Choose Your Poison

"So, which will it be?" my doctor asked.

My mind whirled as I thought through the options.

I've had an upper respiratory infection for over a month now.  The first round of antibiotics didn't help, and I was back in my doctor's office to see if there was anything else we could do about it.  My throat was still sore, and both of my ears are still infected, and sound is muffled.

Actually, the muffled sounds aren't always a bad thing.  Screaming babies at the grocery store don't bother me right now... I can barely hear them.  Loud public events don't bother me, as I can barely hear what is going on around me.

On the other hand, I can barely hear my kids when they talk to me.  They have to stand on the side that is hearing well.  Today, that is the right side.  I can't hear someone when they say hello to me across the grocery store, either.  That's kind of bad.

So, I was sitting in the doctor's office, looking for some relief.  I've been off of the last round of antibiotics for 3 days, and things aren't any better.  I woke up with a serious ear-ache, I can barely swallow, and my head feels like it's going to explode.

After a thorough listen to my chest, and a lot of time checking out my lymph nodes in my throat, she decided to give it another go with antibiotics.  We are going up a class of drugs, too.  Stronger drugs.  Oh boy.

"So, we have two options at this level.  They both have some significant side effects.  The first one will give you diarrhea, the second will make you nauseous and sick to your stomach.  Which one do you want to deal with?" 

Jeesh.  What a choice.  Either way, I'm going to need to be close to a bathroom for the next two weeks.  Youngest child is going to a camp in Baltimore next week, and oldest child works at a camp north of Baltimore, and will need to be picked up for his "weekend" - Monday night until Wednesday morning.  Both of those trips are an hour one way, and public facilities are not always easy to find.

Finally, I choose diarrhea.  Yogurt will help keep my digestive balance a little more on track, and will replace the good bacteria I am losing from the antibiotics.

I tell her my choice, and she gives me a list of OTC drugs that will help keep the unwanted side effects at bay if things get really bad.

And then, she delivers the killer line: 
"I want you to stay away from the germ factories and give your body a chance to heal.  No swimming pool.  No gym.  No school.  Try to stay away from church, and try not to shake anyone's hand for the next two weeks.  Even at the library and grocery stores, make sure you wipe down the handles on your cart, and wipe down the mylar covers on the books when you get home."

I stare at her.  School has been out for a week, but I'm supposed to stay away from the pool?  Wipe down the books from the library? 

She stares hard at me.  "I mean it.  I want you to slow down for the next two weeks.  Enjoy your summer.  Spend time out in the yard, weed the garden, pick strawberries, watch the sunset.  Just let your immune system work this out without you adding any extra stress to your system from new germs for 2 weeks."

And so, here I am.  At home.  Last night, we watched the sunset.  This morning, I've already done a load of laundry, and I'm getting ready to tackle a quilt I've had sitting around for a while that I've been intending to "get to" for months now.  I put a boatload of books on reserve at the library that my husband picked up last night, and he wiped the covers down with disinfectant before he brought them into the house.

Even better - the husband is going grocery shopping tonight!  Hmmm... this whole "grounded" thing might not be as bad as I thought!