The road back to normal

Over the past couple of weeks, I have had some ups and downs.  A couple of weeks ago, I was feeling great. I was able to work out every day, I was eating well and I was very excited and anxious to get back to work and return to a normal life. Perhaps it was partly cabin fever from the winter, but I needed to get out of the house.  On Thursday, January 13, I went to U of Chicago to have the port removed from my chest (another step toward closing this chapter of my life). That was the second week of January. I made arrangements with my doctor to send a note to human resources stating that I can return to work full-time with no restrictions.  I was to go back on the Tuesday after Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, January 18th.  Well, Tuesday morning came. I got out of bed, showered, got dressed and  made breakfast. Suddenly, I felt chilled (a very familiar feeling) and I knew I had better take my temperature.  I did have a cold over the weekend and a minor cough, but thought it was just a minor cold and that it would pass.  Sure enough, I had a fever of 100 and had to call in sick my first day back to school. 

Fortunately, it was finals week and I was going back to school to organize myself for second semester. So, on that Tuesday I went to have my blood tested to see how my white blood count was.  It was fine. Everything was in the normal range and no antibiotic was recommended. As the week went on, my cough worsened and my fever went higher. So on Thursday, I went to an urgent care doctor to listen to my lungs and perhaps get a chest x-ray.  The doctor saw an infection in the x-rays and prescribed an antibiotic.
After calling my own doctor with this news, I was put on a second antibiotic. I've been getting better and better ever since. Thank God for antibiotics.

I finally was able to return to work yesterday, January 24th. I taught one of my three classes. We're on the block schedule and each class is 90 minutes long. It was suggested (recommended) to me that I go back to school on a part-time basis until I feel well enough to take on the full load. The substitute that was hired to cover my classes is doing an outstanding job and is willing to continue until my return. So, this week I am testing the waters to see how I do with 2 of my 5 classes.  My throat is still very sore and talking doesn't exactly help it heal. But I have Lidocaine that I can put on the throat for temporary relief and water helps keep it moist. Last night I had the best night sleep in weeks!  My feeling is that I'll get better and want to take on the full 5 classes, but perhaps after a few more weeks of healing. I am going to see how this week goes and then reassess.

Many people understand that the road to recovery is a long one with many bumps in the road. I have experienced my share of set backs over the past several months so I will continue to write these posts. I appreciate those of you who have taken an interest in my experiences and continue to check my blog. I never realized how many people have had similar experiences to mine or know someone who has. Unfortunately, most have had some experience with this disease and can somehow relate and connect with what I've been going through.  Thank you for taking an interest.