What a Life!

…but I don’t know who to give it to.

I’ve had the cold from hell all week. It started last Friday with a sore throat. Saturday night I had the worst chills I’ve ever had. Sunday I was a bit better.

Then Monday evening at 5:00 my left ear filled with fluid. It hurt some when I went to bed, but we didn’t have any decongestant so I just took one Aleve. At 1:35 a.m., however, the pain was so piercing I could no longer sleep. I got in the car, drove into town and bought some Sudafed at Walgreens. About an hour after I got back home, I was able to get back to sleep.

Tuesday, I was able to keep the misery at a “tolerable” level by taking Advil and Sudafed every six hours, but at 5:00, the dose I had taken two hours earlier was of no use. I called our family doctor and he said I should see someone that night.

My ear hurt so bad, and Ben kept screeching all day. I couldn’t tell if he was feeling bad so he was acting more “difficult” or if it was just that I didn’t feel good and had no tolerance for his “usual” behavior. That’s when I told Steve I needed to turn in my resignation but I didn’t know who to give it to. Ugh!

My Mary Kay weekly meeting was that evening, and I’d had a really good week in sales so I wanted to go to my meeting, not only to get out of the house and away from my screeching toddler but to enjoy the spotlight of recognition and get some motivation as well. So I went to my meeting even though it felt like someone was using a dagger to dig around in my ear. Steve’s words were, “Well, you’re an adult so I guess you can decide whether or not you want to go to your meeting feeling like you do.”

After the meeting I went to the clinic where I was the only patient since the after-work rush was already over. The doctor gave me these drops that were supposed to numb the pain and an antibiotic. He told me I could take two Aleve twice a day or four Advil three times a day – I needed to take that much for the anti-inflammatory part to take effect.

Well, the drops were a great idea, but it’s hard to get any moisture to run down into a tiny ear canal that is block in the other end so they just sat in my outer ear every time and never helped. I took the Aleve on Wednesday but didn’t seem to need it yesterday.

This has been the weirdest cold because I really haven’t been that congested. It’s just been my ear, which is still plugged with fluid even though it isn’t painful anymore, and other oddities like the chills Saturday night. I’ve been tired and really wanted to take a nap every afternoon, but of course I can’t since I’m in charge of watching Ben. So I’ve just sat on the couch and read books and knit most of the week because I didn’t have any more energy than that.

This morning I woke up all congested. Of course, Steve came down with my cold Wednesday and between the two of us, we finished off the decongestant last night. This was the first morning that I didn’t get up sometime during the 5:00 hour. I’ve been a faithful member of the 5:00 club for a month now, but this morning I figured I needed my sleep in order to get over this silly cold.

This afternoon I’m leaving to go on a Mary Kay retreat. I used to go on these back in Maryland, but I haven’t since I’ve lived in Nebraska. They’re really fun and I’m really looking forward to it. This is also the first time I will be leaving Ben overnight. Steve is adept at feeding him and getting him to bed every night, so I’m sure they’ll be fine. I have been looking forward to this retreat – I’m so mad that I have to be feeling this way when I finally get to go.

I’m going to the grocery store before I leave, and I shall buy some meds that will hopefully at least help me feel like a somewhat normal person. I’m so tired of being sick. I want to feel like myself again and have the energy to get things done. I have a headache, and I really don’t want to have to think about who I need to give my resignation to – there isn’t anyone who will take it anyway but I can’t seem to get over the urge that I need to turn one in.

Do moms ever get to call in sick?