Skip to main content

Health update – the land of the cold

It doesn’t seem possible, but it seems I caught yet another cold. For the past three days I’ve been feeling like I was hit by a truck. I had a horrible sinus headache. Even my teeth and cheeks hurt from the sinus pressure. I had a runny nose and very, very sore throat. And, I had a fever. Last night the cough set in again.

I was having a very hard time staying hydrated, which I’ve noticed, seems to make it even harder to regulate my blood pressure. Even though I was drinking lots of water, it’s as though the water just went right through me.

This afternoon I feel as though I’m emerging from the fog again. I’m also feeling incredibly frustrated given the long list of things I have to do. Yes, I know, that’s the point of being on disability – to not have deadlines anymore. The trouble is I take my self-imposed deadlines just as seriously as I ever took magazine deadlines. When I get behind I feel frustrated.

The funny thing about being under the weather is that it’s the one time I also feel depressed – as in pull-the-covers-over-my-head-and-go-away depressed. I guess it’s because I don’t feel productive, not to mention I just don’t feel good. But perhaps feeling as though you can do nothing but lay in bed and think is also part of the problem.

I’m grateful the wireless connection was behaving rather well and I could watch some TV shows and movies on Netflix. It was a nice distraction from all the other thoughts going through my head. I turned off the phones and drifted in and out of sleep. I did set an alarm to be sure I woke up to drink as the last time I got sick I really think I was pushing the dehydration envelope.

As the insurance company and the government each try to decide if I’m really able to work full time and if I’m really deserving of benefits, I can’t help but imagine where I’d be if I hadn’t decided to ask for disability.

It’s not even the end of January, and I estimate that had I still been working, I would have already used all of my sick days and a third of my days off for the year – and the month isn’t over yet.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Ratner's Cheesecake

Here's another recipe from Toby! Thanks Toby......and I'll get the others posted soon! Ratner's Cheesecake and plain cookies Ratner's was a Jewish dairy restaurant in the lower East Side of Manhattan. This recipe, from my disintegrating, no longer in print Ratner's cookbook, is the closest I've ever gotten to reproducing the rich, heavy cheesecake my mother made when I was a kid. It's worth the time it takes to prepare and every last calorie. Dough Can be prepared in advance. Makes enough for two cakes. Can be frozen or used to make cookies – see recipe below. 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup shortening 1 teaspoon lemon extract 1 cup butter 2 eggs 3 cups sifted cake flour ½ teaspoon salt 2 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1. In a bowl, combine all ingredients with hands. Refrigerate 3 -4 hours, or preferably overnight. Filling (for

The next generation with Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome

I'm so behind on posting about the trip to Puerto Rico. Since the episode of Mystery Diagnosis on Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome ran right after we got home, it's been a little busy. These, however, are my favorite pictures from Puerto Rico. I know, not pretty senery etc - but these little guys and gals inspire me. They are the next generation of folks with HPS, and if we keep up the hard work, they will live better lives because of it. They motivate me.

Some good news about Pirfenidone

Below is a press release from Intermune, the company that makes Pirfenidone. They have essentially reviewed the various clinical trials going on, and decided that Pirfenidone is safe and well tolerated. That would pretty much go along with what we've observed in the HPS community as well. We have a few folks that have been on the drug since the late 90s and continue to do well. Of course, as a journalist, I do have to say consider the source - but at the same time, as someone in a Pirfenidone trial, it's good to know. Results of Comprehensive Safety Analysis of pirfenidone In IPF Patients Presented At European Respiratory Meeting - Analysis shows safety and tolerability of pirfenidone across four clinical trials - VIENNA, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- InterMune, Inc. (Nasdaq: ITMN ) today announced that the results of a comprehensive review of safety data from four clinical studies were presented at the 2009 European Respiratory Society Annual Congress in Vienna, Austria