Under the Weather

Catnapping in Beyoglu, Istanbul

Sunday morning in Istanbul, I awoke with a sore throat.  I figured it had something to do with the copious amounts of secondhand cigarette smoke I'd inhaled that week until part way through our flight to Oslo.  My ears were popping with every swallow and when the sneezing commenced, I knew I was in for it.  Then, there was the descent.  We fly a lot, obviously (24 flight segments on Star Alliance alone so far this year,) and I've never had a problem with my ears until Sunday night's descent in to Oslo Gardermoen Airport.  My right ear wouldn't release and as the pressure mounted, I was near tears nudging Joe awake hoping he'd have some magical fix.  Despite numerous attempts to rectify the situation, we landed and my ear felt like it might explode.  By the time I crawled into bed after arriving in Stavanger, a fever had appeared with aches and pains to accompany the ear pain & sinus issues.

Getting sick is never enjoyable.  Getting sick overseas isn't any better.  In fact, it might be one of the few times I wish I was back in Canada where I could access a bevy of over the counter drugs easily and indulge in comfort foods and talk shows in English.

I normally keep a medicine cupboard full of familiar and imported remedies in case of emergencies.  Things like Advil, Pepto-Bismal & Reactine are stocked up on every trip home not because something similar can't be found here but because everything is labelled in another language, the branding is different and it requires a trip to the pharmacy.  Deciphering symptoms with a technician who may or may not understand what you're getting at is the last thing anyone wants to do when they're under the weather.

Monday, with my future looking bleak, I stammered into my homemade pharmacy only to discover that all of my cold and flu medications were expired.  Disgruntled, I settled on regular Advil to at least deal with my ear pain but by Monday evening with no ability to breath through my nose, I sucked it up and swallowed the expired medication telling myself that in the grand scheme of things, being expired by a year couldn't be that serious.  Obviously, I'm here to tell the tale so my suspicions were right.

Five days later, I continue to convalesce on the couch.  I have left my apartment exactly one time to walk to the recycle bin one night with Joe but have otherwise sat beside a heap of kleenex and a hard drive full of old movies.  I'm imagining the weekend to look similar.

While I hope you are feeling healthy & well, should you find yourself in a similar situation to mine, here are some links for your weekend...

+My friend JoAnna wrote a lovely piece about getting better with age.

+Even in the midst of my pity party, these Jimmy Fallon videos had me cracking up.

+This New Yorker satire also had me laughing.

+After waiting for this release for weeks, I was happy to finally purchase The Paper Kites new album.

+I'm also reading the novel about Zelda Fitzgerald which has been perfect for this week - light yet interesting and has me transporting back to the 20s.  I don't know how accurate it is but it's entertaining and it feels like how I picture Zelda.

+A later addition - The Pixel Painter. (Thanks Jess)