Sick and Tired of being Sick and Tired

What should have been a brief respite from California and work turned into something quite unexpected.  I think the combination of a six week grind at work with only two days off and a red-eye flight Friday to Fort Myers was more than my poor body could handle.  The idea was to spend four days in Florida with my wife and recharge the batteries and catch up on the yard work that goes undone in my extended absences.

The first two days went pretty well but Sunday night/Monday morning the throat became sore and I woke up in a pool of sweat at four a.m. knowing it was going to be a tough 24 hours.  I stayed in bed almost the entire day hoping the infection would be fleeting.  But night two was more of the same, full of sweat and fitful sleep.  At that point I should have waived the white flag, re-booked the return flight and made an appointment to see the doctor.  Instead I headed to the airport at 5 a.m. to fly back to Sacramento.

The return trip was going okay until about halfway through the hop between Houston and Sacramento.  My sinuses were going crazy and I was going through tissues like crazy.  Then as the slow descent began an annoying pain began to grow in my right ear.  It didn't take long for it to feel like someone was shoving a needle through my eardrum and this went on for a good 30 minutes.  It left me whimpering in my seat curled up in a ball.  Landing was a relief but I realized my hearing was shot in my right ear and I was sicker than ever.

I headed straight to bed and stayed there for the next 15 hours waking at 8 a.m. to make a doctor's appointment.  One was available in 35 minutes and I didn't waste anytime.  The doctor prescribed a Z-pack and told me that both ears were pretty inflamed and that my hearing should return in a few days, maybe a week.  I hadn't had a sick day in two years and I burned three to finish the week.

It wasn't a good week for me to be away either.  Getting onto the early morning flight last Friday I realized that chaos was at hand in Japan and that the California coast was facing a tsunami warning.  I had learned the hard way in the past that canceling travel plans for an employer never goes unpunished.  I ate a thousand dollar plan ticket once that way and wasn't about to eat another one to join the troops for what was sure to be an interesting day at work.

The only positive is that I've gotten to watch a lot of basketball stretched out on my couch the last two days.  Although I spent a lot my viewing actually sleeping on Thursday, the illness finally loosened its grip on Friday just in time for me to enjoy the Kansas game.  Still I have no hearing in my right ear.  It's disconcerting to say the least. Hopefully a weekend of rest will leave me ready for what lies ahead at work