyways….I’m spending my night taking NyQuil Cold and Flu and hoping I can feel better by tomorrow when I have to go to work. :( Nothing like going to work with a cold but I hate missing work. And I think the office will be quiet at least a little quieter than normal …hopefully. Starting Tuesday I get to talk to our orientation students!!! I’m excited, I get to share with them a bit more about my Honors College that I work for :) I will be talking to probably anywhere from 50 – 100 kids every Tuesday now through August! I love the idea…and it gives me more experience talking in front of strangers :) With some practice…I should be really good by the end :P

And tonight was one of the nights I am VERY THANKFUL I work ahead. I was not able to do much homework last night or today. In fact, I missed my usual writing time last night. I am usually in my office writing every night form about 7/8 until 1a.m. But last night I was in bed! Tonight I finished reading one chapter of my statistic (Whoop!) and now finishing up here. I might get one smaller thing done but I’m thinking I will probably head to bed.  Tomorrow,  I will take a nap and hope to work ahead a little bit more.

Future things for this week include creating a graduation and application timeline, typing up a research agenda, and researching universities. I also have to work on two conference proposals.  Plus study for classes! LOL! This cold needs to MOVE ON!! So I can get stuff done!!

I’m praying that your pain has eased some this weekend. Cold or no cold…I’m working on smiling and relaxing before the weekend ends!

 

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Oh Steady Day, Oh Steady Day

Yah I was thinking “oh happy day, Oh happy day” while I was writing this but no steady comes out instead. Steady? Well I’m steadily not improving…I’m steadily learning to live with the never ending (I’m sure it will) rain!  But you know that’s ok…I enjoyed a STEADY Saturday while I watched “the West Wing” and played on my computer.

I am yet again reminded how much energy I had…and now how much I treasure any drop of energy!! If I get a burst of energy I should TREASURE it…who knows when my treasure will return!

Being sick..if nothing else it gives you time to think, write and get bored with TV! I’m working myself up to get up at 5:40a.m. on Monday (despite my overloaded crapppiness), making it to work by 7:30a.m. and then perking myself up enough to be a positive/pleasant person until 1:00p.m. and then off to my doctor’s appointment. Yes, I’m seeing an internal medicine doctor Monday afternoon..my sore throat will not go away and my cough is back (BAD!).  OHhh and classes start next week!! I’m going to be starting my second year…wow! Cannot believe I’ve survived a Bachelor’s degree, a Master’s degree and now a full year of an Ed.D! LORD! I silently battled my RA/Fibro in college (not officially diagnosed, didn’t have insurance so didn’t get tests run) and then I was a second year MA student when I finally found out what was wrong. That was after a year of trying to figure out what is going on! :( So I am amazed that I have survived! Survived and yes surprisingly I enjoyed my classes last year (minus my Statistics!)

I’m so thankful for all the check in on me! Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia…yes those are not easy to live with but one thing I realized tonight was …it is nice to know someone has your back! I have your back, you have my back! :) Night :)

 

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Another day in bed paradise!!!!

Yes another day in bed paradise! It was pouring rain outside so that made it nice to sleep….at least I did not have to drive in icky weather! :P (trying to see the positive right!). This morning I still had a low grade fever, my sore throat is better, but I’m a little concerned with how my chest is feeling. It seems like the cough might be getting worse? Not sure, could be paranoia…but I’ll be safe just in case and am staying home. Tomorrow would have been my last work day so I sadly missed a full  week! :( It stinks but one I need to rest and heal and two I hate going into work sick. No one else should catch any one of the three things I’m carrying THAT’S FOR SURE!

I’ve found some very interesting things about the flu virus! Check out my facebook page (www.facebook.com/stlraf) for the links. Seems like the flu is going on like wildfire! Hmmm that’s good to know! Also found some other good things about RA and working. One thing I’m looking forward to finding is additional information on having fibromyalgia and RA. I know a lot of us don’t have just one or the other…we have them combined and then some. I know my Fibro, for the first time today…was NOT flaring! I take that as a sign that my body is healing. My goal is to be back on Lyrica as scheduled today and then Arava maybe sometime next week. I’m going to see how I do this weekend and then test the waters. I want to get my body over the sickness but I don’t want my immune system to perk itself up too much…such a line to straddle! :P

Food is still not seeming appealing. I’m sure with the flu/sore throat/strep/cough you know that food tastes different etc. I tried applesauce last night and it tasted gross. I had a salad but it didn’t settle in my stomach. I checked the scales and since Saturday I’ve lost about 6 pounds! Not surprised I haven’t eaten more nor been too hungry. But hopefully I can find something yummy and greasy to eat! :)

I’m getting excited my goals for this weekend since I will be feeling better (YES I WILL BE) – going to re-dye (yes self-dye) my hair with my Black John Frieda foam (http://www.target.com/p/john-frieda-precision-foam-colour/-/A-13944196?ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001&AFID=Google_PLA_df&LNM=%7C13944196&CPNG=Health+Beauty&kpid=13944196&LID=PA&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=13944196), and then I want to get my nails done at my favorite salon. If I can get those two things done I’ll be sooo excited for Monday. You know starting the week out all cute and refreshed. I would also like to re-stock on some makeup at my favorite store, Sephora. We will see though how my energy holds up!

Tomorrow, my goal is to hopefully be able to start reading ahead. My classes have not been uploaded so I have not yet seen my syllabi BOO!! But I figure it cannot hurt to start reading ahead. I already know which project I want to work in on my qual class so that’s good. I’m going to keep working on my quant study to see how I can combine the two. So no progress lost! I have two books to read, I figure if I can get a chapter or two read now maybe I can stay about a week ahead. That always helps me during the semester! And hoping tomorrow my classes will post :)

Off to rest some more, thanks for keeping up with me :)

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Go away and stay away!!!!

Well alas today, to my great dismay I didn’t wake up feeling all better!!!! To that I tell my body BOOOO! But tomorrow will be three days on antibiotics and four days of no Arava! Lets hope that’s what my body needs so I can start mending! After all school starts one week from tomorrow and I don’t want to be sick!

I had a feeling 2013 would bring some interesting challenges! Hey at least the party didn’t wait tooooo long to start! But again, I am thankful for many things! For a hubby that can work while I cannot, for insurance to see the doctor and be back on to, and for my sickness to hit this week versus next! Crappy start to 2013, but I have high hope that things will improve!

Change needs to happen! And I say this to myself! I need to make sure to rest, to be feed spiritually, emotionally and physically! I have to make sure I try and stay healthy, to make sure I get adequate rest and that I get some workout in during the week! Why? Because yes my degree is important but my health is far more important! And extra year to finish is far better than never going back! Emotional health stems from me needing to rest some days, to enjoy life, to enjoy my husband, my dog and cats, and to just be able to relax so I am not so drained! Physically I have to move! Be it a short walk with my dog or a longer walk with my dog! Either way I need to move and eat better! And spiritual health, well for me my faith is crucial! Prayer, God, peace and strength I chalk all this up to my faith! My faith is so essential to seeing joy despite my circumstances! So yes for 2013 to continue to look up….spiritual, emotional, and physical strength needs to abide!

I am also getting more excited about class! Yes I’m slow this semester! I edited my paper!!!! Score! I am feeling much better about it….thank goodness it is a work in progress!!! Once I make sure it is good, then on to working on the presentation! I hope soon my syllabi are posted so I can see what the semester is going to look like! I always hate not knowing until day one of the semester! Called me OCD and organized! Also this semester will be my first semester commuting from my new home! Extra commute…..unfortunately! Say a prayer for me!

Joy is returning, God is guiding and rebuilding! Sometimes we get handed a bad hand to make us stop and think about what all we have been blessed with and all the good that can come in the year! I know I’m not letting this darken what I think 2013 will bring! And I’m hopeful that there will be some awesome changes, awesome classes, more friendships, and much much more!

Resting for now! Excited to see what tomorrow brings!

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A Day of Rest

Well obviously God knew that (a) I wasn’t ready to quit being on vacation and (b) that I just needed more rest. And since I wouldn’t listen I had to get majorly sick! LOL! Well probably not but that is one of the reasonings that is going on in my head tonight. My throat is worse, and I woke up feeling like I have the flu (wow that ER doc was smart!!! DARN!). Fever has been up…and it has been down….and currently it is going up! YAY ME NOTT!!!!

But Molly and I have cuddled on the couch…we have watched a TON of Netflix (getting my money’s worth LOL!). And tomorrow I am hoping to work on my paper. For some reason this paper is hard to start…I’m not sure if it because I work best under pressure these days or I just REALLY don’t want to give up my vacation. The paper right now is 29 pages but because I added some stuff in my brief introduction I need to add a bit more..and we are talking small small things and maybe it is because I know they are so small…that I am procrastinating. Nevertheless I hope it gets done tomorrow.

I’m hoping my fever is permanently gone tomorrow!! That would be nice. I never know how bad a fever could wrack my poor RA/Fibro body. The joint pain I have had the past two days has been unreal. Even with my Lyrica…seems like I have taken nothing. And then it seems like my body has knives stuck in it and then for kicks my joints all swollen and twisted (we are talking every joint). Hmmm I’ll be SOOO ready for this day to pass.

What have I learned from this experience??? I have no immune system, zip zero nada…at least not one to talk about! When I can get sick and within 12hrs be majorly majorly ill….there is no immune system working there! BUT that also tells me that within a month I have managed to knock down my immune system so “hopefully” if I can balance the side effects…my RA should start to improve! YAY!

I have also been able to spend some time researching RA, RA meds and stuff like that. I never knew how little I knew about my diseases until I started to research. I was not aware of all the TNF stuff ,the DMARD stuff etc. Why should I care about it all?? Mostly because I keep getting so many questions about Rheumatoid Arthritis. Such as what does it do, why does it hurt so bad because it is just arthritis right???? And why on earth would I or do I take autoimmune suppressants??? That’s wrong right?? What causes it???

Thank goodness I love to research because it takes time. I didn’t take much time before but hey what else can I do….I have no voice, no immune system and am contagious so I’m staying homebound. LOL! It is a sign.. I needed to do this research LOL! (probably a sign to do my paper too….God knew it wasn’t ready!!!)

Another positive of staying home…I found the West Wing on Netflix!! SCORE!! So I’m going to go watch more tv, I’m going to rest and hopefully tomorrow…some improvements will be seen!!! :P

 

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Thankful!

The backstory to this post is that yesterday morning I woke up about 2:30a.m. with a 103.4 degree fever. YES I was miserable,  worst feeling ever. After my company left, don’t worry I stayed in bed to not get anyone else sick,  I went to the ER. Turns out I have pharyngitis, strep and the flu…yah for a 3 for 1 combo! I’m on a lot of antibiotics and we are hoping that I get better soon. It is amazing how FAST my body got sick, although what did I expect having been knocking out my immune system the last month with my Arava.

But I am thankful for

- health insurance so I could go to the doctor right away!

-the ability to buy medicine on a Sunday, some places like where I grew up in Honduras, it would take an act of congress to find an open pharmacy on the weekends! These 24/7 pharmacies in this country are awesome!

-an understanding boss, who for now is understanding that I am always sick, but on occasion REALLY sick. She knows I work hard when I can but sometimes these major illnesses strike on top my usual stuff

-this fast fast illness makes me believe that my Arava is working! I had a few better days last week with my pain so that’s a good thing. Downside is yah I get sick fast these days

I believe now:

- if you have RA/Lupus/Fibro or any other invisible disease….we should get a “GET OUT OF OTHER SICKNESSES” card! :)

- I have to balance my social life even more because I am even more susceptible to illness thanks to no immune system to speak off

So yes I have much to be thankful for and I am praying for healing of this 3 for 1 combo SOON!!! It has put my RA/Fibro into major overdrive so I feel sooooooooo worse than bad. It makes me pray even hard for ONE day of being pain free…I know that hasn’t happened in the past few years but here is hoping! :)

Off to rest!