. So my last day on the antibiotics was last Saturday. I am still on the steroids,meant to reduc ethe swelling in my eustachian tubes that is keeping my ears plugged up.
Yesterday (Sunday), I felt I had a little more energy, enough to finally start picking up the mess around here after 2 weeks of being sick. I even did 2 loads of laundry. My ears had improved, though the left was still more clogged. However, I noticed I sneezed 3 times during the day, and I still had the sense that the infection was still in my system, though all but one of the symptoms (my muffled hearing) had receded.
Last night everything reversed. I was up most of the night coughing. Stuffy nose, blowing nose. Today that's continued, and no more energy leaps.
I read on the long warning list for the steroids, in big bold letters, that steroid use reduces your body's ability to fight infection. Great.
I understand why she put me on the steroids, to reduce the swelling in my ears. I TOLD her that while my other symptoms had gone away, my sense was that the infection was not completely cleared up. She put me on the steroids anyway.
Now the steroids are dampening my immune system and the cold/infection is coming back. My ears are as clogged as ever and the ringing in them is back too.
Waiting for a callback from doctor.
Will I ever get better? Will I lose my p/t proofreading job due to being out so much, possibly/likely again this week, if I ever want to get rid of this thing? Will I lose my remaining few weeks of unemployment benefits due to losing the job due to being out sick too much? Will I be sick for Christmas, after missing out for thanksgiving?
Stay tuned to As the World Sinks.
In other news, I managed to make a quite delicious, ad hoc soup using what was on hand. I usually don't like to make a soup without a recipe becus it usually comes out too watery, or flat tasting or something else. But this one was a winner.
I was trying to avoid having to go out to buy groceries, so I threw together the following:
1/2 carton Swanson's organic chicken broth
About 2 cups of my own homegrown tomatoes, thawed from frozen
1/2 cup of wheat berries, cooked
1/2 cup Trader Joe's chopped organic spinach
1 can TJ's organic chickpeas, drained/rinsed
1 can TJ's organic kidney beans, drained/rinsed
1 small can tomato paste
4 leftover TJ's veggie wontons, cooked
garlic powder, parsley
It was very tasty. The wheat berries added a nice chewy texture to it all and the paste thickened it up nicely.
I've been in touch with my neighbor who lives behind me; she offered to drop off some homemade chicken soup with motzah balls tonight after work. Much appreciated, Laura.
When I get better, I have decided to spend $70 to get MagicJack Plus; it comes with free local/long distance calls for a full year, and if you don't like it, you can return for a refund within 30 days. It plugs right into your computer USB port.
Anyone use it? From what I could tell, it works with the slowest AT&T DSL of 3 mbps.
Things are moving backwards
December 3rd, 2012 at 10:49 pm
December 3rd, 2012 at 11:31 pm 1354577515
December 4th, 2012 at 12:16 am 1354580185
December 4th, 2012 at 12:22 am 1354580546
December 4th, 2012 at 12:40 am 1354581643
I can't remember or not, was it you that was on the Z-pack of antibiotics? The ones that are supposed to work in your system for up to five days after you stop them? Because I have found that they really don't work that way. I usually need to do two Z-packs in a row for persistant infections.
December 4th, 2012 at 12:45 am 1354581945
December 4th, 2012 at 02:07 am 1354586872
December 4th, 2012 at 02:35 am 1354588549
December 4th, 2012 at 04:10 am 1354594225
December 6th, 2012 at 02:44 am 1354761852
December 6th, 2012 at 01:42 pm 1354801324
As of right now, the cold symptoms SEEM to be gone, although I still feel very tired, perhaps becus i've literally been lying around the house for 3 weeks. And the ears are still plugged up.
Really bad time of the year for this to happen! Well, get well soon!
December 6th, 2012 at 02:24 pm 1354803898
Yes, cold symptoms are mostly gone here too. Slight congestion because things are draining in my head - not enough to free up that ear! It has been popping a little the last two days. You'd think something would MOVE?? Frustrating. I'm tired because my body is obviously trying to fight off something that isn't right. Oh I feel SO bad for you that both ears are plugged up. You poor thing!!! I hope you get some answers quickly.
I was on vacation 1000 miles away from home when this hit. So much for coming back well rested, huh?
December 6th, 2012 at 02:36 pm 1354804581
Thruout the clogged ears, I've had periodic clicking and crackling in them, as well as ringing in my left ear (the worst side). And the popping when you blow your nose, as if you got off an airplane. It's kind of like white noise, which you don't really notice unless all else is quiet. (When it was really bad, I had an earache in both ears.)
Well, both ears aren't completely blocked up. It's hard to tell exactly how much blockage there is, but I would guess I've got maybe 20% hearing out of my left ear and 60% in my right. It sucks.
Yeah, I keep wondering where I caught this from. Was it just some random store clerk whose hand i brushed when I paid for something? I just don't remember running into anyone who was deathly ill, but of course, that doesn't mean they couldn't spread germs.
There was one bizarre thing that happened to me a while back with the ears. At one point, I don't know exactly what I was doing, but I think I was maybe clenching my facial muscles to avoid coughing, or something like that. I was just holding my face in a certain way, and when I did so, I suddenly heard/felt the sound of a whole lot of liquid rapidly draining down somewhere in my head! It was pretty alarming. I told my APRN about it and she said it could have been liquid in the Eustachian tubes draining. I don't know where it went or why it only did it that one time, but anyway, talk about weird and disconcerting.
December 6th, 2012 at 06:32 pm 1354818738
I could have picked this up anywhere. We were driving the 1000 miles just a few days earlier. I did some shopping the day before. Either of those are likely depending on how quickly this attacks. No one around me has gotten sick, so I didn't share!
I forgot that a coworker said her sis-in-law has been dealing with this for well over a month. Same symptoms and the ears are still plugged. She's been to the doctor and nothing has helped. They are telling her just to wait it out. I'm "hearing" (lol) it could take weeks or months. JOY!