Soooo . . . I had this great plan for June. I was going to write up a storm, I was going to post here, there, and everywhere. I was going to make blazing progress in all my WIP’s. And then ‘it’ happened.

Pneumonia.

(It takes talent to contract pneumonia in the middle of summer, but I’ve never been one to follow the rules.)

At least I had company while sick

Within 24-hours I went from my normal, snark-laden self to being bedridden and unable to walk up a flight of stairs without wheezing for air. I’ve never fallen ill so quickly and so aggressively. It was kinda scary. Pneumonia is no laughing matter, especially for me. I lost both my grandfathers to pneumonia.

I spent a week in bed or within close proximity to bed, relegated to the top floor of my home since stairs became my mortal enemy. Doc started me on a course of antibiotics, but it seemed like they did nothing to help. A week later, I was still deathly ill, perhaps even ill-er (is that a word?), but now with a new complication to add to my resume.

Pleurisy.

Think of pleurisy as like having blisters on your lungs. It hurt like the ever-loving crap just to breathe. In order to get over my pneumonia, I had to cough up the crap in my lungs in order to get better, but couldn’t do so because breathing hurt and coughing was agony. So I was in a nasty pickle.

Another week on the couch (I managed to upgrade from being bed-ridden), a second course of antibiotics, and some groovy pain killers later I was finally able to move around enough so that I could get out of the house and walk around. I lost a lot of weight in those two weeks (my BMI dropped below 19). Although I could move around, I couldn’t stand for more than ten minutes, and walking for more than a few minutes was right out of the question.

You know what else was right out of the question? Sitting up and typing! Even on the couch, I could only sit sideways and lean on one side in order to take pressure off my lungs. I could jot notes in my notebooks, but positioning either the laptop or my tablet to type was a challenge I couldn’t conquer.

Boo also got lots of rest

I’m now into my 3rd week with pneumonia. I still have crackling in my lungs, and the pleurisy hasn’t subsided completely. That, and I kinda think I’ve cracked a rib due to all the coughing. Doc wants me to wait another week until I’m scheduled for more x-rays to see if the pneumonia has buggered off before she will look into my ribs. There’s nothing that can be done for a cracked rib other than to take it easy, which I’ve become an expert at these past three weeks.

I’m well enough that I’m allowed to go to work, but not allowed to do much else. No exercise, no outdoor activities (though I’ve snuck in a bit of light gardening), no lifting, no strain . . . basically no fun.

Sitting with my back flat against something is still uncomfortable. I still can’t cough unless I contort myself into an odd position where I won’t aggravate my lungs, but it’s caused me to pull a few muscles in my back. I’m just a mess.

So my grand plan for June is being put on hold. Even July is lookin’ kinda sketchy. We’ll see what happens.

I’m slowly picking back up and have been able to sit down and type in my corner of the universe at home (aka my couch), as long as I have half a dozen pillows to prop me up. My energy and appetite is slowly coming back, and I’m getting my personality back. Pretty soon I’ll be able to chase my cat around the house, nag the boys to clean up after themselves, and take my weekly walk to the corner store.

But for now, I’m still on rest, rest, and more rest. And maybe a chocolate bar. Man, I really want a chocolate bar.

Stay healthy, everyone!