Thursday

Two doctor appointments and many still-to-be-totaled-prescriptions-and-over-the-counter-medicines-and-boxes-of-Kleenex-and-related-groceries-later, the flu rages on, and with it since last night: Pink Eye! It has been a week for the record books here, and while I would love to be the type of pure sweet soul who never utters a complaint during pain or illness, I am clearly not yet that person. It seems like every waking thought I have had since last Saturday has been one of how utterly miserable I feel and how afraid I have been that I will lose my job due to having to call off sick again. I had a good and messy crying jag when Mike got home from work last night, all stuffed-up sobbing with my mouth wide open and (pink!) eyes glued shut, tears trickling into my plugged-up ears. In case you think I exaggerate, while at this afternoon's medical appointment, the doctor briskly entered the exam room only to lose her smile and greet me instead with a startled "Girl, you are a MESS!" No, I really couldn't possibly be any more attractive this week, Ladies. Don't even try to compete. :)

Never having had Pink Eye before, I read some about it last night to prepare for today's appointment and learned that to diagnose it, doctors sometimes numb the eye before swabbing it. My friend Marylou gave me a quick pep talk on Messenger/chat today before I headed over for my now-dreaded eyeball injection or eyelid-scraping or whatever else, so I was most pleasantly surprised to be asked by the nurse merely to read lines off a standard vision chart and then told to sit back down and wait for the doctor. I think I actually said a quick "Thank You" to God as the nurse closed the door behind her, but then the joke was on me when she stepped right back in with the giant black toolbox pictured above and said, "This is for the doctor. And she'll be right with you." I probably had the "Ohh nooo!" Mr. Bill expression at that moment--hammers?! pliers? drills? DRILLS?!--but YES! Thank! You! God! I never found out what was in The Scary Box.

A prescription for my eyes, a variety of things for my throat until the lab results are back and I find out what's wrong with it--Strep has been ruled out, but Heartburn aside, I've never known such pain as whatever's been happening with my throat since last Saturday, like swallowing a broken glass-filled scouring pad over and over day and night for six days now--and I am not allowed to work tonight, so a little more rest and time to heal. Thank you for all the good wishes on my last post. I have been online at all hours this week with tea and popsicles when unable to sleep, and all the comments and emails have cheered me.  ♥  Also on the bright side, I have a new empathy for anyone with chronic pain issues. And a renewed gratitude for a husband who called me "so cute" even after my crying jag last night. And so much else to be thankful for and hopeful about, as always. This February has been a bit much, though, and now, with another swallow of the scouring pad as my eyes cloud over again, I sign off and look forward to March.