my fortune cookie was WRONG!

I feel miserable. This is what I get for going to 4 parties this weekend when I should’ve been Christmas shopping. I am absolutely the worst person to be around when I’m sick. I turn into this whiny, needy, helpless mess (even more so than usual, I guess).

Usually, I’m the one who takes care of Jesse when he’s sick. Very early on in our relationship, we discovered that Jesse very rarely got me sick when he was. Which is good because my maternal instincts kick in every time Jesse gets sick. All I want to do is make him warm soup, make sure he takes his medicine, hold him in my arms and tell him that he’ll get better soon. And for the first time in our relationship, Jesse slipped on my caregiver hat.

I left work early yesterday with a sore throat. By the time I got home, I had a sinus headache. Nothing but pressure all around my forehead and along my temples. I felt like my eyes were going to pop out. My whole body ached as if I had run several marathons in one day. After making me soup, Jesse checked out the medicine cabinet for something that would help me. We had nothing for my symptoms. So off Jesse went to CVS to get me some Sudafed for what I thought was a sinus infection. By the time Jesse returned, I had lost my voice. What ever bug I caught was acting quickly. For a second I thought, Gee, I really hope it isn’t strep.

After making me tea, Jesse decided he wasn’t in the mood to cook something for dinner so we ordered Chinese. When it came, I tried hard to swallow my lo mein noodles but it hurt every time. In the middle of dinner, a friend of mine called and as I answered it, I realized the silliness of my actions. Ummm…hello, Lizzie. You don’t have a voice. Sana, the caller, could barely make out what I had to say. The call ended quickly for obvious reasons.

I couldn’t finish my lo mein but I still had room for a fortune cookie. I snapped it in two and pulled out my fortune. My fortune read, “Today is a good day.” WHAT? Clearly Mr. Fortune Cookie didn’t know what I was going through otherwise it wouldn’t have spewed such a venomous ‘fortune.’ Today is NOT a good day, stupid cookie. Any day spent with an achy body, an extra sore throat, laryngitis, and a pressure-filled head is not a good day.

I had the hardest time staying asleep. I kept waking up every 30 minutes. And when I suddenly got cold in the middle of the night (while under a thick blanket that usually makes me very hot), I knew what I was suffering from.

Going to the doctor this morning confirmed it. Hello, strep throat! When the doctor (not my usual primary care physician but someone else in the office) took a look at my tonsils, he actually said, “Ewww…well, they sure are yellow back there!” Hmmm…that’s professional, Doc. I’m sure you’ve seen more disgusting things than my yellow tonsils. But whatever. It wasn’t like I could offer a witty comeback. He could barely hear me as it is.

Getting my prescriptions filled at CVS during the lunch hour probably wasn’t the greatest idea if I wanted to be heard. When I asked for my prescriptions, the lady behind the counter actually handed me a pen and a paper to write what I had to say. How nice, I thought. That is until she told me (after getting my drugs), “I’ve never lost my voice before. I’ve always wanted to lose it so I would know what it’s like.” Knowing that it certainly isn’t fun being me right now, I whispered, “Trust me, it’s not fun.” Crazy lady. Who actually wants to lose their voice?

I feel so yucky. Maybe if I just sleep until tomorrow, it will all go away…