BELLEE BEADZ: SPIN DOCTOR

Whilst I was away from my desk..............................

Thought I'd drop by my site to see if its 'still here'.....I've been MIA for maybe a week and decided to shake off this 'funk' and get back on track.

Exactly a week ago I woke up with a very, very sore throat. Thinking it was the usual sore throat before a cold - this is my own personal experience and something that usually happens before I develop a cold - I just sucked on some lozenges and thought I'd see through the weekend and if my nose started running I'd then go off to the Docs on Monday. Throat didn't seem to be improving on Sunday and I developed a very high fever by Monday morning........2 paracetamols and more lozenges later, I felt a little better and decided to have a lazy day just playing on my iPad and answering mails. By evening I was flat out. Fever was back, entire body felt like I'd been thru' a marathon session at the gym. Sleep was fitful and so on Tuesday morning, I was driven to the doctor. Fever - check/sore throat- check/body aches - check/cough - check/and then she listened to my chest......and again......and one more time just to be sure. OK.....I'll give you an injection to bring down the fever immediately and a week of antibiotics and.......I interrupted "so I have a full blown cold?" ...... Dr: No. You've got the flu and developed bronchitis. Errr....ok......that explains everything..... The clinic was filled with people who were either coughing (those of us with a fever had to use a mask) and wearing masks and the rest looked like they'd been through hell and high waters to get to the clinic.....everybody looked really washed out.....me included. There's a horrid bug going round and round and round.....this is my first experience with the Flu......I have only ever had a cough and cold, never the flu.

I got home, fever came back down real quick, took all my meds and all I wanted to do was sleep. I plonked myself on to the sofa, iPad - check/iPhone - check/TV controls - check.....meds/hot honey lemon tea - check..............none of it I put to use because I was out in a flash. About two hours later, I was woken by a horrible hacking cough.....something that had kept me awake the last few nights but this was x 10 on a scale of 1 - 5. It's a tickle at the back of the throat that you can't reach..........its actually a post nasal drip and its the worse condition you could experience because nothing, absolutely nothing will help you reach that 'tickle'. I coughed so much over the last few days - all non productive - my rib cage hurts even when I touch it and my head is pounding like there's a pneumatic drill on overdrive inside that little cavity above my eyes! Night time is the worse. I fall asleep and within 30 minutes, that irritating, niggling, sensation comes back and you start to cough uncontrollably. At 2 am, 3 am in the morning I'm on my iPad googling "Relief for post nasal drip cough"......... I would eventually fall asleep in a sitting position. Last night we used a fan in the room instead of the airconditioner and that really helped. I managed to get at least 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep.......4 hours because I was stubborn and wanted the airconditioner on and only around 4 am after a whole night of punching my pillows when the cough came back, did I relent and allow my husband to turn off the A/C and turn on the fan.

I feel much better today, I think tonight I should be able to have a good sleep. Throat is sore from so much coughing but the non-productive cough is a little more productive so hopefully the expectorant I took will help me clear it all up.

I lost my voice, much to my husband's delight because whenever I tried talking or start on one of my spins about why the PWD has suddenly decided to put up railings beside the drain along the road outside my house or why the Recycling team has changed their collection day from Friday to Saturday, he'd say "don't talk so much it will make your throat worse" but in actual fact he was thinking "Praise the Lord, I have a legit reason to tell her to shut up" :))

A few hours each afternoon I'd feel 'back to normal' and would come into my workroom and take out a tray of something I'd feel inspired to work on but it would never be accomplished as quickly as it would on days when I was 100% OK. I managed to complete a pendant which a customer has left with me to go with a moonstone necklace. Inspite of being slightly drugged out I managed to weave a bezel for the cabochon, after many clumsy, uneven attempts and much wastage of sterling silver wire, and will start on the necklace soon. I also started on a pink topaz/black rutilated quartz necklace with a flower cut fuschia quartz pendant......

All should be back on track this coming week.

In the meantime, a peek into what I've started.