I’m getting sick.  I haven’t been sick for so long that I’m not sure if I remember how to do it.   I do remember that I tend to get extremely impatient and I want to be better right away though but doesn’t everybody?  Several years ago I had a bout of tonsillitis that landed me an “all expense paid by me” trip to a hospital room for three days in a row.   I’ve had tonsillitis many times but I never got as sick with it as I did on this particular occasion.  My tonsils were starting to feel a bit swollen so I made an appointment with my doctor.  I was sent home with a bottle of pills and some encouraging words about how much better I was going to feel in a day or two.  My tonsils had a rather different agenda.  They began to swell and forgot to stop.  I was only able to get down 2 doses of the antibiotics in pill form before my tonsils slammed the door shut to my esophagus.  I called the clinic and said, “I think we need a different plan.” It’s a problem if you’re not able to swallow your own saliva.  Trust me.  I could still breathe but I had to think about it and as long as I stayed calm and told myself I was going to be fine, I was fine….or as fine as you can be when you feel as if you’ve somehow gotten a tennis ball lodged in your throat.   I’m sure the receptionist on the other end was a bit concerned when she heard my “tennis ball stuck in my throat” impersonation and it wasn’t long before the doctor called me back with her plan.   She went ahead and booked some rather expensive accommodations for me where they charge by the minute.  I’m rather poor so I checked in and out each day until the prescribed plan of action was complete.   The little antibiotic getaway was all inclusive so not only did I get to sit in my very own room with the vinyl recliner, but I also got fed….well, kind of.  Every day they served the vein in my arm some delicious antibiotics in little clear bags but before the main course, they injected a dab of steroids as an appetizer.  It was quite the party!  It didn’t take long for my tennis ball tonsils to realize the steroids had no plans of letting them continue to bounce around in the back of my throat.  They made a rather quick turn in the right direction and I didn’t feel sick again…..that is, until I got my bill for $1362!  I sort of remember how little sleep I was getting before I got that sick.  I also remember people saying, “You need to get more rest.  You’re going to get sick.”  I had no idea they were going to be right!

My sleep habits are much different now.  I almost always get 6 or more hours of sleep per night.  I am feeling incredibly drained and I have this little tickle in the back of my throat that is making me cough but I think I’ll head to bed early and drink plenty of water and maybe, just maybe my tonsils won’t decide to round up the rackets, set up the net and turn themselves into tennis balls again!