One of those days (or weeks?)

You know one of those days where everything seems to go wrong? I seem to be having a week like that...and it's only Tuesday!

My Dad and his wife drove down for a visit this weekend. We had a very nice weekend together...until I sliced through my finger Sunday while preparing dinner. My Dad drove me to the local urgent care clinic, where 2 hours later, I ended up with a tetanus shot and 5 stitches in my index finger. While I was lying on the examining table, waiting for the 6 shots of lidocaine to take effect, I had a major Orthostatic Intolerance episode. I got lightheaded and could feel my face flush bright red. The nurse found me some pretzels (I asked for anything salty) and taught me a new trick - an ice pack applied to the back of the neck can reverse an OI episode. It worked pretty well, though I still crashed pretty badly later that night. Lots of stress (not to mention pain).

Today, both of my sons are home sick with fevers. I just hope it's not that nasty flu we've been hearing about on the news. That's one (of many) problems with CFS - you can never tell whether it's "just" a crash or a real illness.

That's not all. Our hamster is at the vet's right now undergoing exploratory dental surgery. He's had a hugely swollen lymph node near his right cheek for the past week. Fortunately, one of my best friends is a vet, and she's been valiantly trying to figure out what's wrong. Cancer is one possibility. Our whole family has been very upset. It might seem silly just for a hamster, but we all love him very much. So, the boys and I are watching movies and waiting to hear from the vet.

To top it off, my husband is out of town this week, so I'm on my own with sick kids, a hospitalized hamster, and an out-of-commission finger. I'm feeling OK now, though, so if I can just figure out how to take a shower without getting my stitches wet, I'll get through this week.