Musician's Widow

Yesterday evening I did something I rarely do.

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Oh I looked at Facebook periodically. And I did get some postcards addressed to be mailed. But past that? Nothing. And it was wonderful!

I’ve been fighting the last bits of a cold I’ve had since before Thanksgiving. I’m past this sicky point, but I’m smack dab in that it-just-won’t-go-away-why-is-there-so-much-snot point. And blowing my nose has earned me a strained muscle and/or inflamed ribs on one side. It’s a big case of “Ow!” when I sneeze or blow my nose now. I ask people to hug me very gently right now!

But life doesn’t stop going at full speed for a lingering cold and sore ribs. So I’ve plugged along despite it all. I’ve needed a nothing night. No laundry. No dishes. No straightening here and there. No Christmas decorating. Just me, the TV, the recliner and periodic naps. Hubby is learning new music for a fill-in gig this weekend and he followed my lead. He’d practice awhile, then he’d nap. Back and forth.

Again: It. Was. Wonderful.

Rest is, in my opinion, the body’s best medicine for all things, but rest is always the first thing sacrificed for one thing or another. A Christmas wish for all my readers: An evening like I just had. An evening doing nothing but resting. Do it. You’re body will thank you.

You know what stinks? That moment you realize, “I’m getting sick.” And then you spend the next few hours or days in denial, all while doing what you can to avoid it happening.

Yeah, that was me a few days ago. I fell asleep on the couch for about 15 minutes, and when I woke up my head felt it was twice its size. It was THAT moment. So, I started my battle with my old faithful of sinus rinses and apple cider vinegar tonic. Musicinex and a couple doses of Sudafed PE. I also take Zyrtek and Flonase daily.

A couple days of teetering between okay and not-okay, I woke up with a full-fledged cold. And the crappiest part of it?

My husband was on the road. And Mom is 800+ miles away. I was on my own.

What is it about being sick that just makes you want to be doted on? To want to just wrap up in a blanket, sit on the couch, eat popsicles and watch mindless TV. To want to have someone else make you supper, and bring you a cold glass of water when you just don’t want to get up off the couch.

Oh, its not the first time I’ve been on my own while under the weather. It won’t be the last time. But it still makes me WANT to turn into a whiny little kid. Even at 30.

Now the funny thing about a cold is that there’s really nothing you can do about it, and within that, I had no real good reason to call out of work. (Trust me, though, if I’d felt I was contagious I’d have called out. ) And, you know what? I am glad I had to work. A hot shower, flat ironed hair, make-up and just being up and among people made me feel better. It made me forget about how big my head felt. It motivated me to keep going.

I followed a work evening with a day of sleep, water, Muscinex, Vitamin C, Sudafed and sinus rinses. Mostly sleep. And as a result, I am running at about 90% now. I alternated sleep with house work today (and hubby is home, so he went to the grocery store for me and instead of popsicles brought me a six-pack of a new seasonal beer — I love that man!), and I think I should be running at full speed again tomorrow (or darn close!).

We’re going into Fall, though, which usually means sicky time for me. I’ll try to keep the whining to a minimum. Try.

I’ve been fairly MIA the last week due to having my parents in town. I decided to unplug while they were here, and it was wonderful! So I thought I’d take a moment to catch everyone up on a few of my recent adventures.

•  Huh? — When I was down in Texas, my left ear kept flirting with plugging up. My last couple days there, it finally plugged completely. I found my most comfort by just wearing an ear plug (the cool pink ones they have out now!) in my congested ear. After being plugged for just shy of a week, I was finally convinced to go to a doctor. Upon the recommendation of a follower on Twitter, I visited a CVS Minute Clinic. I. Loved. It. I wish I got that kind of thorough and personal treatment at every doctor’s visit! If I did, I’d probably never hesitate to visit a doctor. Ultimately, I found out, I had fluid in my ear, and it wasn’t draining do to sinus congestion that I didn’t even know I had! A steroid spray and some great advice later, I can hear again. My ears still pop and crackle a bit, as the congestion doesn’t quite want to give up entirely, but I’ve never been so grateful to hear.

• Summer NAMM –NAMM is, basically, a trade show for musicians. As I understand, Winter NAMM is held in Los Angeles, and Summer NAMM in Nashville. It’s pretty hard to get to attend, but a friend had an extra pass. My husband was on the road, so I went in his place. He needs some new gear, and ideally needs an endorsement from the company of the gear he wants. (Follow that?) So, despite only being able to hear at 50%, I dove into NAMM with both feet.

The cacophony of sounds — guitars, drums, keys, band instruments, etc. just made it hard to focus with full hearing! Had I not had my ear issues, I’d have easily poked around for hours. I may not be a musician, but the booths were fascinating! I was sooooo lost on a lot of it, but it was interesting nonetheless. I wanted to visit with his current endorsement people, but I was on a mission.

However, I found the booth, and I patiently waited to talk to one of the company representatives. Once I had my chance, I was able to get what I came for… I practically skipped around the rest of the floor. I at least walked past all the booths before leaving with a spring in my step.

• Exploring my city– I like to think I know everything about Nashville, but the truth is, there’s a lot of areas I’ve never explored. This last weekend, my parents and I explored an area that even my husband didn’t know existed. In East Nashville, there’s an ice cream shop — Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams — and my parents and I wanted to find it. My niece’s name is Jeni, and she turns 10 this week. Today, actually! So we went in her honor.

SO COOL! This area is trendy and this interesting little oasis among homes, and just past a “sketchy” area of town. I definitely want to go back… often. DELICIOUS ice cream. CUTE shop. And it is just fun to explore new places.

That’s just a sampling of good times I’ve had lately while being unplugged from my computer. Now its time to go back to normal. It’s nice to do something different for awhile, but I am looking forward to delving back in to all my usual haunts and catching up with everyone.

Did I miss anything?

I’ve been fighting an almost constant sinus infection for over a month. (By the way, I’m finding my best medicine is prayer. And I am dead serious on this. That’ll be a post to come in the next day or two.)  As such, I’ve been popping Sudafed like its candy to get through every day.

Dear Meth addicts… thank you SO MUCH for making it so hard for us sinus sufferers to buy medicine. I mean, I just LOVE having to fill out forms and whatnot just to be able to breathe. Oh and that whole only able to buy it when the pharmacy is open… yeah that just rocks the planet. Because I NEVER run out of medicine on a Sunday at 5:00 in the afternoon. Nope. Never happens.

Dear legislative people who want to make Sudafed a prescription-only medicine. That’s just awesome. Yeah, I really want to have a doctors bill on top of jumping through hoops to be able to breathe. I mean… why not!? I mean, its not like its a basic necessity to living.

All sarcasm aside, I had to buy “Nasal Decongestant” — as the generic box says — today. I ran out, and that PE stuff? It just doesn’t cut it when you’re fighting something like I’ve been fighting.

So, I made my way to the pharmacy counter to buy Sudafed nasal decongestant. The lady hands me a form to fill out and I break into a cold sweat. Address. Crap. I just moved. And in Tennessee you don’t get a new license when you move. You fill out a form and get a little slip of paper that says in their records the address changed.

The pharmacy tech is typing my information in her little database, using my old address. What do I do? Use my new address and raise eyebrows? Or do I use my old address and risk and raising other eyebrows. I LITERALLY started sweating. I JUST WANT TO BREATHE!!

I opted for my old address as it shows on my driver’s license. Path of least resistance. I hope. I mean, I bought Sudafed down in Texas several times, and they always used my old address and it was no big deal. I decided to just go with that… Until I couldn’t remember my ZIP code. CRAP! And I didn’t have any checks on me to look it up.

I had to ask the pharmacy tech for my ZIP code. Real smooth there. Yeah, way to stay cool. She didn’t seem phased at least, but still… I felt like a criminal. ALL FOR BUYING MEDICINE I NEED.

I got my meds and left. I am sitting here waiting for Federal Agents to bust down my door in a suspected meth lab investigation. Too bad all they will find is me sniffling in the corner crying, begging forgiveness because I just didn’t know what address to use.

It sucks. It does. And on top of it, I went to Kroger during Senior Buying Days and nearly ran over a few dozen little old ladies. I am clearly a criminal.

With a sinus issue.

I got antibiotics for my sinus infection. Awesomeness.

My old doctor I used to use here in Texas took care of me. And I am sooo thankful.

I had such a bad night last night that I laid awake praying I would get help today. Maybe now I will start feeling better and STAY feeling better. No more, “I think I’m better… oh wait, no I’m not.”

I’m a mess people!

So please bare with me another day or two… I’ll have a decent post again soon. I promise.

Yesterday, I woke up and went, “Oh no. I have a sinus infection.”

See, I’ve had enough of them through the years that I can tell you when I have one without going to the doctor for a diagnosis. I just know. My biggest tip off is that horrible smell I get from it, combined with the constant need to blow my nose.

Landing plugged one ear to the point of my wanting to sob from the pain. I mean, not even those ear plugs made for flying helped. It was like someone took an ice pick and jammed it in my ear.

Luckily, I’ve already been able to open it back up, but my nose is still a source of misery for me. The smell. The constant need to try to clear it out. The pressure.

I’m miserable.

But I’m not miserable. It’s not laid me up. Oh, its wearing on me, and I get tired pretty quick. And I am staying on Ibuprofen and Sudafed pretty steady. But otherwise, you’d never know I had anything wrong. It’s so strange!

My neti pot is my best friend right now. I’m using it multiple times a day in an attempt to fight this infection off without having to get antibiotics. I suspect I’ll end up finding a doctor somewhere to give me an antibiotic eventually, but I want to try to fight this on my own. At least TRY.

So far, it does seem to be helping. My medicine actually wore off two hours ago, and I’m still doing “okay.” A bit tired, but okay. Hopefully its a sign of things improving…

Hopefully.