Picking up my computer

Would you believe this is the first time I’m picking up my computer in almost two weeks? Really? Yes, it is true. I’ve been under the weather since a week ago Monday. I’m also drinking my first cup of coffee in all this time as well. Those that know me, know that if I’m not drinking coffee, I’m sick.

How it started

It all started with what I thought was a sinus infection. I’d bend over and pain shot through my head, which went away as soon as I stood up. Uh, oh! The next morning, Tuesday, those symptoms disappeared. I breathed a sigh of relief. I was wrong. But then, I started feeling a malaise, a general feeling of discomfort, illness, or uneasiness whose exact cause is difficult to identify. That triggered a ‘uh oh’ in my mind, and I paid a lot closer attention to what was going on with me. By Wednesday, I knew I was getting sick, but I could still go to work and do my job.

Not so much on Thursday. I called in sick from work. The same goes for Friday. I had a cold. By this time, I had tested negative twice for Covid-19. In total, I tested negative three times. Whew!

Then, on Saturday, I started coughing up discolored phlegm that, from experience, I knew was the start of a chest infection, presumably bronchitis, which I am prone to contracting. Surprised? For me, as an adult, I have a sixty percent chance of getting after contracting a cold. I took another Covid test (negative) and it being Saturday; I went to Urgent Care for treatment. They gave me a prescription for an anti-biotic and went back to bed.

This whole experience was akin to dealing with a new daily challenge that I never won, but only survived.

Timeline

The following Sunday, it was as if I had a severe allergy. I experienced watery, itchy eyes and endless explosive sneezing.

On Monday, that disappeared, and I moved on to coughing and spitting up clear phlegm. That told me I had nipped the infection in my chest early, for which I was extremely happy.

On Tuesday, I felt better but continued my endless coughing and spitting up fluids from my chest. By now, I was down to my last box of tissues in the house, praying I didn’t need to resort to using toilet tissue. I hoped I could manage with only may last box as I did not want to leave the house to buy supplies. I thought I was making progress. However, the idea of eating turned my stomach. That began forty-eight hours with no food, what-so-ever. I could feel my entire torso vibrating and oscillating in time with my illness. The idea of eating turned me off from any desire to eat. Even after that period, I could barely eat anything, and when I did, I felt light-headed within minutes. WTF?

What accounts for Tuesday and Wednesday? Well, maybe? With all the rest, I found it difficult to sleep. Wednesday night, or was it early Thursday, I couldn’t sleep, and ended up lying awake into the wee hours of the morning. Of course, I didn’t lie in bed the whole time. I moved from the bedroom to the living room. I watched four movies on the flatscreen I had seen a dozen times so that I didn’t have to pay attention. Finally, I returned to my bed at 4am and slowly drifted off to sleep, for only about 45 minutes. That’s when I woke up, laid there trying to force myself to sleep, and then drifting off. I got maybe four hours over the next eight hours.

On Thursday, day 11 of my illness and the 8th day since I called in sick from work, I continued to feel awful, status-quo. I only knew that if this continued on, I would have to see my doctor. I did not want to go through the weekend without improvement. Wait it out and see what happens. By 2pm, I ate an English muffin. Within minutes, I felt lightheaded and nauseous. I thought I was going to pass out and moved immediately to my bed.

It took me about an hour to feel better. After reflection, I figured I was dealing with a blood sugar imbalance and I needed to eat. By this time, it had been four or five days since I stopped eating, or rather, eating very little. I decided to eat something more substantial. A little while later, I ate some deli roast beef and cheese, no bread. It sat well in my belly, and as my body processed the food, I ate a little more. I found I was hungry. Still, I knew to go slow.

Progress, finally

Today, Friday, I woke up feeling better. My chest was clear, I was breathing better, and suddenly, I knew I was on the mend. I’m not ready to return to work, but with the coming weekend, I have three more days of recovery before I go to work. Wish me luck.

Consortium, book 6

On another topic, even though nothing has been done in the past two weeks on the book, I am making progress. I have written many chapters in the book, excited to answer open questions left open and unanswered from ‘Exposure.’ I’ve received many comments from readers, both good and bad. Not that this bothers me, both help me become a better writer and storyteller. If there is anything I learned from my career as a software engineer and IT manager, I know one cannot make everyone happy. I strive to make at least 80% of my clients, and my readers, happy.

With book 6, so far untitled, I hope to improve those numbers, and give my readers what they want and desire. It is possible I many end the series with this book…or not. It all depends upon how the story progresses.

What does that mean, you may ask.

When I write a book, I don’t know how it is going to end. I know the direction I want to take it, but does that mean it will come to a nice ending with all the twists and turns resolved? No. First off, I love leaving a twist at the end, a hook to bring the reader back for more. Nice, happy endings are rare, and I don’t believe in ‘they lived happily ever after.’ If you want that, read a children’s book. It doesn’t happen in real life.

In the Consortium series, I hope to give it a happy ending, whatever that means. Some of my readers want Sir and Avril to figure it out, survive the coming chaos, fall in love, and establish a new life together. Some want Avril to come out on top and start a new chapter as the Chairman of a smaller, more diverse Consortium, with or without Sir. She’s smart, intelligent and capable. Even Sir has told her that. Other readers want Sir to get what’s coming to him. One reader wants him skewered, slow roasted, and fed to his surviving prey. Another wants Shelby to cut off his balls and feed them to him, and then slowly eviscerate him over days or weeks before ending him and his precious Consortium. Still others prefer the story to keep on writing more books, and extending the story ad infinitum. Oh, what to do?

I have no idea what I am going to do, but I’ll figure it out. I love this story, and I want to do it right. Stay tuned. Now, it’s time to eat.

Say hi and send me a note. I’m always interested in what you think of my stories.