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Christmas break?

Three weeks ago today, I came home from my fall semester at Baylor. Little did I know what my break had in store for me. 

The day after I got home, I got diagnosed with the flu. (Yes, I got the flu shot. I have gotten the flu shot every year of my life, yet somehow I've gotten the flu 7 of the past 8 years.)

I started on two IV antibiotics and Tamiflu.

I thought I was getting better, but the fever and a horrible cough came back suddenly. 

I had an X-Ray, and my doctor decided I had acute pneumonia in the lower lobe of my left lung.

I ended up in the hospital from December 30-January 3. I was on oxygen at night, and the doctor added a third IV antibiotic.

Due to the third IV, I have been even more nauseous than I was previously and have thrown up on average once a day for the past 8 days. 

Because I've been in bed for the last 3 weeks, I am incredibly weak. So weak, in fact, that I can't walk for 30 seconds without getting winded and needing to take a break. 

...and I start back to school on Monday. Basically, I didn't get a Christmas break. However, I'm very glad that I got sick when I was home instead of when I was at school. Had this happened while I was at school, I probably would have had to drop out for the semester. 

Yet I'm still not completely myself. Like I said, I am very weak. My leg muscles seem to have disappeared. I'm sleeping much more than I usually do. It's going to take awhile for me to bounce back. Now, I'm not the most patient person in the world, and I certainly don't ask people for help regularly, but I'm going to have to step outside my comfort zone and accept help, as well as take care of myself first and foremost. I need to keep in mind that I am going to be slow moving for awhile. I can't expect myself to be able to get back to my normal exercise routine immediately. I need to be patient with my body. Easier said than done.

Well, here's to the spring semester! Hopefully I won't have a semester that's been like my Christmas break. :)

Comments

  1. AnonymousJanuary 8, 2014 at 8:04 AM

    Sorry your break was spent being sick. All my best wishes to you - I hope you regain your strength and can complete your spring semester. Take it one day at a time.

    ReplyDelete

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