Jim has had some kind of upper respiratory thing going on for a week or more now, and even though we’ve tried to avoid contact that would spread it– I started having a sore throat and sniffles Sunday night. Now I’m in the foggy-headed, alternately runny and stopped-up nose stage. Jim has had an awful hacking cough, which I don’t have yet and hope I don’t get.

If I had to get a summer cold, though, this is the best week for it. Last week was busy with a lot of deadlines plus getting two kids ready for camp, one for the whole summer; next week is the ladies’ luncheon. So, though I still have a checklist to work through, this week is a little lighter.

One thing I discovered after several months after TM — any kind of cold or infection wiped me out, and I had no choice — I had to go rest. But I discovered that that actually helped to short-circuit a cold and to make it not last as long. I don’t know why we think it is so noble to push ourselves til it has lasted for weeks and gotten worse before we go to bed and get more rest. Sometimes it can’t be helped, I know — there is just too much to do. But though colds don’t quite do me in that much these days, I still try to get more rest if possible. A nap is definitely on the agenda for today.

I also see a new doctor today — not for the cold — this has been scheduled for a while. The doctor I had been seeing for 8 years suddenly left his practice last year. I had heard he would be starting a new practice, but it has been months, and so far nothing. A friend at church who is a doctor — and actually a former partner of my doctor — has been keeping my prescriptions refilled, but he can’t do that forever. I didn’t want to go to him, though he’s a fine doctor, because he’s a friend — and that would just feel awkward to me. He recommended a new doctor, a Russian lady. It was funny when I called to make the appointment — I got a voice mail and left my information and said I needed to make an appointment as a new patient with Dr. B– and tried my best to pronounce her name in an recognizable fashion. When the reception called back, she said, “You wanted to make an appointment with Dr. Vickie?” 🙂 I guess her staff doesn’t even try her last name.

They called last Friday to remind me of my appointment and tell me what to bring, and said I was supposed to come in fasting. I told them I couldn’t do that with a 1:30 appointment — I have low blood sugar and can’t go past 9 or 10 without feeling dizzy and shaky. They told me I could come in anytime after 8 a.m. and do lab work and then come back in the afternoon for the appointment. My first thought was, “Like I have all day to run back and forth to your office!” I planned to call back and change it to a morning appointment. But then I decided this really would work better even though it meant two trips — if I had a morning appointment, I’d have to wait til after everything was over to eat. So I went this morning and left behind my bodily fluids. 🙂

I feel a little awkward going when nothing is wrong — I just need monitoring for one medication. I’ll have to admit that going to the doctor is not my favorite pastime in life — sorry to those in the medical profession 🙂 — and going to a new doctor and having to explain about the TM makes me even more nervous (I have been blessed with excellent doctors who were very knowledgeable about it, but I have read horror stories from those on the TM Internet Club who had been told it was all in their heads).

And I don’t know why I went into all that — just rambling in my fogginess, I guess. If you read all the way through, pat yourself on the back for me!

Gotta go get ready for round 2 at the doc’s…………