Knockout…

Thursday morning, I woke up without a voice. Laryngitis is nothing new for me; I used to have it weekly after a game on Saturdays; I was a cheerleader from grades 3-12. I’ve always had a distinctive, deep voice, and when I lose it, it’s frustrating, to say the least. By Thursday night, I knew I was sick. Dammit!

Turns out I have bronchitis, something I got 100 times growing up. I never got normal colds like other kids; mine always settled in my chest. When I would cough, my father would always say, “Jesus Christ, she sounds like she has TB, for Christs’ sake!”

When I had a respiratory thing going on as a teenager, I would run up to my room and cough into a pillow. I didn’t want my parents to hear me cough, or I couldn’t go out on the weekend. I was smart too, or so I thought at the time; I switched my cigarettes to Newport Menthol. I figured if I put menthol on my chest with Vicks, I would inhale it too. Yeah, I know you don’t have to tell me.

When the boys were small, Noah had croup every winter until he was 10. It scared the hell out of us every time it happened. He couldn’t breathe, so we would stand in the bathroom with the hot water running to produce steam or wrap him in a blanket and take him outside. He went to the hospital a couple of times for his breathing issues. Sam had it only once, thank goodness.

To this day, whenever Noah and I get sick, it always ends up in our chests. Ironically, when I met my birth Mom, the same thing happens to her, and she has asthma. Sam and Marty have always been pukers when they were young, and both have motion sickness, something Noah, me, and my mom don’t get.

Since Thursday, I’ve been in bed most of the time, not to spread what I have. I’ve taken up base camp in the guest room, which is comfortable. Marty can still hear me hacking away all night and started becoming concerned.

He has administered breathing treatments when things have gotten serious, which greatly helps. When he got home from the market this afternoon, he gave me one immediately, which helped a little.

I am drinking plenty of fluids; I don’t think I’ve drunk this much tea ever. I am not a tea drinker, but maybe I will be since I like the herbal ones we have on hand. I haven’t had a cup of coffee since I was fit as a fiddle on Wednesday morning.

Being sick in February has happened to Marty and me since we were young. We both have birthdays in February, and one of us gets sick. I stopped planning birthday parties after my 9th birthday when I was sick again and had to cancel another party. We never rescheduled any of my parties, which I am sure my mother was thrilled about.

Those are the most important things I can do rest, drink fluids, and isolate myself. Besides drinking tea and water, I haven’t eaten much, I ate two boiled potatoes all-day and yesterday I had some rice for dinner. Marty has been fending for himself since I have no desire to eat or cook. Holy shit! I am sick! 😞