So of course when I want to start blogging again, I get sick.
Also - the scheduling option wasn't working for me originally so I need to fix that.
*******
Today is Saturday - roughly a week and a half from when I initially re-started my blog. I had originally intended on my next post being on the following Friday, but I was busy prepping for my brother and his family coming for a visit. I had arranged to take Friday off so when I got home Thursday from work, I could just continue to prep my little studio apartment for them so they had places to put their stuff, the air mattress, etc.
Thursday night was when I started not feeling all that great, but it had been a while since my family had come to visit me so I wanted to make sure I (and my apartment) was ready for them.
Friday morning they had a later start than expected which left me time to run a couple errands, and on my way home, I was starting to feel hungry so I stopped by McD's to grab a small snack to help with the car ride I'd eventually be taking with them to the beach in Santa Cruz. (I don't do well on car rides on an empty stomach - especially if I'm not driving.)
My stomach issues were occasionally making productivity difficult as well as my sinuses not being helpful either - so by the time they arrived, I was not completely ready, but we made it happen and then headed for Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruz consisted of the beach, lots of walking, lots of sand in places sand should not be, junk food from the boardwalk, family time, and a concert (Living Colour was playing. They're pretty cool live!)
After the beach, we headed back to my place where we cleaned up, changed clothes, and left my niece and sister-in-law at home while my brother and I had bro-sis time. We went back to the pub we went to last time he was here, had our stogies and beers and shot the shit for a bit before heading home... to have one more beer.
At this point, I was feeling fine - well... as fine as fine could be under the tummy circumstances. Ideally what I wanted to do was just pass out until work on Monday, but my family was here, and I wanted to spend time with them. So... I made due.
Saturday - things took a turn for the worse.
I pushed myself to go out even though I wasn't feeling up to it. I wanted to spend time with my family, and I wanted to be a good host - even at the expense of knowing better. Plus side - we went to a really cool cafe that I had never been to before. Not so plus side - I ended up puking after the cafe.
When we got back to my place, my brother and his family made sure I was okay and decided to give me some time to rest and headed to IKEA (they love IKEA, and I happen to live about 10-15min away from one). They were gone for a few hours. In that time, I cleaned up, changed into some comfy clothes, and did my best to pass out with an ice pack on my head and a Vicks tissue shoved up one nostril. I managed to pass out but still woke up feeling like shit. Eventually, I got the call from my brother that they were downstairs, so I made myself presentable and went down to let them in.
Back in my apartment, I made myself some ramen for dinner. (I was doing the BRAT diet at this point - Banana, Rice, Applesauce, and/or Toast - to help feed me but be nice to my stomach.) Since I wasn't feeling up to going out, we stayed in, and I told my brother the things I had to make dinner for him and the girls. He made sweet chicken apple sausage and rice with soy sauce and whatever seasonings I had in the cupboard. I sampled some - it was pretty tasty.
They had to leave early the next morning, and after dinner, I was fading fast. I didn't want a pukey-encore so I curled up on my side of the bed and made myself as comfortable as possible while my niece played "Fe" on my PS4. (I was originally playing Tekken while they were eating, but my niece had a LOT of questions about what was going on, so I switched to a game I thought she'd enjoy, and she really liked it. She got really far before it was time to go to bed - farther than I had gotten.
What can I say? My niece is impressive!
The following morning, my bro and his wife got up early to load the car. Then they woke up us up. I changed into some clothes that were acceptable "I feel like shit, but I'm doing my best to look like a decent human being outside my apartment building" clothes and walked them out to their car.
I hated seeing them go and felt really bad about feeling like shit while they were here, but it couldn't be helped.
After I saw them off, I headed back up to my studio... and died.
I wasn't 100% the following morning but made it work anyway. Afterwork, I had to hit the grocery store for BRAT food (since I had nothing at my place). I got crackers, bread, apple-banana-sauce in squeezy packets, chicken bouillon cubes, rice, and some more 7Up. I also got some frozen bananas in case I wanted to try my hand at making a banana smoothie with coconut water. (I did once. It worked out well. Added a few raspberries, too.)
I didn't puke anymore - THANK GAWD!!! I HATE tossing my cookies. I'd rather sleep it off than puke. Bleh! But sometimes when the poison wants to escape, it makes the quickest escape possible... and sometimes, that's in the projectile variety from one's mouth hole.
I had a feeling of what it was since I'd had similar symptoms many years ago. I'd have bouts of drinking lots of fluids (water, 7Up, Gatorade, etc), and being hungry, but the moment any food was placed in front of me (from a cracker to a plate of spaghetti), I'd immediately NOT be hungry and start to feel nauseous trying to get the food away from me.
*******
One day while at work, I had told my supervisor (who was also a friend of mine) that I wasn't feeling well. I had gone into her office to file something (which happened to be on a bottom drawer in the filing cabinet), and when I stood up, I felt light-headed. I explained all my symptoms and stuff, and she grew worried. I told her I was fine, that this happens once a summer and doesn't last too long.
The next day when she didn't come in, she called in a couple hours after she was supposed to have started, and when I answered (I was the office manager and sat in front reception and answered the phone), she immediately asked me how I was feeling. I told her the same as I had been all week - no better, no worse - and asked what was up. Apparently, when she and her son (who also worked for the company and was a friend of mine) got home from their commute the day before, he had similar symptoms to me but much MUCH worse. So much so that she took him to the ER... where they were most of the night and barely got back that morning. She wanted me to go get checked out and see what the deal was and update her. She said to go to our boss, tell him I was leaving to go to the doctor (even say that she said to go), and he was fine with it saying his family was going through something similar, and he was curious to see what it was.
My friend (and roommate at the time who worked at a hospital) said to come to her work - to go to the ER to get checked out. She worked upstairs from there and guesstimated that I'd be in/out in no time.
Much longer later she came down to check on me - she found me in a gown with an IV in my arm (they were giving me a liter of fluid), and quite unhappy. She was there when my blood was drawn and a few times when the bland-personalitied doctor came in to examine and check on me. Blood and urine came back fine, but the final time Doctor Bland-o came in to check on me and update me on my results, he proceeded to poke at my body looking for a reaction and only getting one when he poked me in the stomach. He had even said he thought it was strange I was only achey there. I replied that since I hadn't really eaten anything for almost a week, that might be why my stomach wasn't so great.
Then he continued to speak - not looking at me at all - and then said everything seemed fine, but to be sure, they wanted to do a rectal.
I stared at him slightly hunched over my stomach, gloved hands still prodding my mid-section, and I guess my silence threw him so he turned to look at me. When I saw that yes - he was indeed serious - I couldn't help but laugh... and then said no.
He honestly looked stunned - as if he'd never been told "no" before. (Well, sonny - let me be your first.) My roommate was still hanging around and knowing how grumpy I was slowly getting - especially when I had the IV in my arm (when the fluid was done, they had disconnected the bag and left the IV needle part in my arm - and when I asked the nurse if they could take it out since it was starting to hurt, she said that they could, but if the test results came back, and I needed meds, they'd have to put it back in... so I left it in... and oh yeah, I frakkin HATE needles so that made it EXTRA aggravating), they took blood from me (it was a teaching hospital and apparently the student was talking with my roommate and mentioned he thought I was cute... and I will admit, he was cute, too, but that didn't outweigh my oncoming grumpiness by a long shot), and then doctor wanted to do a rectal? My roommate told me later that she was trying not to laugh since she knew how I'd react.
When I reconfirmed my NO to him, he politely excused himself and left the room... only to have an older, more jovial doctor come by with the "I hear someone isn't feeling well" kind of schtick. I will give him an A for effort, but he also brought gloved hands to my stomach and proceeded to poke about. He then in a much better way brought up the rectal, and I again said no. It was then he brought up the whole "if we release you, you know it would be against medical advice" - and I told him I was well aware. He communicated and responded better than the first guy, but I couldn't get ready to leave due to the IV. When the nurse eventually returned, I asked as politely as I could if she could please remove the IV now. It took a while, but it came out, and my left elbow pit looked like it had a hole in it for a few weeks. (Seriously - you could see the puncture hole which was surrounded by a burgundy welt which was also surrounded by a bruise.) Everyone left so I could get dressed, and my roommate was so apologetic. I made light of it with her, but sheesh - I just wanted out of there.
We hit the store for dinner stuff, and she was going to make her quick-make version of chicken and dumplings. While shopping, I started to get hungry, so she rushed to get everything we needed for dinner and the house and we headed home.
And I ATE!!!
*******
So the takeaway from all that was that I was dehydrated.
I haven't felt like that for the LONGEST time, so to have that rear its ugly asshole head last weekend when I had family visiting was just not cool.
I recently bought a 40oz Swell bottle since the other bottles I had were 17oz, and I wanted something I could fill and not have to leave my work desk so many times to fill it. Most days, I'd fill it at the beginning of the day, almost finish it, top it off before I leave and then the next morning, fill it back up, etc. There are some days where I finish it off and have to fill it up again midday. Those are days where I'm getting up to visit the ladies room WAY more often than before.
I know - I feel it in my gut - that it was dehydration, but I have no idea where the frak it came from. I had originally thought it was sushi I had for lunch that Thursday before my family's visit, but nope. That would have resulted in bad times much earlier in the weekend. The really hot/dry weather could have contributed to everything kicking my uber hydrating powers to the curb because in actuality I needed more than I was doing, and I was already drinking A LOT.
Ugh.
So now here I am - feeling SOOOO MUCH BETTER - and still a little bummed it took away from my family's visit. Also a little bummed that it took away from my blogging time. But here I am.
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good
Now... let's see how this blogging thing goes.
Later my lovelies.
Have Goodness!
Rae
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