So, the place-holder post that mentioned a slightly annoying virus? Yeah, turns out I really was ill. The first week I was diagnosed with a bronchial infection, so I dutifully took the antibiotics prescribed. I continued to shiver, shake, turn blue, collapse and generally feel like death, so I staggered back to the doctor to tell her that I thought I needed more time of work, and I was very, very sorry. She checked me again, and uttered the word 'Pneumonia'. I was prescribed a new set of antibiotics and instructed to take things very, very easy. I had to go back home to get my purse to pay for the prescription because it had not occurred to me that I might need more drugs.
Turns out, having pneumonia is quite dibilitating. Who knew? I have learned recently, that I'm not very good at taking things easy. Fortunately for me, for most of that week, I was unable to do much but lie on the sofa and pray for a swift death, but the fact that I wanted to do other things had me in tears most days.
The doctor had said that if I was in any way concerned, to come back and see another doctor the following week (she was on leave), and feeling like the biggest wuss in the history of wussy-wuss-pants, I staggered back to the doctors again on the Friday to see someone new. I babbled for a while, saying I just didn't know whether I should go back to work or not. I argued that I don't do manual work, and that technically I could sit in an office chair and cough at a computer at work, but I didn't want to make myself worse so wouldn't go if he thought it was a bad idea. He considered all my arguments, then listened to my chest and said 'you still have pneumonia, you're not going anywhere.'
So another week of antibiotics. And remember that mistake I made with the purse on week two because I'm sometimes exceptionally thick? I did the same thing on week three.
The good thing was that at this point, most of the fever had gone, and my breathing was just free enough for me to be able to walk to the kitchen to make some tea. I was also able to sit up and write! Hurrah!
I saw the doctor again on Friday, and she listened again, and agreed that I was pretty much there as far as the pneumonia went, and I was fine to try to work the next week (this week) as long as I didn't push myself hard at all.
I took 'don't push yourself' to mean 'yes, you can take the children to the part for a couple of hours as long as you don't run after them, jump up and down or anything of that ilk' so that's what we did on Saturday.
Sunday I needed to spend the entire day in bed to recover.
I think it's possible I'm still underestimating this thing.
This week, I have Tom for three days, then I'm going to try to work on Thursday. I suspect it will go well, though I've been instructed by my team, my boss, and my doctor not to push it if I don't think I can manage a full ten-hour day.
Who here thinks I'm going to take that on board and not overdo it?
Yeah. Me neither.
Pip xxx
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