Hi friends. I have a horrible cold. I haven't had a cold in a while, but this one seems much worse than I can remember having. I am just completely drained of all energy. I'm congested and it is difficult to breathe. When I breathe through my mouth, it's a little wheezy. I took Zinc at the first signs, but it didn't help. All I'm taking now is Sudafed (the real stuff, not the "new" sudafed, using Vicks vaporub, etc. I sleep all day and all night.
The worst part of this is that this is my Winter Break; I'm a teacher and we've been on break for the last couple of weeks, but I have to go back to work on Monday. My husband is unemployed, so I have to work. I used up all of my sick days, so I am docked for every day of work I miss.
I am just so frustrated!! And I feel like a total whiner-crybaby to even post this here. I feel like crap, and I was having a flareup even before the cold, so now it's a double whammy. I'm scared that if I don't take care of myself, my cold will go into my lungs (which is what has typically happened) and become a secondary infection.
Sorry to vent....does anyone else ever go through this??
Hugs!!! I hope you're well on your way to feeling better. It must be difficult to be sick on top of having PsA and know you need to go to work, sick or not. I hope you recover quickly!
I don't work outside the home, but I do homeschool my five kids and take care of friends kids as needed. I don't get sick days, unless my husband takes a day off of work. He uses more sick days on ME than on him!
Last spring my son nicely shared his cold with me. He got better with just a bit of a cough. I was still sick quite a bit later, and had a nasty cough. Wound up going to the doctor and being treated with antibiotics, which did clear things up. Not that I'm big on antibiotics. I was worried that it was continuing so long. And now I'm fighting another cold thanks to my daughter. Hopefully this one doesn't go down that road again.
Hang in there. I've taught for 23 years, and I know how much it takes to hold it together in front of a group of students. You're not alone. Deep breaths, find something for your students to do that won't be too taxing on you, and get yourself through this. You can do it...One step at a time...
Thanks, everyone. I ended up going to urgent care this morning. And was diagnosed with bronchitis. They put me on zithromycin (the z pack) and they gave me an inhaler. My blood oxygen was a little low. Doc told me I could go back to work on wednesday.
I have been teaching since. '89. I teach instrumental music to 4-6 grade students at 10 elementary schools. I teach about 350 students a week. I have to travel to 2 schools a day, which means lugging a rolling crate and musical instruments to my first school, setting up the room, teaching 4 classes (all different), then cleaning up the room, packing up my stuff and schlepping it to my car so that I can drive to the next school and do it all over again. Doing this full time is a challenge when I was healthy. Now, with the PsA it is beyond difficult. And PsA and bronchitis…forget it
I’m so relieved that the doc wrote me off for two days. I just dont know how I was going to be able to do it. And now I have to put my Enbrel on hold. Crap.
Look at it this way, you could have my granddaughter as one of you students...... Shes autistic (no NOT ASPBERGERS, shes autistic.
She thinks she is a musical prodigy (she couldn't carry a tune in a bucket) and can play 8 different instruments (she can play an almost recognizable Twinkle Twinkle on the recorder (she sleeps with it) This is a special day!!! This morning she went to school wearing her favorite 4 sweatshirts (all clean, which is a miracle) with a flute and trumpet in her back pack carrying a trombone. (never discard your worn out instruments) She is planing on going to band today. All she has to to earn this very special reward is make eye contact with two adults at school and say HI! (If she doesn't get to go to band I'm changing my name and moving to a different state before the nanny get her home.)
FWIW the colds around here have been horrendous this year. We have had NORMAL folks knocked of their pins for 3 weeks. Walgreens ran out of Z-packs......
Montana. Our Music man deserves a medal. prolly one of her most effective teachers....
She's registering for high school next year. She plans on Choir, Orchestra, Band, marching band and Trigonometry. Mr's Smith (her music teacher said he can make it happen IF she passes her advanced band test and her mathe facts - addition) he might be surprised no one has had more effect on her - schoolwise
That is wonderful. It sounds like she has really made a nice niche for herself. Im in California and our program is one of the last successful elementary programs in the state. Our administration and school board are behind us despite horrible budget cuts.
