102.6 – 103.4

That would be my temperature for the previous three days. It hit on Friday night along with chills that didn’t stop. I slept in a tshirt, sweatshirt, long pants and with 4 blankets. Chills all night and the fever never broke. FirstHusband was my knight in shining armor (if knights do laundry, work on the taxes, finish multiple outstanding home repairs and take complete charge of the kids all weekend).

I didn’t get out of bed Saturday until I dragged myself to a Doc in the Box at 4:30 p.m. After waiting 2 hours while the ibuprofen wore off and my temperature rose again, the doc came into the examining room and greeted me with “so we have a sick little girl here.

No verbal response (Do not mess with me).

Then the questions:

“When did this start?”

“Friday a week ago I came down with what I thought was just a head cold, hardly any fever, stuffy nose, sinus pressure. By Thursday I was feeling much better. I even worked out with my personal trainer Friday morning and I felt fine. Last night, I got much worse, fever of 103, chills, pretty bad chest congestion, horrible sinus pressure . . . and then the helicopter landed on the roof and the aliens ran away with all my tissues . . . (What?  Ok, I didn’t say the last part, but I could have.  He wasn’t listening.)”

(there were more questions with lack of eye contact or acknowledgment of answers, but I would just get irritated reliving them, so let’s just skip it.)

First, the doc looks in my ears.  (Did I say ANYTHING about my ears?  No.  No I did not.)

Then he looked at my throat.   (Did I say my throat hurt?  No.  No I did not.)

Then he holds the stethoscope on my back, on top of my double layer of tshirt and fleece pullover while I breathe once, twi . . . (choking coughs) and doc says, “sounds clear.” (what? one breath? how could you even hear over all the coughing?)

He doesn’t look in my nose.  Doesn’t touch my neck to see if anything is swollen.  Nothing.

His diagnosis? “A little cold.”

So it’s viral? (a little cold? a little cold? Buddy, I’ve had a little cold before and I can stand up with a “little” cold.  I can sit up with a “little” cold.  I don’t have to sleep with my upper body elevated when I have a “little” cold . . . arrg!  let’s just skip it.)

“Probably viral, but just in case, I’ll write you a prescription for a Z-pak. (and do I take it just in case it is bacterial? or just in case I get worse?) You do have a low-grade fever, so just take ibuprofen for that. (low grade fever? 103?  what is a high grade fever?) Get plenty of rest and drink lots of fluids (Carole Brady could have told me that.)

Since I have no confidence the Doc in the Box and since I’ve had pneumonia 4 times in my adult life, I filled the prescription to fight off any secondary infections that this “possible” viral infection is making me vulnerable to. I already have an appointment with my doctor on the last day of the Z-pak to follow up.

I came home from the Doc in the Box at 7:00 p.m. Saturday and went in the dry sauna for 20 minutes. (I have one in my garage – tell you about it later.) After completely clearing my sinuses, sweating out lots of toxins and hopefully boiling some nasty little germs, I went back to bed and did not get out until Sunday night. A few hours later, I forced myself to go back to bed with an Ambien so I could expedite more internal germ fighting.

Unfortunately, I really had to work Monday (today) and need to tomorrow as well. I loaded up on Sudafed (the real stuff) and ibuprofen and I actually felt pretty good. Tired, but not bad. No fever while the ibuprofen lasted and more than 24 hours since my first antibiotic.  Although, I was a total germaphobe today. I used an entire bottle of hand sanitizer on my self and the keyboard I touched, I wouldn’t shake anyone’s hand, I wouldn’t touch anything or sit near anyone and told everyone I encountered to wash their hands.  (To which nearly EVERYONE I encountered replied, “It’s okay, I’ve already had it.“)

Tonight, I let the ibuprofen wear off and my fever is only 100.2. Now that seems low grade.

So is this the flu everyone is talking about? I thought the flu included nausea and body aches with a little ralphing. I don’t have nausea or body aches and although I didn’t eat anything all weekend, I still don’t think I would have parted with it later. I’ve just got cold/bronchitis/sinus infection symptoms – but some kick (my) butt symptoms. And when I do get better, will I be immune to this nasty little flu – until it morphs itself again?

What a pain. How irritating. I’m going to bed. After I pray my kids don’t get this. I’ve been giving them “air” hugs since Friday.