Sometimes I “forget” that I am sick

When you have dealt with chronic illness for most of your life, your daily challenges become your ‘new normal’.  I ‘forget’ that I walk funny.  Falling down is just something hat happens.  The fact that you are on a first name basis with most of your medical team ( including the water delivery guy) is not strange. I forget that most people don’t have to wear a pad every day in case of bladder leaks.  ETC ETC ETC

I have long ago given up doing things where there are a lot of people in small spaces.  Life just got to a point that it became no fun having to stand in long lines to use a restroom, only to not make it there anyway.  In large groups, there never seem to be enough places to sit when I need to rest. etc etc etc

It’s all good.  I have made my adjustments and accept that this is how life is for me now.  I know which activities trigger my body to flare up and I automatically and unconsciously avoid them.   I didn’t even realize that I had made those adjustments to my life.  I don’t feel that I have been missing out on anything, I just do life differently that a lot of people.

Would you get to the point already GRACE?!?!?!?

My point is that I forgot that I am sick.  I forgot that my immune system is shot.  I forgot that I should be nervous everytime someone coughs, or sneezes around me  and now I am really sick.  I have not been able to get my fever down since the morning I woke up after getting back from Italy.  Initially, I thought the body aches were jet lag.  Other than the brief cat naps on the plane, I had not slept in 24 hours.  Maybe my body hurt from the awkward positions I tried to sleep in?

I took a couple advil, but the aches just got stronger…. I slept for 12 hours straight and woke up completely drenched in sweat.  I have been taking Advil and Tylenol every 3 hours trying to get comfortable, yet the fever will not down for more than an hour.  As I lay in bed today, I realized that this kind of illness happens to me when ever I am around large groups of people.  The last time I felt anything like this was after Thing One’s Wedding where I literally lost a whole week to being a zombie on the couch.

When  I got back from Boston last year, I was also “down for a few days”.  The only thing that all of these occasions have in common is that I was around a lot of people.  Today, well the last two hours, I feel fantastic (total bullshit) but I can move a little easier and stayed out of bed for a full hour.  See what I mean about making things your new normal?  God I hope not!

It’s been nice forgetting that I am sick for all these years, but maybe it’s time I find a new way to deal with large social situations.  I don’t want to have to pay for them for days afterwards.  Do you notice the same thing happens to you?  How do you avoid getting sick on top of being sick?

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Phone in the toilet

Apparently I’m not only just mean to my body, I am mean to the things I own. My first day in Italy I dropped my phone in the toilet….not intentionally….but also not the first time that I have made this mistake. Smh.

A lot of this trip has not gone according to plan but I guess that is what makes it an adventure No?

My return trip begins tomorrow at 5 am. This is NOT a time I preferred, but it does greatly increase my chances of being able to make it home without spending an entire day at the airport.

Other than making it home in one piece my first order of business is to see my grandbabies..boy have I missed them….

My phone is being all wonky again and my battery will not stay charged so I am going to end now..see you all in a few days 🙂

Italy or Bust..or in my case BUST then…

Remember this old thing?  Well calling it old wouldn’t really be true, considering it is brand new………..

Confused yet?

Let me TRY to explain…

Do you remember, back in September of last year, I had a plate and screws put in my right foot? I was in a cam boot for a long time afterwards, and have only been walking in very hard soled shoes for the last few months.  A couple of weeks ago, while I was at my oldest daughter’s house watching the grandbabies, I took off my shoes while playing with the boys in their room.    Here’s where it gets confusing…..

I’m not sure exactly what I did or how exactly I did it.  I was holding Joey, and attempted to squat down on the floor with him.  I subsequently lost my balance, and in an effort to not drop him I did something very painful to my foot.  I don’t know what I did exactly, I just knew that it hurt like hell and I couldn’t stand on it let alone walk.

A trip to the immediate care and subsequent trip to the surgeon’s office revealed that I broke the lag screw from my surgery, and another bone in my foot.

I have no words.  Seriously who does this?  I have spent the last few weeks feeling embarrassed and in shock.

I am back in a boot for the next 3-5 weeks, and then the plan is to try to ease back into hard shoes.  If the pain is too great or the bone hasn’t healed around the broken screw, I will have to have another surgery.  😦

So there is the Busted (broken part)…what do I mean about Italy?

Earlier this year, Einstein’s dad gave us several buddy passes for his employers airline.  If you aren’t familiar with buddy passes, in short you are able to fly standby on the airline for next to nothing.  (taxes)  Anywhere.

I have a good friend who was born and raised in Italy, but has lived in the states for many years.  Her family still owns a home in the city she grew up in…..AND….they are going to be there for the month of May……………hmmmmmm

I have been to Italy 2x in the past, but it has been almost 20 years, and I was there as a tourist.  I have always wanted to experience activities of daily living in Italy, but never had the time, or the money.  I have the time, and the flight cost me $50.00 roundtrip, so I booked the tickets.

I am not nearly as prepared as I would like to have been,  ( I speak very little Italian and I have a broken foot.)  but I think I would regret not seizing the opportunity.  Who knows, the afternoon siesta’s may be just what I need.

I am supposed to fly out on Monday.  Wish me luck?