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Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Goodbye Thanksgiving, Christmas, Germs and Happy New Year


Thanksgiving and Christmas is past us and I'm really happy they are over. They sneak up on us too fast and then get chaotic buying groceries and shopping for that perfect gift on each person on your list. It gets crazy and stressful. Not to say that I don't enjoy spending time with the family, because I do.

It's just in November, I was taking two courses at work; one part of a six month college preparedness program and the other to prepare for a national exam in trauma coding. That on top of my routine daily work and one co-worker being out for part of the month (for a seminar and vacation). Somehow I pulled it off, but not without consequences.

My kids have different places to be when the official Thursday Thanksgiving comes around and I am usually offered the opportunity to work on the holiday, so I did. Our official family get-together fell on the Saturday afterwards. I cooked and made deserts and the family came over around noon. Everything was terrific. The turkey tasted great with Rosemary spices and was not overdone. The meal side dishes was a hit and around two o'clock, we had gathered outside in the chilly fall air to watch the kids run around in the yard. That's when it struck me, this horrible headache and a touch of nausea in the pit of my tummy. By the time everyone had left, I felt worse and by nightfall, I had a slight fever, chills, and a sore throat.

The next week was a kaleidoscope of symptoms that went away and new ones that appeared: a sour stomach, body aches, a nagging cough without production of phlegm. By the time I saw the doctor on the following Thursday, nothing came up when I blew my nose, but the raspiness had settled into my chest. She told me it was something viral and that I just had to tough it out; but she did give me a strong cough medicine to take with codeine. So another week went by, miserably with a stronger, hacking cough. The cough medicine brought me no relief at night and I still had to go to work every day. The raspiness in my chest sounded thicker within my chest; but I was not wheezing. I was so sick of coughing. Finally I emailed my doctor and she prescribed me an antibiotic. Within three days, the raspiness was breaking up and I was coughing less. Thank goodness!

Yet, everyone around me was coming down with different ailments too: tummy bugs, strep throat, and even the flu. My kids got sick. My co-workers got sick. And I was struggling to avoid having a relapse. In December, I had stopped going to the gym because I was too worn out; and worse, I was over eating. There were too many sweets around and I was baking for the Christmas season. I just couldn't say no and I gained back a few pounds. We also had a death in the family right during the week before Christmas, which added to my stress levels and over binging. Gosh! It got to be too much!! Yet, Christmas arrived with two family celebrations and thank goodness most of us were well enough to enjoy it.

Now it's the week into the New Year and I sit here updating my blog. My son has come down with a temperature, sore throat, and a fever just yesterday. Poor thing. I hope it's just a temporary bug, but I'm trying to avoid him and really wish for a can of Lysol to be found. I must send my hubby to the store later to purchase some. Who wants to start the New Year getting sick? I don't. I hope my son bounces back quickly and not have this linger on.

I so always enjoy the meaning of the holidays but I really can do without the stress and craziness of these bugs/illnesses floating around. I think much contributes to our bodies breaking down resistance. Like the temperatures in Texas. Starting in September, our temperatures go up and down, from 70 degrees to twenty degrees and back. Its never constant. In November and December cold fronts zoom into our area. Since the temperatures don't stay steady, the germs seem to go into hyperactive growth drive. Cultivating like fungus. Plus with everyone hugging and kissing their relatives, and traveling to see them again, the germs just have a field day.

So my hope for the New Year, when things calm down and the temperatures finally stay steadier, because it is officially winter time, is for everyone to stay well and healthy. Forget about money, or finding love, or prosperity. We can always have these things, but our health helps us appreciate what we have. It helps us endure and carry on. So for me, it's back to the gym to exercise and lower my blood sugars, to build resistance; it's constant hand washing; and buying that can of Lysol to keep around the house.

I am sure 2011 will be a better year for all of us. It's been an up and down ride in 2010 and at times fun, but I want to tuck it away in memory, just like I download all the 2010 pics to put away on a disk and see at a later time. I will remember the good and forget the pain of family discord and a recent death. Hope, health, and a new commitment to be a stronger person is my New years resolution. Whatever yours may be, best of luck and may God continue to watch over you and your loved ones.

So, Happy new year, friends. Welcome to 2011.