Wheezy, Whistly, Squeaky, Craggy, and Crusty

Being sickly is not for the faint of heart. If you were unlucky enough to be sent into our household right now, the sounds you would hear would vary from that of a seal barking to noise of someone trying to start a very damaged chain saw to wheezes, squeaks, and whistly, craggy, crusty sounding breathing. 

Are we better?

Yes - some.

We are no longer coughing incessantly without a break. We are not moaning and groaning.

Instead we are puffing and blowing and making all manner of noises trying to breathe with an occasional coughing jag thrown in for good measure.

We went to the doctor a couple of days ago and were prescribed medications that will, hopefully, help us out.

Mike got an inhaler, a capsule, and some cough syrup. I got a cough syrup and a couple of antibiotics. We were told to get us a couple of those gizmos that the hospital hands out when somebody is recovering from surgery that has a ball in a chamber where you inhale deeply to push it to the top of the chamber. We have been puffing and inhaling into those on a regular basis and don't let surgery patients fool you into thinking it is easy to push that little ball to the top of the chamber. It is not. It takes a lot of force and powerful lungs. Mike is better at it than I am but it can be said that we sort of suck at sucking.

Spirometer

When we described our symptoms to the Physician's Assistant a couple of days ago, she sent us to get X-Rays to check for pneumonia. She said Mike's breathing sounded, "rattly," when she listened to us with her stethoscope. 

The X-Rays showed that we both had Atelectasis = small areas of lung collapse due to intense pressure on the air sacs from severe, sustained coughing. She thought I was in, "pre-pneumonia," and prescribed the anti-biotics. She also said the spirometer (that little gizmo with the ball in the chamber that we suck) use should help us to re-expand those areas in our lungs. She also suggested taking steamy showers, using a humidifier, and lots of rest.

So, here we are. Fifteen days into the new year and still sickly. Things may be looking up, though, because we do have periods where we are not coughing. Fingers are crossed - and so are my legs. Because coughing not only applies intense pressure to my lungs...

Old age ain't for sissies!

Today I noticed...I'm always excited to start reading a new book.

Anybody who knows me very well at all knows that I am a person who is always reading a book of some sort. Most times, I am reading more than one book at a time. 

I love reading.

I love that feeling of climbing into a new place and getting to know new characters.

I love that reading lets me get lost in another world.

I love that reading helps me to relax.

So, no matter whether I have just finished a really good book or have just stopped reading a book that was bleh, I am always excited to start reading a new book.

Today I Noticed...Change is Inevitable - and I don't always like it.

I've always been one who likes to settle into cozy and familiar. I like things to be organized and routine. I like things from days gone by to still be out there and available. I resist change quite often instead of embracing it.

Our grocery store go-to has discontinued having their blue truck delivery service. I understand that staffing is probably difficult. I get it that the corporation is in business to make a profit. Yet, I sort of want to shake my fist at them and call them greedy. What I read said that the blue delivery truck service would be discontinued but they would still work with third party businesses to continue delivering. The change should provide them with a $400 billion profit in 2026. That makes me sad. Oh, I will probably continue to use the third party delivery of my groceries because I truly like online ordering and delivery to my front door. I did love the blue truck service and it saved me money over the years. Even with the third party intervention, I may switch grocery companies, however. The other grocery company in our town is nearer to our house. It is located within our county and the other company is in the next county over. So, my tax dollars will stay here in our county, if I change that up as well.  We shall see...

Another change that was made recently also makes me sad. The discontinuation of the penny. Oh, I get that it is expensive to produce the coins. But, the penny has been a monetary institution all of my life. Sadness abounds.

Then, this morning I read where the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has voted to shut down. I was frustrated with the funding cut. I wrote to my legislators and emailed them as well. Yet, the funding was still cut despite lots of people's best efforts. So, the shut down has come. Sadness abounds.

Right now I sort of feel like our whole world is in a bit of upheaval. Maybe that is just the old woman in me surfacing. I know hat change is inevitable and usually serves a purpose for bettering things. I'm not sure these changes are good for the majority of people, however.

One Step Forward and Two Steps Back

We thought we had left the Creeping Crud behind when the new year rolled around. 

Evidently we did not.

I mean, we were hardly coughing at all except at night when things always seem to get more cruddy. We had both moved back to sleeping in the bed for most of the night because the coughing wasn't such a problem. We even did some socializing - had the children and grandchildren in for dinner and celebrating, went to my mother's for dinner and celebrating and things seemed to be on the upswing for us.

Then, this past weekend, we trekked halfway across the state to attend our great nephew's wedding and the Crud seemed to all come back to both of us. We had a great time. The wedding was beautiful. The fellowship with family was fabulous. Then, when we were on our way back home, we both noticed a bit of tickle and the coughing began. 

For the past couple of days and miserable nights we have learned to cough at depths unknown to us. Our sides are aching. Our chests are tight. Our hacking and coughing is non-stop. We have holed up here at the house and moaned and groaned and coughed and carried on something fierce. I don't know if this is a relapse or something new and even more cruddy. At any rate, we are sickly, grumpy, and tired.

We are a mess!

I hope you ushered in the new year and this fresh week in 2026 with good health and heartiness. Meanwhile we are over here hacking, coughing, sucking on cough drops, moaning, groaning, and trying to wear this mess out.

Happy New Year!

 

Happy Anniversary, Mike!

Wrapping up sixteen years...May year seventeen be our best ever!

 

Merry Christmas!

 

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!