Bleargh!

That's the sound of phlem in the throat, and in the nose, and can phlem get in your ears? The doctor said my ears were blocked with "fluid" but she didn't say what it was. Bleargh is the sound of somebody calling in sick to work for the first time in three years. Damn, damn, double damn; I'm sick. It was the wierdest thing; I was fine all day on Tuesday until about eight oclock, then Wham! my throat is sore as hell. Probably strep throat, she said. Can't swallow, can't talk (much); it's all bright red and swollen-- the doc described it as "an angry throat". Why yes, it is. And it's living in an angry Mara at the moment. I know this is payback for being so smug about not having been sick at work. Priding myself on my health and my attendance-- it was bound to end up like this. I spent yesterday--the part not at the doctor and pharmacy--curled up in a miserable ball going 'bleargh, bleargh....bleargh....more tea please.....bleargh" The antibiotics are these enormous horse-pills that I have to cut in half just to swallow. They hurt going down, too. I've almost barfed twice just taking the pills. And they cost 40 bucks. I despise being sick. Today is my day off from work and am I out and about? Am I at Borders, or cleaning up the apartment, or doing something fun? Yeah, right. I'm keeping this chair warm until naptime.

One bright note, though; I signed up for this medical payment program at work, where they take money out of your paycheck tax-free, they put it on a little credit card and you can use it to buy medical stuff with. It's a littl risky because you have to use it all before the end of the year, so I put 75 dollars on it thinking that if nothing else I buy that much Advil, Sudafed and contact lense solution in a year. Well, the first week of the year isn't over yet and I've just spent $55.00 on co-pay and antibiotics and used the card to do it! Sweet. I wish I'd opted for 150 instead. Ah well, I have the weekend off, too, so I just have to get through today ("thruff"--cheating at Scrabble) here at home, tomorrow at work, and by Saturday I should be feeling better. Super-anti-biotics.