Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous photo by Mario Moreno
I’m home from work with my second bout of bronchitis in as many months. Yesterday the doctor spent a lot of time pressing the stethoscope into one particular part of my back and then kept repeating “Not pneumonia … Not pneumonia” enough times for me to come straight home and Google pneumonia symptoms. Turns outs bronchitis and pneumonia present with some pretty similar symptoms so of course I let my imagination run away with itself.
To be honest – and this is going to sound incredibly stupid and immature and may turn a few of you off me and the blog but I’m under weather and I’m going to say it anyway – I’ve always believed I would have some very serious illness and I’m always a bit surprised when it doesn’t happen. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to be sick, I just think it’s pre-destined. A few years ago, I found a lump in my neck. I challenge you to Google “pea-sized lump in neck” and not start writing your last will and testament. As I was marched off to an urgent ultrasound appointment, I started wondering exactly how I would tell people I had cancer and if treatment would make my hair fall out. Turns out the lumps (there was more than just that one I could feel lurking in there) weren’t sinister but every now and then, I poke and prod at my neck to feel that the lumps are still there. They are.
So that’s kind of how I felt yesterday after leaving the doctor. Will this barking cough develop into the chest crackles that partly characterises pneumonia? How long will I need to have off work? Will I have to go to hospital? Will I be better when the university semester starts in less than a month? How much attention will this bring me? Imagine my heightened sense of awareness when a sharp pain struck me in the back. Thankfully, I woke this morning (at 9.45am! Take that, work suckers!) feeling significantly improved.
I’m late to the party but I just finished Tina Fey’s Bossypants and loved it. A fun and quick read after labouring through The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton, partially set during the London Blitz; I didn’t enjoy it as much as her others (The Shifting Fog is my favourite of hers) but it’s still good. I’m about to start The Privileges by Jonathan Dee.
Also so late to this party that I’m starting to think I wasn’t even invited but renting movies through iTunes?! Brilliant! The way technology is going these days, I may not even have to leave the house soon enough! So far, I’ve watched Every Jack Has A Jill which is set in America and Paris. I’ve now got a huge crush on Mélanie Laurent for her wonderfully quirky portrayal of Chloe. I watched Woody Allen’s Melinda and Melinda which was so-so, Lullaby for Pi is waiting to be watched, and I’m downloading Mean Girls because I’ve never seen it in its entirety.
I made these breakfast bars that were featured on The Londoner's blog recently. I switched the goji berries for dried apricots and readied myself for some swearing and cursing and wailing – I rarely have any inclination to venture into the kitchen, something always invariably goes wrong and each time, I vow never to step foot in there again. Except to visit the fridge or the pantry – but these bars were so easy to make. So much so that whenever I’ve been complimented on how tasty the bars are, I’ve literally waved my hand dismissively because I’m embarrassed to receive praise for something that was so simple. For the next batch, I’m going to make sure I pick up muesli that doesn’t have sultanas (because gross) and I might even add a cheeky bit of white chocolate to the mix. I’m going to make these baconcakes now for lunch/afternoon tea.
And now that there is a lovely summer’s afternoon rainfall, I’m off to make the baconcakes and watch Mean Girls. Catch.
Don't worry - when I had that pain in my breast a few years ago I went through EXACTLY the same thought processes ... cancer, cancer, cancer, what will I do about work, my hair will fall out ... Yeah, optimism isn't my strong suit. Hope your non-pneumonia continues to go away and you feel better asap. xox
ReplyDeletePS. You are right - that is a gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous photo. Who knew zebras have such pretty lashes?
Oh god. I went to a rheumatologist recently who told me I have a brain hormone dysfunction. The google results that came up with that. Maybe you'll be (un)lucky and the bronchitis will develop into pneumonia. That would surely be more interesting and dramatic to talk about than bronchitis (everyone gets that), and surely not more unpleasant/dangerous for a spritely young lass like yourself.
ReplyDeleteCan we also talk about the fact that the zebra's eyelashes are on the bottom of his/her eyes? Isn't the purpose of eyelashes to protect the yes from falling objects? Please discuss.
I remember finding a lump in my neck years ago as well and I immediately jumped to the conclusion that death was imminent! It's still there and nothing has happened except that I think it's gross that I have a small lump on my neck.
ReplyDeleteOn the upside, you got time off work and lots of reading hours!
And Belinda, perhaps this particular zebra was trying out a new trend and trimmed the top ones? Or was playing with fireworks and had a bit of a close encounter and lost the them temporarily?
So many options!
Maybe he was smoking a bong and burned them off. I did that a few times in my teens. It's so embarrassment.
ReplyDeleteOh, you.
DeleteI have a weird cyst (benign) in my arm and had a wee panic like the one you mentioned above. I'm trying not to be hypochondriacy though.
ReplyDeleteI hope you feel a ton better soon. I've never seen Mean Girls past the first ten minutes. Maybe I should remedy this.
Hahaha. You know, honestly, I think we all think that we are gonna end up having some sort of life threatening ailment. It think it's only human.
ReplyDeleteMy dad had pneumonia last month. It wasn't bad enough to land him in the hospital. As a matter of fact, it's happening a lot around here lately (with all the crazy flu shit going around). So don't fret too much about it.
Feel better soon! I think it's great that you're slowing down, watching movies, catching up on books, and letting your body rest. Can't wait to hear about your adventures when you're all recovered! :)
ReplyDelete