Plus one

I hate being sick. Ok...so I get that no one really likes being sick, but maybe I wouldn't dread it so damn much if it didn't always seem to come with reinforcements (namely, the flu or things that masquerade as the flu) and snide remarks. Recent evidence....

Dropped of super cute kiddo on Wednesday and noticed my throat hurt. Got worse quick, called in to work for Thurs. Woke up unable to swallow without feeling like someone was trying to rip off my ears while simultaneously shoving sharp pokey things into my throat. Drove to the doctor....resulting in being told that my allergy to eggs "sucks" (yeah, thanks, hadn't realized that), and that I either had strep or the flu. Did a strep test, waited for the results while alternating between questioning the decor choices and considering passing out on the floor till he came back. Was about to snag the exam pillow and get comfy when he came back....

Dr: Two blue lines! You either have strep or you're pregnant!

Me: (....wait, what? why would they make a strep test that tests for pregnancy too? can't they separate them? I didn't know you could use a throat culture to test for pregnancy...oh...he's waiting for me to say something).......I can't be pregnant, it's not physically possible right now. (was that what I was supposed to say? He's looking at me kinda funny, like maybe he doesn't believe me?....but I'm NOT pregnant! Wait...was he serious?)

Dr: Yeah....that isn't always the best timing for that joke

Me: Joke, right, haha. (you meanie head! Do I look like I'm coherent enough to distinguish a joke right now? Or that I would even find a joke funny? Which, by the way, your's was not!)

So I managed to make it out of there with a prescription for one of the few antibiotics I'm not allergic to. Headed to Walmart to get it filled. And, ok, so I might not have been looking my best at this point. But seriously, how much of a wreck could I have been? So when, while sitting on a bench waiting for my pills, the guy in line tells the pharmacy lady he's "doing better than she is!" (complete with thumb-jerk at me) I was rather put off...or would have been if I wasn't about to fall asleep on the cart handle. But whatever. I got my pills and did my sicky version of the happy dance....it consists of me making it to my car and downing the first 2 pills...not much dancing really. Despite the happy-dance-inducing-antibiotics I didn't exactly get better....in fact, I got worse. I got hives on my elbows and kneecaps (weird, I know), body aches (who knew lying in bed could make your ankles hurt?!), and a major headache (but who needs to be able to turn their head? I have peripherial vision!). Several hours and $200 later we had it narrowed down to strep plus one or more of the following expert opinions:

Dr 1: Said the additional symptoms were due to an allergic reaction to the antibiotics, something I've been told would happen eventually, and prescribed a new antibiotic from my tiny list of options

Dr 2: Said it was not classic allergic reaction but the only way to know would be to continue the first antibiotic and see if I get better or not. Decided it was a bizzare reaction to the strep infection, then proceeded to tell me that hives are always caused by an allergic reaction and gave me an entire handout on them (if you know me at all, you know I'm no stranger to allergies or hives...clearly this woman didn't believe me)

Mom (whose opinion counts because, well, she's mom): Agreed with Dr. 1 and with Dr. 2 about the reaction to the strep infection, and decided that I had a 24 hr flu as well (she got all the bases covered)

Conclusion: So we still don't know what my plus-one was, but it's basically gone. I don't really remember much else from the last 48 hours, except that I may have adamantly insisted that my sister go to her husband's work and call the receptionist a whore. Maybe.

Maybe we weren't meant for this love

This has been a rough week. I was sick Sunday and Monday, got a phone call Tuesday morning from my mom saying that my dad was in the hospital, cancelled work for Wednesday, stayed at the hospital with my mom, sister, and niece till 1 in the morning, found out a close family friend will likely be losing his fight with cancer much sooner than expected, had to pull Dog out of day care because he was getting hurt by another dog, and got chewed out via email by an aunt I barely know. With all that's been going on, the highlight of the week so far has actually been something I've been dreading for 2 months....returning Redneck's odds and ends to his mom's house.

Since I broke up with him I've been finding little things here and there of his, some of them important to him (his dog tags, his grandfather's knife) and some that he would probably never notice were gone (a t-shirt, corn cob holders). I have been putting off bringing the things to his mom till I found the (hideous) cake plate that had been her mother's, because, really, who wants to do something like that twice? I finally found the cake plate and had planned on bringing everything over on Monday, when the week just started going downhill rather quickly. Throughout everything though, going over to her house stuck in the back of my mind, taunting me. Should I call first? What if Redneck was there? What if his daughter was there? What if no one was there....could I just leave the stuff on the front porch so I wouldn't have to come back?....I was a smidge terrified/preoccupied with it.

So this morning I got up, put on a dress, sexy sandals, and did my hair (sorta...). I visited dad in the hospital and told him I was going over there later so I couldn't back out. I made it through my work day, and thought I might just get physically ill on the way over to her house. But you know what? It wasn't bad. She gave me a hug, thanked me profusely for bringing her mom's cake platter (she had forgotten that she gave it to me) and asked how my family/job/etc. was. I glossed over things (family's great, job's great, etc. is great) and we made small talk, both avoiding bringing up Redneck. She wished me well and we said good bye. It was the most calm and exhausted I have felt all week. And I know it's been 2 months, but I finally feel like I'm finding a bit of closure. A little ironic that it happened this week...Redneck and I were supposed to be getting married on Saturday. Two great friends agreed to join me that night for a "no one is getting married" celebration, but I've still been feeling apprehensive about it. Today helped to settle that feeling a bit. So I'll keep going. I will help mom bring our family friend to the hospital tomorrow to visit dad, I will go to work, find a new daycare for Dog, snuggle with Cat, help Portland move in with me, go out Saturday night, and celebrate.

Probably I need this week to be all done and stuff.

Today was not so much good for my sanity or morale. Getting the 3rd degree from a client's grandpa kinda topped the whole thing off. Seirously. wtf. My consolation brownies didn't turn out so hot either....kinda ran out of flour and forgot to get more....oops. Although, after eating an entire frozen pizza, brownies were likely not to be the best for a happy tummy, so I guess it worked out allright (plus, I'm refrigerating the creamed sugar and finishing the brownies tomorrow). I'm ready for this week to be ALL DONE.