Sometimes I feel like I get more colds/URIs than anyone on the planet. Okay, I know that’s a ginormous exaggeration. But truly, it feels like every time I turn around I’m getting another upper respiratory infection.
When I got my meds refilled last month, I actually took the time to read the patient information sheets. I don’t remember which prescription (I take 3), but one of them says that it does have the potential to make one more prone to URIs.
The sore throat started yesterday. Not unbearable, but not pleasant. It’s more pronounced today. Whenever I can suck on a mentho-lyptus cough drop until it’s gone, that’s always my warning sign. And I was able to do that last night.
Sometimes I just get a good sore throat and nothing else, but usually by the second or third day I’m good and stopped up, can’t talk, feel craptastic. So here’s the deal–I can’t have any unscheduled time off from work or I’ll get written up. Do I go tell my boss today that I’m coming down with something, and might be sick tomorrow, just to cover my bases? Then if I’m here, cool, but if I’m sick, it’s been scheduled in advance?
And how messed-up is that anyway? I’ve got 2 days of paid time off available, and one floating holiday. So I can afford to be sick for three days if I have to. But I have to schedule it in advance. And if I don’t have any time saved up, then even if I do schedule it in advance, it counts as unscheduled. So what, I’m supposed to tell the URI, sorry–it’s a bad time, you’ll have to come back in a couple of months after I’ve accrued some time.
And it’s also supremely annoying that I’ve hardly had any vacation time because I’ve used all my PTO on surgery or illness. I’d hoped to actually use some PTO for fun stuff. Like going on a trip to see Joe, when he’s wherever he’s going in November. Not at home, trying vainly to breathe, cursing the URI demons.
Oh, you mean you didn’t know there are URI demons? Of course there are. They’re huge, greenish yellow slimy things. They lay on your chest so you can’t breathe, and they put their slimy faces over your mouth and nose like they’re giving you artificial respiration but instead they’re giving you a sore throat and gobs and gobs of snot so you go through a whole box of Kleenex in two days. They’re evil things, and they’re virtually impossible to kill. Buffy or Faith could do it, but I don’t know how to get in touch with either of them right now.
I’m just sayin’.
