Ugh. Sick.

Exactly one week ago, late in the afternoon, a colleague asked if she could borrow my office to have a private conversation with a person she supervises.  They were in there for approximately 1/2 hour, and when I came back in, the cigarette aroma was overwhelming (the person being "talked to" had just returned from a smoking break).  My throat immediately closed up, and it was difficult to breathe.  Fortunately, it was time to get my stuff and go home.  That evening, I kept feeling worse as time went on.

My usual routine on a work day is to get up, feed the starving cats, and take Dug for his walk before showering, dressing, and eating breakfast.  About 2 minutes into my walk with Dug, I realized when we got home, I would feed him, and then make a cup of tea and sit for a while before going further.  Which then made me realize I just had to call out sick.  I did so, and went back to bed.  Got up around 10 am and sent an e-mail to my doctor's office, and went back to bed.

Thursday and Friday were a kinda blur; I was exhausted, but would only be able to sleep for an hour or so, due to coughing, blowing my nose, and trying to breathe.  The meds the doctor gave me were making absolutely no difference, which didn't surprise me, because they never seem to.  But he always prescribes them first.

On the weekend, I called the doctor's office, and got the person on call, who was sympathetic, but suggested only adding some OTC things to the mix.

Yesterday, I was still miserable, and fearful that I had pneumonia, so I called the doctor's office again, and asked if I could please come in and have someone listen to my lungs.  Fortunately, one of the nurse practitioners had an opening, and as it was my husband's day off, he took me over.

What a difference.  She listened to my lungs, and said no pneumonia (Thank God!), rather I was having a severe asthma attack exacerbated by a bad cold, and then asked about the meds I had been prescribed.  I told her the long story, and mentioned that if I could have some cough syrup with codeine, I thought I could get a decent night's sleep, which would make me start feeling better far more than taking a longer course of pills, etc.  She prescribed that and a rescue inhaler.  I started as soon as I got home.

And guess what?  Last night I slept ALL NIGHT.  And today, I do feel better.  The nurse practitioner told me to stay put until Monday, so though I am not happy to be using sick days at work right off the bat, I feel like I'm moving towards being better.

I realize that codeine is a controlled substance.  But for me, it is *always* the only thing that works to allow me to sleep all night, rather than cough all night.  Every time, that has been the case.  But my doctor always waits until a week or more has gone by to prescribe it.  Which is so frustrating.

Although I still don't feel great, I do feel more rested, and like I'm on my way to feeling better.  Onward!

Motivation

I know I've already talked about my activity plans and ideas here, but I just posted on my other blog about ways that I think you can try to keep yourself motivated until fitness becomes a habit.

So feel free to give it a read!

A Couple of Intentions

You may recall that I mentioned a couple of posts ago that last year, I toyed with the idea of "intentions" rather than resolutions for New Year's.  I've been sick since the day before New Year's Eve, so I haven't spent a lot of time on thinking about it, but there are a some of things I already know I want to try.

First, I was reading a blog the other day (God forbid I remember which one), where the blogger said that she was in fact making resolutions, but only a month at a time, and her January resolution was to lose weight, and declutter her closet.  That got me to thinking, and I recalled that when I first started this blog, I vowed to take baby steps to reach my health and fitness goals, so that - theoretically at least - they would be more manageable.  It all worked pretty well, so I want to try that.  So one of my intentions for this year is to try and lose 2 pounds a month - and preferably, not the same 2 pounds each time!  This strikes me as a reasonable, doable, intention.

Then today, I was thinking that when I feel better (oh please let it be soon!), I should try to plan ahead with meals a little bit better.  I eat the same thing for breakfast every morning - oatmeal with raisins, cinnamon, and sometimes slivered almonds, along with a side of fruit if at all possible in the cold months; cold cereal with a side of fruit the rest of the year - so breakfast is not really an issue.  Cooking dinner is something I share with my husband (he cooks one night, I cook the next), so I want to try and fix one dish at least twice a month ahead for the next week during January.

Then there is lunch.  I usually take my lunch, since a) I don't want to go broke, and 2) deciding what I want can take the better part of my lunch hour.  But as much as I wish it were, it's usually not anything I think too far ahead about.  PB&J is a favorite, but sometimes I just want something different.  So my other intention for January is to plan my lunches, and where possible, fix the ingredients ahead of time.  Even if it's just a list that says something like:  Monday - PB&J.  Tuesday - cheese and crackers.  Wednesday - soup.  You get the picture.

This seems as if it could actually work.  But at least if it becomes undoable/a failure/whatever, I can re-think things for February.

I'll keep you posted.  :-)

Happy New Year!

The object of a new year is not a that we should have a new year.

It is that we should have a new soul

-- G.K. Chesterton