Uncle!

Well, I've bravely soldiered through the past week of this miserable cold. All the while telling myself that, no matter what seems to be going on in my sinuses, I'm helping my immune system by getting through this without the assistance of antibiotics. No doctor for me.

Really, a lot of people don't know this (of course my kids do), but I'm almost a doctor myself. I may not have had any training besides motherhood, common sense and life experience but I've made a lot of accurate diagnoses and prescribed many methods that have led to cures. So I wasn't irresponsible with my illness. I completely trusted myself.

I should have been suspicious that there was more going on than I was equipped to deal with when my condition continued to deteriorate instead of improve.

Finally Wednesday, I felt like there was something going on in my throat and by Thursday I could barely croak and most people who heard me probably wished I wouldn't try.

Friday, I felt something unpleasant and heavy in my chest and I began to get a little nervous. I knew it was time to cry 'Uncle!' but, frankly, I felt so miserable that I didn't really want to go to the doctor if I could avoid it, so I prescribed myself more water and more sleep.

I went back to bed and when I woke up, I felt much, much worse. Now I knew something had to be done. I was just lucky to get into the doctor on such short notice and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have if I hadn't sounded so terrible croaking out my symptoms on the phone.

They set an appointment and I mustered the energy to go because I had no choice. Yep, good thing I went in. I had a sinus infection (that I had diagnosed correctly) and the beginning of bronchitis (and that's something that people my age should pay attention to).

So the doctor prescribed six little pills to be taken over the next six days. Hopefully they'll work miracles because I'm pretty sure I need one.

As I left the office though, I commented to the receptionist that I had felt so confident that I would fight this off myself and she sympathetically reminded me that as we get older, our bodies have a harder time with these things. Hmmmmm. I honestly hadn't thought of that.

It's funny that no matter how old I get, I see myself from the inside looking out and I forget about my age all the time. Other people see me from the outside looking in and they NEVER forget about my age.

I wonder what I could do about that.