Tag: health

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The Little Things

Lisa

I’m still sick. The current thought is that I’m just dealing with significant leftover inflammation from the severe infection that I had, and that I’m not contagious, just still feeling kind of miserable. I’m taking anti-inflammatory medication round the clock and it’s mostly keeping the pain in check and hopefully also helping to decrease the levels of inflammation in my throat. I’m back at work, though struggling a bit, since the inflammation has left me prone to coughing and bronchospasm, particularly when I talk – a challenge since I talk on the phone for a living!

But these many weeks of illness (I’ve been sick since July 2nd) have left me grateful for some little things, and I wanted to share a few of those here.

  1. The relief of a cold popsicle on my sore and inflamed throat. I’ve been going through a lot of popsicles, not normally a staple in my diet, and one memory of these stands out. It was about 4 am at the hospital and a very apologetic nurse had just told me she couldn’t give me any pain killers until I saw the doctor. She very kindly offered me a popsicle for my throat and a warm blanket for my body. Nothing has tasted so good as that simple peach flavored popsicle after a long night of waiting for care.
  2. I’m grateful for a family who has been checking in on me and offering help as needed
  3. I’m grateful that despite missing a bunch of work, and being out of paid sick time, my paycheque was still enough to cover my rent and a few small bills, and that the next paycheque will let me catch up the other things
  4. I’m grateful for a freezer full of food so that a small paycheque doesn’t mean I have to choose between food and rent.
  5. And I’m grateful for audiobooks and podcasts that have kept me company during the long hours I’ve spent in bed this month, trying to rest and recover.
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Hopeful

Lisa

Still over here recovering from the plague that was bacterial tonsillitis plus a viral infection of some sort. I finished antibiotics this morning, and my throat is mostly not sore anymore, but I’ve got a lovely lingering dry cough, that is particularly activated when I talk, which is a problem, since as both a counselor and a telehealth nurse, I talk for a living. I tried to go back to work yesterday and only lasted about four hours before I’d coughed so much that my throat felt sore again.

I had a pre-booked follow up to my emergency room visit with my family doctor this morning, and she prescribed an inhaler to help with the cough and told me to take today to use the inhaler regularly, and then try and return to work tomorrow. So that’s the plan. One more day of resting and medicating, then hopefully back to regularly scheduled programming!

Every stage of this silly illness has had moments of despair and moments of hope. The first two doctors I saw, who dismissed my symptoms left me feeling rather despairing, as I dealt with the intense pain from the throat infection. The third doctor who took me seriously and ran some more tests gave me hope. The emergency room nurses, who were all so kind, despite being in the midst of a busy night shift during Stampede gave me hope – one was so apologetic that she couldn’t give me pain meds that she offered and found me a popsicle for my aching throat! The fast action of the steroid that they gave me in the emergency room gave me hope as I found relief from pain for the first time in a week. And the doctor today, who told me in her own way that I wasn’t crazy, I was really very sick, and has put in some referrals to hopefully prevent this from happening again in the future, and then listened when I said a particular inhaler wouldn’t work because it aggravates my anxiety and depression, and found an alternative that will work just as well – that gave me hope too.

In a season that has felt hard, where I’m dealing with a lot of life transitions and stressors, and generally just feel a bit out of control, the glimmers of hope are so good for me to notice. And today, maybe for the first time this week, since I’ve still been feeling crummy, and coughing near constantly, I feel hope.

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5 Things July 10, 2026

Lisa
  1. I’ve been sick for the last week. Like really sick. I saw three different doctors, and then ended up in the emergency room. The first two doctors barely examined me, took one look at my throat, ordered a throat swab or a viral swab, and told me it was a virus, keep doing what I was doing, and go home. The third took me seriously, ordered some blood work, and when some of that came back concerning, called me herself to give me strict parameters on when to go to the ER. I met those parameters a couple hours later, and spent Wednesday night sitting in the ER and eventually getting treated for what they’re pretty sure is a nasty bacterial tonsillitis. I’m grateful for all the care I received – even the doctors who weren’t so great, because at least the tests they ordered ruled some things out, and made it easier for the following doctors to diagnose me.
  2. I texted my family the day after my emergency room trip and told them that I’ve changed my mind about steroid use! I was, of course, joking, but the steroid they gave me at the ER for inflammation was a game changer. After a week of uncontrolled throat pain despite round the clock usage of two different over the counter pain killers, that steroid plus a dose of an IV pain medication brought me so much relief that I’m nearly pain free, and what little pain I have left is being easily managed by the over the counter pain meds that were previously barely taking the edge off.
  3. Over the last few years I’ve done a lot of reading and research on neurodivergence and autism, and have learned so much in the process. I’ve come to the realization that I am most definitely neurodivergent, and quite likely fall on the autism spectrum. I had a conversation recently with a family friend since childhood and somehow this topic came up, and because this person was knowledgeable about the topic, I was struck by his quick agreement to my statement that I’m most likely on the spectrum. I felt seen in a way that I hadn’t in quite some time, particularly because this person has known me since I was a child and has seen all the iterations of me over the years, and offered no judgement or shame in his acknowledgement of my difference.
  4. In the spirit of special interests of the neurodivergent, one of mine is the names of the bucking stock at the Calgary Stampede Rodeo. For years now I’ve kept lists in my journal of the names, because they make me laugh – they suit my sense of humor. I’m so interested in it that I pay for one month of Sportsnet streaming every year so that I can watch all ten days of the rodeo and make my list.
  5. This year here are a few names I’ve loved: A bronco named Cat Nap, A bull named Bon Jovi, A bronco named Erotic Tango, and bulls named Wise Guy, Bad Intentions, Debt Collector, Bubba G, and Bow Before Me.