SICK. SICKER. AND STILL SICK.

Well, my rotation here in Dallas has been going well except that I've been awfully sick for just about all of it. If you'll recall, Ryan had strep throat just before I left to come here. About mid week my first week, I started feeling down...just tired and generally lousy. By that Thursday, I was running fever with lymph nodes swollen and a terribly painful sore throat. I was voted off the island at work and sent to the doctor, with the assumption I probably had strep, too. Well, the test was negative, but the doc gave me antibiotics and steroids because I was in really rough shape. Over the weekend, my sore throat migrated down to about my voice box, and I developed some awesome asthma trouble and a cough that just wouldn't let up. I was going through Robitussin, NyQuil, and cough drops like water and using my nebulizer and rescue inhaler about 3 times each day. When I couldn't swallow without grimacing, I decided it was time to head back to the doc. I left with another negative strep test, a steroid shot, another week's worth of steroid pills, meds for my asthma, prescription cough medicine, and some lidocaine for my throat. That night, I actually got some sleep! Some was better than the next to no sleep I'd been getting before. I expected improvement, but about 5 days later, I still am miserable. Improvement, yes, but certainly not nearly up to par yet. So I went back to the doc this morning. I left with a clear chest xray, another negative strep test, different antibiotics (for 2 weeks! yikes!), and a different prescription cough medicine. Here's hoping this finally clears up. With only one week left here, if this clears up, it looks like it will be just in time to head back home. I'll be very glad to feel better, but I wish I could have spent more time with family and friends while I was here. I still have this one week left, so hopefully I'll feel well enough to make the best out of it.