For the past couple of days I have been suffering with the onset of a head cold. A faint cough began Tuesday afternoon and evening as post-nasal drip hailed the start of ten days of sheer joy. I managed to get through the work day yesterday, but only just. Once I was home I collapsed on the bed for a two hour nap, followed by a bowl of chicken noodle soup. (Note to self: next time make sure you buy regular chicken noodle soup, not the creamy kind.)
After dinner I was up for a couple of hours, and even managed to clean the pile of dishes in the sink. However, after a short hot bath to relax I was back in bed by 8:30 pm. The sinus pressure in my head was enough that every tooth in my upper jaw felt like it was abscessed. Four Motrin and a Sudafed later I was able to get to sleep. This morning I felt considerably better, enough so that I came into work. I may run out of gas before the day is through but I am upright at least.
The hardest part about all of this, especially when my jaw was so sore last night, was being alone. When you are married or have a loving partner there is someone there to fetch kleenex or make soup, and you don’t have to try and think through the fog of drugs and illness about what needs to be done. I missed Michele terribly all evening until about 10:00 when I was in so much pain that I started crying and said out loud that I needed her, that I didn’t want to be alone. Within seconds, Nekko (who was really Michele’s cat), was on the bed laying right beside me purring loudly. Whenever Michele was upset Nekko always came to here as if to comfort her. Having her appear just when I needed Michele the most was incredible. Suddenly I didn’t feel so alone, and the pain in my head was less, and I was able to sleep.