What's the best time to go into the Emergency? [96/136]

5am... really.
Maybe it's just 'cuz it was a weekday.  I can't imagine it'd be as quiet on a weekend.

Been a packed week [62/90]

So, a pretty hectic week all things considering.
I got a new device to play with:

Kind of excited to play with it.  Review's up on the site...

Then I also got another toy to play with.

This one I even get to give away!

And also with the toys, got the Fantom as well.

Got a review for that one as well.

Aside from that work was pretty hectic as it's that time of the year where my eNewsletter and Quarterly newsletter overlap.

I even had a sick day, so that intensified the work load.

We readied this week for Dean's start of school, as he'd gone through the 'first rider program'.

And we have our first gig 'in the new season' as we'll be at Hymer's Fair tomorrow (well, today actually).

Gotta get ready for our info night on the 12th.

A family that's sick together...

You know that old saying...


Anyhow, on Thursday of last week (Feb 23), Dean was starting to really get the sniffles.  So much so, that Mandy asked that I come home early and bring some juices etc...


Not really much was going on at work, so I figured, why not.  (well, there's always something going on, but I had been through the heavy of it, and was coming out the other end...)


Well, that settled, I went to band.  After giving the members a good reaming about how we only have 21 more practices until the Centennial, I get a call for me to come home, Dean's fever is starting and she wants to take him to the hospital.


I rush out... 'cuz hey, family first.  And Dean is just sluggish and tired.  We can't find his (ear) thermometer anywhere, so Mandy has Greg bring over an oral one.  Dean won't use it whatsoever, so I rush out and buy a forehead one (in addition to some medicine to try to bring his temperature down).  I finally get a reading.  Not in the warning zone, but he's HOT.  Just his whole body is warm.


Next day is work, and Mandy's folks are watching Dean at our house.  I get to leave a little early, to find Dean has been just a slug on the couch the entire day.  Something is not right, so Mandy takes him to the walk-in.  (I head to the workshop... which my other blog post will talk about).


The walk-in tells Mandy to just go to the hospital "tell them I sent you; don't let them send you home".  At the ER Mandy learns he has a 'raging' ear infection in his left ear, and the start of another in the right.  At this point I'm now at the ER and the doctor tells me (Mandy went to find a drink) that it's a real "rip-roarin'" ear infection and Dean will be admited for 1-2 days and will need IV antibiotics.  A little panic sets in.

So, while we eventually get Dean ready for his room in paediatrics he subtly coughs.  The admitting nurse notes:  "nobody said anything about a cough... coughs + fever = instant isolation" ... which means we get our own room.  Yay.  Then Mandy and I argue about who'll stay the night.  Mandy's cold by this point is quite raging in its own right.  However, Mandy's argument of "I won't sleep at home regardless" and her stubborn attitude wins me the scorn of the nurses as I tell them I'll be back in the morning.


In the morning I rush in with some breakfast for the group, and it looks like Dean's getting some energy back.  Mandy looks tired.  Back to the workshop I go.  I visit again at lunch.


After the workshop I pop in and it turns out an old highschool friend is the attending doctor, and he lets us know that Dean should be well enough to go home (but he'll have to take his medicine on his own).  Yay, so not 2 days.

At home, Dean does NOT take his medicine... grumble.  That next morning (now Sunday) he spits up MUCH of it, and then I rush off to the only open pharmacy to get his prescription filled.  The guy there is awesome, especially for 6am.  He tells me we can mix it with juice or chocolate milk (a plan is hatched).


So, I head back with that knowledge and then head off to the last bit of the workshop.


At home, Dean is in much better spirits, but still won't take medicine (but I think he's catching on that the chocolate milk tastes funny).  However, after all this our own health has deteriorated ... to the point that I take 2 days off work.  Mandy is just horrible as well.


It doesn't help that Monday is a huge dumping of snow that I have to try to shovel out... walking up stairs winds me out... shovelling is a huge marathon of endurance.  Mandy did a good job too.


Well, Mandy went to the walk-in yesterday (Tuesday) and it turns out she has bronchitis.  Yay... we've all been sleeping in the same bed lately as we only have the one humidifier... however, I think it's causing the illness to quickly spread to each other.


Now, only for me to go to the walk-in myself and find I have pneumonia or something... my ear does bother me, but I think it's psycho-somatic more than anything else...


le sigh...

Another sick weekend [90/112]

Didn't I just post about this?  Yeah... I also meant to post mid-week, but that never happened, so it seems like it just happened.

Anyways, yeah - went all week and was pretty ok.  No problems.  Then Friday night I started to have 'sniffles' and then it was a real runny nose.

Mandy, you're awesome, for not killing me - she was quite the trooper and took care of Dean the entire weekend while I just convalesced in bed.  Seriously - I was in bed all weekend, until around Sunday 3pm when she went to work.

Jarron had another photoshoot Sunday night - when these calendars come out I think y'all will be quite impressed.  And you better buy one!!

Sick Weekend [86/107]

So, last week and the one prior have been pretty hectic.  Like an ungodly amount.  Hopefully as the major events are out of the way it can slow down to a normal pace now.

The day after the Prosperity Northwest event I had gone to a meeting and I could feel my body losing a battle.  I had been staving off this cold for some time and now was its time for revenge.  Oi.

I went home Thursday afternoon around 1... slept until almost 6.  Went to pipes for about an hour [was a real shame turning back in those Lawries] and then came home and slept until the next day.

Friday I woke up around 11am.  Puttered for an hour or so, then went back to sleep.  Woke up at 3, up for a few hours and then back into bed.

I followed this pattern for some time.  I was really out of it.  Not flu like, just cold.  I get these wicked sinus blockages and then that makes me grind my teeth and stuff so my temples get sore and then I get major headaches.  So it was just hard to concentrate on anything.

My turn of luck was on Saturday when I got to play with the new Gingerbread features on my phone.  Something cool.

Oh, and playing with Dean.  It's always fun to play with him - despite how he says I'm the 'bad dad' and I'm "bossy" and "throw [him] on the bed".  But we had a great time.  Especially Sunday.  Just some precious lines as always.

Back at work today... biked and man it's getting cold.  Not sure if that really helps or not.  Gotta start getting some mitts for the morning [and it gets depressing watching my percentage slowly slip downwards].  I'm still a little 'overwhelmed' at the office here, but I'm doing ok, taking things in bite size portions.  Mainly trying to go through the backlog of emails etc... I have so MANY different things to do at the office that it's easy to get lost in it all.  With a head cold lingering it's not exactly making things easier.  One bit at a time.

Been quiet - 26/33

Been unusually quiet a new late. I'll chalk it up to my cold.
See Dean started to show signs of a cold, and of course when he leaves town is when I get it.

It has been exceptionally cold the past few mornings. That couldn't have helped.

So I called in sick to work yesterday, felt bad about it as it feels like I call in a lot; then I remembered that I haven't called in once since the start of my new job. And that's been over 4 months now.

Not too bad.

So I'm at 26/33 so far. Still should go and figure out if I've lost any weight.

Also playing a lot more as I'm readying for this competition recording. Did 30 recordings of the hornpipe jig already.