Thursday, January 02, 2014

Happy New Year 2014!

I am home!!! Ahhh....

We had a good trip to visit my father-in-law in Oklahoma, but I am so happy to be back in my own home. My father-in-law keeps his house at 78 degrees F year-round, so we all sweated through the week! My oldest son and I are always hot because of difficulty regulating our temperatures since CFS. At home, we usually set our thermostat at 65 - 67 during the day and 63 at night, so staying with my FIL is a major adjustment. Even when it is 20 degrees outside (as it was one day this week), we are all in shorts and t-shirts. And the funniest part? We talked my FIL in turning it down a couple of degrees, to 76, and he kept complaining he was cold!

He is 88 years old and lives alone, so it is quiet and low-key when we visit, but he normally eats peanut butter sandwiches and canned goods, so I try to cook a lot while we are there. This time, I made 3 big meals and froze left-overs for him. Try standing over a hot stove in a 78 degree house! Not good for OI!

The biggest problem I encountered this week, though, was that I got bronchitis. The very first morning we were there, I woke up with a KILLER sore throat and congestion. For me, that pattern always ends with bronchitis. Normally, it takes a week or two to get to that point, but this time, I was coughing within 2 days, and my chest felt like it was in a vise. I self-diagnosed and immediately started Zithromax (thank goodness I had thrown some in my medication bag when I packed!). Thankfully, within 12 hours, I started to feel better and the pressure left my chest, so by yesterday, I was in good enough shape to fly home (a long 8-hour day of airports, airplanes, and car rides).

On the downside, you may recall that I just spent months battling yeast overgrowth. I had finally gotten it under control, with Diflucan, supplements, and a no-sugar diet, just in time for Christmas so that I could indulge in a few sweet treats. So, now I am back on antibiotcs, and the thrush is back in my mouth! I am still on Diflucan and all the rest and am now back to the strict no-sugar diet. And I just discovered that my cough drops contain sugar. sigh....

Anyway, it is a new day and a new year! I absolutely love this time of year. My natural optimism shines through with thoughts of all the promise and opportunities of a fresh new year. I won't have much time to myself until next week - my son and husband are at school and work today, but there is a big snow storm predicted for tonight which means everything will be closed tomorrow here in Delaware. But, next week, I will take a look back at my progress toward goals in 2013 and new goals for 2014.

Here's to a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Celebrating New Year's Eve with my son in Oklahoma

9 comments:

Sarah Dawneé said...

Happy new year!

Lee Lee said...

oh you would just melt if you lived here ... its 99 degrees today and is going to be 105 on Saturday :(
i would much prefer it cool like you. My body can deal with heat either. Horrible, LOL

Unknown said...

Happy new year Sue! You've gone from one extreme temp to another! Good luck with your resolutions, i love this time of year too, such a positive time with a new start!

Sue Jackson said...

Happy New Year to you, too, Sarah!

Sue Jackson said...

Lee Lee - that sounds awful! And so strange that it is over 100 there while here, today's high is supposed to be 8 F!

Anonymous said...

Happy new year, do you take antibiotics for borrelia or something else?

Sue Jackson said...

I am currently on just 5 days of antibiotics for a bout of bronchitis.

I did have Lyme a few years ago - took abx for 3 1/2 years and got rid of it.

Sue

Bloomin'Chick Jo said...

Happy New Year! May 2014 be healthy, safe, prosperous and filled with joy for us all :-)

Beatrice Desper said...

Happy new year! My husband overheats our aparment so it is tough being in normal places.
Thanks for your blog!