I Need A Fresh Start

I look forward all year to the week between Christmas and New Year's Day because that's when my family comes to town. They come from all over - Kentucky, Michigan, Nebraska, Virginia, Colorado, and Valparaiso. The best part is that we rent a large house along with it's coach house in Beachwalk and everybody stays together for a week. It's awesome.

This year though, things were more complicated for me. I wrote this post on December 11th after seeing the doctor. A week later I felt much, much better but two days after the antibiotic was finished, the symptoms started to return. I called the doctor's office because I couldn't bear the thought of everything starting over again especially with Christmas right around the corner, and they called in another, different antibiotic.

I've always been a big believer in antibiotics. When things get rough healthwise, I believe that once I've gotten these precious little miracle workers, I'll be fine very soon. Not so this time. I seemed to get sicker and after about three days, I quit taking them. I was getting some strange and alarming symptoms but they started to subside so I resumed the antibiotic since the respiratory problems stubbornly hung on.

By the time we moved into the Christmas house, I was feeling pretty rugged. By the second day, I camped on the couch and didn't move. Another visit to the doctor on Monday resulted in yet another antibiotic and after I'd described my more worrisome symptoms, he commented that the antibiotic that I had been on could affect my kidneys and, folks, I believe it did.

After that last visit I began to very slowly come out of it. I'm still not all the way back but there's no comparison now to how I felt then. And I'm relieved. I think illnesses get more worrisome the older we get and I was definitely worried.

Now I have a virus going on and its symptoms match the symptoms of the virus that several of us seemed to pass around near the end of our stay. I have a follow up appointment on Monday. Hopefully, at that time, all this will be history.

I lost a lot though. I've always loved the chaotic breakfasts and lunches at the Christmas house. I love that interaction with the grandchildren because some of them we don't see much otherwise. And I love the staying up late, laughing and joking and listening to the kids. And I missed most of that. I'd be in bed by 10 and up by about 10 most days. Ugh! Not what I'd hoped for but I felt too miserable to care much.

I won't lament the time that I lost. I'll dwell on the time I had when I started to feel better and how cared for I felt when I felt bad.

And I'll start looking forward to next year.