I’m missing my first day of school!

Yesterday when I posted, I was full of energy. I had woken up and was feeling pretty good. Like not great, but so much better than the day before. I was on the road to having a great day! I actually ate breakfast (scrambled eggs in a tortilla wrap with cheese) and then I took a teaspoon of the super duty cough syrup my doctor had given me on Saturday.

I had only ever taken it right before sleep before. Like I took some as soon as I got home from the doctor’s and then slept for 2.5 hours, and then again before bed and right to sleep. But I’m not sure if it was the medicine or whatever my body is trying to fight off, but it hit me like a ton of bricks covered in the worst day of my life.

Within 30-minutes of taking that one teaspoon of cough syrup, my body was rioting against me. I was awash in heat, my entire body was on fire. My stomach was churning, I thought I was going to throw up. Every single part of my body was crying for sleep. I barely had enough energy to put my laptop under my bed and lay down. My body was just DONE.

I slept for about an hour but when I woke up, I still couldn’t shake that horrible feeling. I ran to the bathroom thinking I was going to be sick – thankfully not. I hate throwing up. And I just laid back down for another hour or so. Then I thought I was ready to do things. I still felt like death, but manageable death.

I got into my rental car and drove to the plaza I needed for shopping. It was a little further away than I normally would go, especially since I was feeling so sick, but it had all three stores I needed in one place. I went to the drug store to get some things I needed (including a thermometer because I’m the kind of 32 year old who didn’t have one), then the dollar store for some things for my class, and then to the grocery store. I had a whole huge list but I was feeling like I was about 10 minutes from puking at that point so I just got the essentials: I had the rental car so I wanted to get toilet paper and a large pack of kleenex since they are awkward on the bus, and then I got bread, bananas, crackers, Gatorade, and packs of soup that you just add water to. And I left. I couldn’t deal with how I was feeling any longer. I got home, and immediately went straight back out to return the rental car and took an uber home instead of the bus.

I slept most of the day away, but was able to get some food in me. My cough has all but left me which is great, but it’s still this throat of mine! The medicated gargle that the doctor gave me isn’t helping. At most it just numbs my tongue. So eating and swallowing is still painful. Then at night, my jaw sometimes snaps shut, like randomly. It happens maybe once every six months or so. Since Friday, I think I’ve counted at least 20 times. And every time I bite my tongue or my lip or my cheeks. So that makes it harder to eat as well! I don’t understand this!

So, long story not so short, I sent a text to a fellow teacher at the school and got the “I’m sick” details from her. My paper is in my day book, on my desk…so I didn’t have the email address or the phone number we need to call. It took an HOUR to get my supply notes ready yesterday. I’m so glad I did all my math photocopying for the week on Friday. I usually do all my copying on Monday, so I’m missing that prep time this week, but that’s ok. At least everything for today was done.

And again today, I woke up with good energy so I’m trying to get as much done as possible before I crash (including another trip to the grocery store to buy actual food), but this throat!! UGH! I’ve gargled with warm salt water to see if that will help more than the doctor’s stuff. Otherwise I just gotta wait it out. Tomorrow is curriculum night at the school so I have to be there. I do have time to go see my doctor between end of day and the start of the curriculum night if this isn’t better by then. But I’ll spend the day today not speaking and see where it takes me.