Where There's Smoke...

A few chapters back, I wrote about my sick child and my sick self battling over health rights at the local clinic.

As noted in my entry, the powers that be mysteriously waived my health insurance waiting period and lo and behold, I was granted coverage 6 months earlier than was my due. Hallelujah!

Since, the wee one has returned to near normal health following a VERY LOOOOONG week at home replete with the thrills and pleasures of fever, cough, copious nasal emissions and painful fever blisters.

While the young'un shed his illness, however, mine lingered. Pleasantries have included a hacking cough so violent that during one fit, I was forced to exit the toy store for several minutes until the coughing subsided. I thought my eyes would pop out. Phone talk (read: work, for a journalist) has been nearly impossible because the next coughing fit has been lying in wait to go full hack just as I'm mid-stream, phone conversation with, say, the Chinese Embassy press attache.

When the fever returned this week, I went to the doctor. "Congratulations," he said. "It's the same virus half the country has. Can't really treat it but you can take aspirin for the fever." He listened to my lungs, checked my throat and mentioned that this could last the entire season.

The entire season? Was he wasted? I'm barely talking to anyone because breathing is a chore, I've got chills and I'm treating a fever four times a day. If this goes "all season" point me towards the welfare office, please.

I knew something wasn't right. Particularly when, two days later, the hacking was so violent my eyes felt like popping again, my left side felt as if I'd mysteriously broken a rib, and I was on the phone at 3 a.m. to my physician parents in Cincy to get their input and also to stay awake because lying down produced coughing spasms and more pain.

Off to a different doctor. X-rays, blood work, EKG. Diagnosis? Pneumonia.

Hello and welcome antibiotics. I do not wish pneumonia on anyone. This is my second rendezvous and it's painful, relentless and miserable.

Here's the deal: If you think you're sick and you don't believe what the doc doled out first time around? By God take yourself back for round two. This stuff can kill!

Which, on a different subject: Very horrible news from the U.S. this week. Makes my little cough appear trite: My cousin Dolores who's in her 70's died in such a freak accident it's crazy. She apparently drove her car into the garage adjoining her condo, left it running and died of asphyxiation. As my mother said, her children must be absolutely heartsick.

A wish of Good Health to all!