Let me back up a bit. A week ago when I was at the gym at 5am with my cousin, I started coughing. I figured it was allergies because of all the trees that have blossomed here already. I even made a comment to her like, "I was wondering when my allergies were going to kick in." All day Wednesday I coughed but it was a dry cough so I wasn't too concerned. Just annoyed. Thursday morning I woke up before my alarm at 3:50 and I was coughing but I was also experiencing pain in my throat when I coughed, my chest was tight and it was hard to breathe. I laid there debating whether or not I should cancel on my cousin. I finally texted her to tell her I wasn't going to make it and I needed to stay home and rest. I slept two more hours and got up at 6 to get ready for work. I texted my boss to tell her I wasn't feeling well but I was going to come in for our morning meeting, to make some calls and I'd probably leave after that. She told me to just stay home. We had an important meeting on Friday and I needed to be there for that. So I got back in my jammies and spent the entire day on the couch watching Shades of Blue on Hulu. Start to finish. I think it was nine episodes total. And I got a nap in somewhere in there. Oh, and my mom was kind enough to bring me Mucinex, honey and roses.
Friday rolled around and I was feeling okay actually. I went to work for four hours since Friday's are our short days and I went to the DMV to apply for my new license with my new name. I actually went home and cleaned out my closet because my dad was having a garage sale the next day. I was feeling energetic and alive. Still coughing though.
On Saturday morning, my husband and I met my grandma and grandpa for an early birthday breakfast. I was still coughing but I felt okay. We ran around town for a bit and finally got home around 2 and I was beat. I think I did too much. I know they were all normal things but my body couldn't handle those things at that time. I immediately changed into my comfy clothes and laid on the couch. I ended up falling asleep. So did my husband. And so did Vader. Family nap time! Should be mandatory on Saturdays. When I woke up from my nap I started to feel weak and achey. I was hot and then cold but I never had a fever.
Sunday was spent on the couch as well.
Sunday night I woke up from my sleep several times. This was the first night this actually happened. I kept coughing uncontrollably. Around 5am my husband asked me if I needed water. He was being sweet but I didn't like that I was waking him up. He needed to get his sleep so I got up and went to the couch. I couldn't fall back to sleep. I texted my boss around 5:50 to tell her I wouldn't be coming in, got up, got dressed, left a note for my husband and went to the 24 hour urgent care.
The physician said she thought I had the flu. Mentioned it might possibly be pneumonia but she couldn't hear my lungs well enough to know for sure. I was certain she was going to say I had bronchitis. She prescribed me a stronger cough syrup than what I had already been taking and she told me I'll feel better in about seven days.
While I was at the urgent care I did mention to the physician that I am currently taking Bactrim for my acne. She had actually mentioned that she wanted to give me an antibiotic to treat me for pneumonia and I asked her if there would be any negative side affects if I take an antibiotic when I don't need one. She then told me she'd just have me take the cough syrup to start. But no where in there did she tell me to stop taking Bactrim immediately.
{I was doing research on my phone last night and I read that if you take an antibiotic when you have the flu, it could make your flu symptoms worse. So if I do have the flu, I should not be taking my Bactrim. I really really really wish the physician would have told me that herself. Good thing I forgot to take my pills today. I'm going to discontinue taking them for now and see if it helps at all. I hate pimples but I'd rather have pimples right now than this horrible cough.}
When I got home from CVS I got right back in my bed. I had a pounding headache and my entire body felt weak. It was hard to lift my arms. Monday night was even worse. I started coughing like crazy. It would not stop. I called my husband and asked him to stop and grab some Vicks Vaper Rub on his way home. That actually gave me some relief. I had no desire whatsoever to eat dinner so I ate a spoon full of peanut butter just so I could take my medicine. My husband rubbed Vicks on my feet because a friend told me it helps her kids when they're sick. I also rubbed it on my chest and throat every 4ish hours. That didn't stop me from waking up and coughing though. Hence the reason why I had to reapply every 4 hours.
I woke up at 6 and had a text on my phone from my boss. She told me to please not come in if I wasn't feeling better but I really wanted to go to work yesterday. I was going stir crazy and I just wanted to get out. And sometimes you end up feeling better if you shower, get ready and go out. I told her I was going to come in and see how I do. While blow drying my hair, I snapped some photos because I loved the curves in my arms even though I wasn't flexing. I hadn't been to the gym and I wasn't eating and if I was, it wasn't the healthiest choice so I'm very grateful for that non-scale victory in spite of being sick.
I was so happy to be at work. Yes I was coughing and every person I spoke with would say, "You don't sound too good" {thanks!} but I was so happy to just be out of the house. Around 11:30 my boss emailed me. She told me to go ahead and finish up what I was doing and go home. She was grateful that I came in but she said I didn't sound well and I needed to rest. I was going to try to stay the whole day but I wasn't going to argue with her. I stayed one more hour to wrap things up and then headed home. I spent the rest of the day on the couch.
I don't think I woke up as much last night. I felt like I was able to rest more than the previous night. I feel physically better today. I'm still coughing a lot and my voice is pretty much gone but I feel more like me. I'm hopeful that I won't be coughing at all on my birthday but usually when I have a cough they tend to linger for weeks.
