Yeah, so the desk-jockey chest cold ended with me getting bronchitis. After spending two days basically on the couch, miserable with a fever, chills, and deepening cough, yesterday morning, I woke up feeling worse and coughing up nearly solid chunks of phlegm (mmmm, hopefully you’re eating breakfast right now). Already physically exhausted from the two previous days of germ-fighting and poor sleep, I had the feeling that my immune system was struggling with a secondary infection. So, after a little internet searching, I found a minor medical clinic that was open on Christmas day.
Luckily, we seemed to get there before the waiting room filled up. My fever was 101.2 and resting pulse was a crazy 85 bpm (for comparison, usually when I walk outside with a bike and turn my Garmin on, my walking/standing around pulse is somewhere in the 60s). The doctor did the usual look/listen and said that my symptoms were indicative of bronchitis and gave me a prescription for antibiotics.
Once we were home, I had some tomato soup and took my first dose. Within hours, I could feel my fever fade and everything start to swing in the right direction. By evening, I felt well enough to move around the house a little, ride in the car with Ryan to my parents’ house to pick up Christmas gifts from Granny & other relatives, and carry on conversations with more than one-word sentences. I was hoping for a good night’s sleep, but alas, some of the antibiotic side effects (restlessness, terrible bitter taste in my mouth) kept me awake much of the night. I’ve gotta call this morning and see if I can’t get something else.
Despite another night of poor sleep (that’s 4 now), I’m not drawn to laying on the couch and moaning today, which is promising. We’ve postponed the trip over to Syllamo until tomorrow. Right now, I’m feeling as tired physically as if I were on day 4 of a stage race, so I’m taking it slow and steady. I may not ride as much as I’d planned, but the getaway from the confines of my house will be a welcome one. I also sleep like crazy any time I’m at the cabin, so, epic rides or no, I’m looking forward to it.