you lose your voice, along with your senses of taste and smell

I am sick again, this time with a supposed Viral Upper Respiratory Infection...although, I don't believe what I'm told.

It started last Sunday evening when I returned from California with a scratchy throat. The scratchiness continued until Wednesday morning when I woke up with probably the worst sore throat I have ever had. I called my boss and told him I wouldn't be in and went back to bed until I could call my doctor.

I woke up promptly at 8am to call the doctor's office to make an appointment, and was told my doctor was not in but that I could make an appointment with another doctor in the office. That sounded fine to me, but I still had to call back with my insurance information (we got new insurance this year, and wow, on January 15th still didn't have our new cards) which I had to print off the internet. Upon calling back with this information, I was told that since I was now on the Aetna HMO plan, I could not see any other doctors, and that Dr. Clark (my doctor) was completely booked on Thursday as well. JUST GREAT!

So, I gave up and went back to bed for the rest of the day. I considered an urgent care facility, but I really really hate those places. I mean, really really HATE them. I feel like they aren't clean, and the doctor's just give you whatever cookie cutter diagnois that is popular at the time. I didn't want to have to go to one of these places. Well, later on Wednesday afternoon, I got a call from my doctor's office informing me there was no way to fit me in on Thursday, but I could make an appointment for Friday. I told them I would get back to them, knowing that I probably wouldn't be able to wait that long to see someone.

I was right, I woke up on Thursday morning, my throat hurting even worse and with an incredibly hoarse voice. I called my boss again, who by the way gave me shit for calling in again even though he made fun of how I sounded, and informed him I would not be at work again today. I got myself up and showered and out the door to be at CityDoc by 9am when they opened. I hoped if I got there early I wouldn't have to sit there all day. They actually got me in to see the doctor fairly quickly, and just as I had feared, after about 30 seconds of examining me I was told I had a viral infection and that I would just have to let it run its course. She told me I should start feeling better in a couple of days, as I was on day 4 and viral infections usually only last 7 or so days.

Well, I'm now on day 7, and I might feel worse today than I have felt all week. I have been taking sudafed and advil all day long and the cough syrup with hydrocodon at night for the past 3 and half days. My throat is still KILLING me, I still have no voice and I have lost all sense of taste and smell. The tea I keep drinking to soothe my throat might as well just be hot water. My entire body hurts today, similar to what I would imagine it feels like to be hit by a car. But, I have to get myself up and showered again today to go pick up the "just in case" antibiotic the stupid docotor gave me a prescription for. "Just in case you don't start to feel better", she said, "I'll give you an anitbiotic." My luck, the antibiotic won't have a generic just like the cough medicine she prescribed and I'll be out another $70!

I'm so annoyed with my new insurance, and I'm more annoyed that my doctor couldn't get me in last week. I have never had a problem getting in to see him until he changed practices. I hate being sick as it is, but its even worse when the systems in place to help you feel better fail.

you have nothing to write about

So...2009 hasn't sucked at all so far. It's amazing how much better things go when you finally get up the courage to exclude certain toxic people from your life. It's still hard at times, but I'm doing my best to let go of my most recent bad relationship. I was finally able to admit to myself that the problems we had were not going to ever be fixed, and things had gone beyond repair. I must admit too, however, that I secretly wish he would fight to get me back...that's not going to happen, though, so I must keep moving on until I can put the entire situation behind me.

I'm currently in sunny 76 degree Anaheim, CA visiting the hotel that I just recently took on at work. My brother and his wife are coming up to spend the day/night with me. It will be really great to see them, as I haven't seen them in close to a year!

My hotel visit has been great. I do so much work over the phone, that it is always nice to get to meet the people you talk to every week and put their face with the voice. Everyone has been so nice and I can't wait to get out and see the town today. Unfortunately I don't think Disneyland will be on the agenda. Its just too expensive, although, I definitely want to go sometime before too long.

So, that's all I have so far this year. Maybe I'll have to change the name of my blog if I continue to have such a postive year and things continue to not suck so much! We'll just see...I'm still skeptical.