Tag Archives: Sore throat

Whew!

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Whew!! Wow I just looked at my date book!! My calendar says the semester will be over in a few weeks HOLY CRAP!!! I have a major paper due in one class…and that will include a powerpoint presentation on May 1st. And then in my second class I have a small project due next week and then a final presentation on April 24th.  So I am almost done! Thank goodness I did a lot of work during Spring Break so I am able to go through the week a little less stressed YAY!!

Which this week  I was extremely thankful for that because I spent the whole week sick! I did make it to work on Wednesday and Thursday but then I stayed home on Friday. I thought on Wednesday I was on the mend but I woke up so much worse on Thursday. Booo!!! But by this afternoon I’m feeling a bit better and I was able to work on homework this afternoon. YAY!

I spent yesterday and today catching up on my shows on Hulu! YAY! And then maybe tonight I will have some Netflix fun! :-P Thank goodness for those two ways of watching T.V. I have not paid for cable in two years :) …thank you Hulu and Netflix!

My goal is to start taking Arava again on Monday. It has been rough this week not having it but I had hoped being off Arava would speed up my healing from my cold. Not sure I can say it did but at least I tried! I was able to stay on my Lyrica so thank goodness my Fibro did not flare! YAY! Praise God!

Now to just make it through the next few weeks! I cannot wait until the 26th I am heading to San Francisco. My first time to the west coast! :) I will spend three days there…landing in San Diego on my way :) Cannot wait!!

 

Getting there

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I am thankful to say that I am getting over my cold. Two days of rest has done wonders, that and Tylenol Cold and Flu!!! I am hoping to be back at work tomorrow and thank goodness I only have one class!!!! That means tomorrow night I will be able to get home earlier, YAY!!! So another perk. I hope to get off work about the same time, and then I will be able to rest some before class. I cannot believe the semester is going to be over soon, just a few more weeks and the term will be over. I just keep repeating to myself, finish strong! This time of the semester is the most stressful for me because final projects are due. But I’m reminding myself that I have to focus, and just take it one step at a time.

For my personality, I will say I have grown into the idea of setting myself up time to do things. In that, I am planning ahead and working hard to stay ahead. That way if I need a night to sleep I have it. Or if I need a weekend to decompress I can take that weekend with out stressing out the next week. I will say this bought of a cold has been the easiest one (knock on wood) this semester. I think I can attribute a lot of that to having learned and immediately I took time to rest.

I’m a hard learner but I will say eventually I get things. But today I made use of my day at home. I woke up and completed three transcriptions of my interview. Now I am ready for the data analysis stage!! YAY!! I’m excited!!

Now off to prep for a meeting and then to an early bed. Thank you for checking in on me :)

 

Ahhh cold!!!

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You know the week when you have lots of stuff to do…yup that is the week you wake up SICK!! Yesterday I started sneezing and coughing…in the back of my mind I was thinking “AHHH NO MORE COLDS!!” I started taking my allergy medicine hoping and praying that was it…part of me thinking it would not help. But I did try the allergy medicine only to wake up today feeling totally totally rotten. My head is all stuffed up, nose is runny, sore throat and overall feeling just rotten.

Not the day I had planned, not the week I had planned. I know I for one HOPE this passes soon. But at the same time I am proud. I have learned over the past few years…when sick STAY HOME AND REST! It is SOOOO hard for me to do this….seriously if I can move I will go to work. But I made myself stay home and I stayed in bed. I will say I have no doubt it helped.

I have said it many times….living with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, and Fibromyalgia….IS TOUGH! And inevitably you get sick. BUT to better handle my sickness…I decided I had to stay home and rest. I did not like it..my bank account did not like it…but one or two days at home in bed…might save me $1500 in ER fees. I hate to tell myself that but I know my reality, MY NORMAL means I have to rest, and stay away from the world when I am sick.

But at least I was able to tutor statistics tonight, I have been working on some homework. And I hope to get some sleep and wake up much better tomorrow! Balance, focus on yourself, give yourself time to rest and slowly work on accepting the new you! The new normal you! I know I had my new normal sometimes…I feel as if I am barely doing anything….BUT IT IS MY NEW NORMAL!

Hang in there…have a great week! :)

 

Focus!

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You know when I was a child I think the concept of “being focused” did not click in my brain! I woke up, did my think but did I have a goal? Did I push myself through thick and thin? Did I aim for something or focus on a project for years at a time? Probably NOT! Even when I started college I certainly never can remember going…hey I’m going to go to school and earn a doctorate! Education is not really a “thing” in my family…which is fine…education does not have to be. I know MANY successful people that have excellent careers with out the college degree!

I think maybe I was a sophomore or junior in college before the hair brained idea creeped into my mind of why not complete a masters/doctorate degree in ______? And I say _______ because even what I thought I would earn a Phd/EdD in has changed! So definitely not my focus…it just sort of happened! I found something I was good at ….something that challenged me. Something that I could say for lack of better words…focused my life! Now living semester by semester is “normal.” And I can complain/whine about the studying, the lack of sleep and how much studying takes away from my “life” but at the same time….(and I think you know this) I would not trade it for the world!! Academics has made me who I am today…not that it takes an education to make anyone but education has helped shape my thinking, my dreams, my passions, and certainly my writing!

Two years ago today I was sitting in a hospital bed…extremely sick…tired…cranky and determined to give back to this disease and push others forward. If I have learned nothing else in the past two years…I have learned to give everything I have to go and earn an education despite the setbacks of my Fibromyalgia and my Rheumatoid Arthritis. Setbacks there have certainly been…sickness, sore throats, mono, fatigue, brain fog…and the never ending pain! But still…through persistence, through passion, and through focus have my dreams continued. I only hope that I am blessed to finish this journey! I know I will will be so happy to walk the stage for the last time! I hope in my heart it happens but I also know that if it doesn’t…for the various reasons that it might not (mostly health related)…I would not trade what I have learned through this journey. I would not trade it for the world.

So focus…I have learned the value of being focused these past few years! I am excited to see what else I will learn through this journey!

 

Another day in bed paradise!!!!

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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 :)