Bed Rest Log, Part 2
Bed Rest Log, Part 2
The Cold That Won't Go Away - Day 31.
Will this thing ever go away?
After a few days on the decongestant the phlegm cleared enough to
enable easier breathing. The coughing remains, more so when I try
to speak. The overload of (now seemingly impacted) phlegm
remains, as does the need to blow my nose. The scratchy throat
and headache are still here, as well. The good news is that it no
longer hurts in the chest just to breathe in and out.
The medication makes me sleepy, yet unable to stay asleep for any
meaningful duration. Nod off, doze awhile . . . then wake up with
a start, and feel miserable.
Still have no voice, my sleep schedule is all messed up, and my
stomach, which was fine before all this began, has not reacted kindly
to the medication.
Being sick and in bed for any amount of time is really depressing,
demoralizing. And a little scary, too. But I've weathered
other bouts with Pneumonia and Flu, so there must be a light at the end
of this tunnel.
The phone goes mostly unanswered. I have no voice, just a rasp at
best, and speaking triggers the coughing. I've returned a few
calls, but immediately afterwards I fall asleep. I look forward
to the return of my voice almost as much as I do the ability to
concentrate and to stay awake for any amount of time.
This under-the-weather business is getting old, and has been going on for too long. Cabin fever is setting in.
One blog I saw the other day mentioned, "being in the third week of a 48 hour cold." I can relate.
Concentration is difficult, so reading is tough.
Daytime TV fare is of no solace. MSNBC and CNN are repetitive to
a point of boredom, and it seems Lester Holt is no longer the afternoon
anchor on MSNBC. Court TV is interesting, although mostly
upsetting. A teenager slayed his family and there's a
trial. An endless parade of lawyers and interested parties have
much to blab about regarding the kid, the trial, the judge, the D.A.,
the defense lawyer. All so very sad. The soaps and the
channels of syndicated reruns are of no appeal. Link TV is
too intense. C-Span too lethargic. Al Gore's Current Channel
(which seems to be a Google-TV product) is sometimes interesting,
though mostly it features amateurish and kitschy pieces. There
may be something of value in nascent stages there.
And since I keep falling asleep, it is hard to pay attention to any TV shows that might capture my interest.
Radio is a different story. Radio still captivates and challenges
me. I spent 30 years in Radio. So listening for pleasure or
just to keep me company is impossible. Radio, at least in
my case, requires paying attention . . . no can do when I can
barely stay awake.
I've spent a little time at the PC, using the laptop by my bed.
The laptop keyboard is a challenge when healthy -- trying to compose or
send e-mails from it is really difficult when concentration is in short
spans. There is truly no ergonomic solution to getting the right
position . . . but the laptop does a nice job of warming up the pillow
I place it on. Sitting in bed or lying down, trying to balance
the laptop and type --while coughing, blowing one's nose, nodding off
from time to time-- is a bit much.
All sorts of thoughts pop into my head during waking moments.
Topics for blog posts, work ideas, letters to write, the
gamut. But then comes the effort of concentrating, typing,
forming concept into words or structure . . . and the requisite energy
or concentration are just not there.
When the day comes that thought can be transferred to screen for
communications (or at least for prepublication edit) there will be less
interruption of work flow or blog updates due to cold miseries.
Is that a great sci-fi idea, that one could merely think, and those
thoughts could end up on a monitor for editing? Thought-to-screen
transference -- seems like a subplot from a movie on the Sci-Fi Channel.
Composing and editing this post took about three or four days. That feels like progress compared to the last entry.
Again, repeated heartfelt thanks to the many for the phone messages, e-mails,
even a fruit basket (thanks Renee and Jerry!). Those things
really do help . . .being sick and in bed is very isolating and
dispiriting, so the calls and e-mails are doubly appreciated.
Susan, who told me she'd kill me if I died, brought over home-made chicken soup and a care package with goodies galore.
I'll be back when health decides to come for a stay. It'll be a 2006 first.
One more thing: Happy Chinese New Year!! Kung How Fat Choy!
