Nasty Virus!
Well... I'm almost recovered from one of the worst "common" colds I have ever had. It is truly the nastiest thing this side of pneumonia, which, fortunately, I actually didn't have! A friend in Denver says that just about everyone she knows has this bug, while I know of no one here, besides me and RV, who got it. The worst of the symptoms are the sore throat at the beginning, followed by the lethargy, then the almost non-stop coughing that originates somewhere in the feet (or so it seems). Soon thereafter comes the sneezing and the watery eyes that will glue your eyelids shut, requiring the use of hands and fingers to unstick them so you can see again. It's really nice waking up in the morning only to discover that you cannot open your eyes without manually un-gluing them... which actually happened this morning, long after I sneezed my last sneeze or felt the last aching muscle... I came down with this abomination on October 10th; the worst was over 8 days later, but the actual recovery is taking quite a bit longer. A week after I came down with it, my partner, known to y'all as RV, came down with it. RV never gets sick. In 25 years, I've seen her come down with only one virus, and it was nothing like this one... and, this time, she not only caught it but she had it worse, even, than I did. Both her eyes were swollen and red for the better part of a week, and she had all the other symptoms and, in fact, she ended up going to Urgent Care last week and to her regular doctor today. The news is good: she's in recovery phase, still with the coughing and draining sinuses, but the eyes are no longer red and swollen. There is also the lethargy... for someone as hyperactive as RV, she's able to function only for a couple hours in the morning before needing a nap.
I guess this is the real reason some genius invented retirement. The really good thing about retirement is not having to call in sick when you know you shouldn't go anywhere. It is so nice to be able to hit the sofa and count an hour's worth of Z's any time you get the urge. Believe me, I've counted way more than an hour's worth of Z's, lately!
Anyway, I don't know if my lack of a presence here has been noticed or not, but I somehow got logged out, and had the devil of a time getting logged back in, and mostly didn't feel good enough to mess with it. That is, until now, when I did manage to log back in. I do wish this site would not automatically log you out without your actually requesting it... it's the only site I know of that does that. So, if I should disappear again, trust that it isn't voluntarily, but that I got logged out and then couldn't get back in...
And now it is time to get more of those Z's I mentioned. Adieu...
I'm so sorry you were sick! I hope you feel better and get your strength back! Are you sure it wasn't the flu? I hear this year's one is particularly nasty.
BTW, I also think that we have to log back in too much.
I had to login every day at first... but for the last few days, I haven't...
Hi, Randy... I just now managed to login again. I really don't like the daily mandatory login feature! Too much for fossilized minds to deal with!
As for the virus, I'm sure it wasn't the flu as it was lacking typical flu symptoms, including fever. My temperature never exceeded 98.1°, and the flu always comes with a fever. RV, too, never got a fever. And, since she saw her doctor, even the doctor never said it was flu, or even indicated that there was anything going around!
I do, however, have a theory, and it may sound far-fetched, but it's the only thing that makes sense at the moment. That friend in Denver raises hamsters, and she was just getting over the virus when she "hamlifted" us a hamster from a recent litter (put the hammie in a carrier and bought it a ticket on a Delta flight that carries animals). I think I may have picked up the virus when I touched the wrong part of the carrier or the hammy cage inside... RV may have gotten lucky in that regard, but eventually caught the virus from me. In any case, our Denver friend keeps saying that everyone she knows has, or has had, the same nasty bug, but no one here except RV and I, have caught it. The hamster must be immune, because she's been doing just fine!
Oh, well... I'm very much over this one, and should be bug-free for another ten years or thereabouts! I certainly hope all is well with you!
I've never heard of hamsters causing a problem, but that carrier could have been handled by anyone and they may have left the bug on there, so you might be right on getting it from there.
Sigh... we may never know, but the good news is I am completely over the darned thing, with the exception of occasional coughing which isn't enough to be considered even a bother.
I noticed that today I didn't have to do the login thingy... maybe it was just a bug that someone found and fixed...? I hope so, because, so far, I really, really like this site!
So, what's new? Anything exciting? I hope you are well, at least!
In any case... welcome back!
Young people laugh at the idea of flu being dangerous, but it is in fact a major killer among the elderly.
Flu shots are free here (my horrible, terrible, socialist French health care!!) for those over 60, but... being a tough guy, I didn't "bother". When I hit 65, my doctor said, "Vous êtes idiot!" which I think needs no translation. So I've been getting vaccinated every year for the last three. The nurse will be coming over this afternoon, as a matter of fact.
On, Jeebus ! The worst I ever felt was a common cold. I thought I was gonna croak. Dr. says 'you have a cold'. That bastard ! A cold never felt this bad. If I ever get another I'm sure it would kill me. A lot.
Glad you are feeling better. Take it easy, be glad you are retired and that sofa is a lifesaver.