Saturday, September 18, 2010

Nothin' Like a Sore Throat...

It's been a long week.

And it's going to be a short weekend.

Followed by another long week.

Is it Columbus Day weekend yet?

Tuesday and Wednesday I was at the school until after 4:30.  Tuesday I didn't get home until about 6:30 and Wednesday I didn't get home until about 5:30. 

Thursday evening I noticed that little tickle in my throat.  The tickle that all teachers dread.  It's the tickle that might mean you're getting a cold.  When I woke up on Friday, my throat was feeling even more scratchy and my tummy didn't feel quite right.  But I headed off to school anyway.  It was picture day, so you can't miss that!

The day went by fairly smoothly.  All the kids looked so cute--the girls in poofy dresses and the boys with little ties and button up shirts.  I wasn't feeling worse, but I wasn't getting any better.  My stomach would go from feeling okay to feeling really nauseated.  That's a good feeling.

Finally the day was over, carpool had ended, my room was packed up for the weekend, and I dragged my exhausted self out to the car and settled in for my normal commute home.  I got all the way to the on-ramp for the Parkway aaaaaand...there's a police car blocking it!  Sweet!  I figured someone must have crashed on the on-ramp, so I would get on the Parkway going the opposite direction, make a U-turn and get on my way.  Minor inconvenience, but I can deal, right?  As I pass the on-ramp, I looked up to the Parkway and it looked like a parking lot.  Oh, good.  As I get on the Parkway heading the opposite direction, I'm weighing my options.  I can do my U-turn and just sit through traffic or I can get on 95 South.  I make a U-turn and pass a sign that says to expect delays on the Parkway for the next 5 days between where I get on and another exit several miles down the road.  So there's no hope that the delay is short.  I decide to get off the Parkway and take 95 South.  Normally, 95 South at 4:00 p.m. on a Friday afternoon is just plain stupid.  If you get on then, you'll be on it for a long time because it usually looks like this:


[from http://thesituationist.wordpress.com/2008/06/10/the-psychological-toll-of-automobile-traffic/]

...and no one is moving anywhere.

But, miracle of miracles!

I hopped on 95 and there was only minor traffic!  It was a little disconcerting, but I was home by 4:30!  Not bad, considering I was thinking I would be lucky to be home by 5.

Anyway, by the time I got home, I was more tired and still feeling yucky.  Then I started to think.  I started thinking about a little boy who wasn't at school on Monday.  He wasn't there because he had strep throat.  He was back on Tuesday after having taken 24 hours worth of antibiotics.  Now, 4 days later I had a scratchy throat and a general "sick feeling."  I looked up symptoms for strep:

-very sore throat (check?  It was scratchy, but not the worst I've ever had.)
-red throat, sometimes with small white or yellow splotches (not sure--my mouth is dark and I can't see inside it very well)
-fever (no fever!)
-general sick feeling (check.)
-lower stomach pains/ache (check.)
-nausea (check.)

Hmmm...I was worried.  Matt and I went to bed and I tried not to think about it.

This morning, my throat is feeling much better and I don't feel so yucky anymore.  w00t!!!  Hopefully I just had a little 24 bug of some sort and I'm fine.

So that's my week.  Lots to do today and tomorrow...at least I didn't have to get up at 5:30 this morning.

2 comments:

  1. yuck, i'm sorry you were sick! glad you're feeling better though!!!

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  2. I picked up a little head cold at school this week too. Hope you get your flu shot this year. I got an email from the state of VA for nurses saying that they're telling health care professionals to suggest it for everyone instead of the usual older people, pregnant people, and young kids. That's a telling sign of what might be to come, I think. That being said I havent had my flu shot yet. Haha.

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