Not like you wanted to know the full story...

I can't believe it's been almost a full month since I last blogged. I have good excuses, really! The last time I blogged was on the 15th of October. After that, life got really busy as I got ready to go to Chicago, as well as organize RS activities, participate in a boutique, finish gifts, make holiday decor with my sis-in-law, and a slew of other things. Then I went to Chicago for a week (don't worry, that's to come, just not today). I got back this past Monday. About 20 minutes before our flight landed, I noticed my throat was hurting. No big deal, a lot of people feel sick after a plane ride.

But when it didn't go away, and actually got worse, I figured I was coming down with something. By Wednesday I had congestion in my chest and was starting to cough, though it was a dry cough. Thursday was worse and by Thursday night, my voice was hoarse. I sounded like a man. I felt fine, like no stomach ache, headache, fever, body aches, etc. But my throat really hurt and the cough hurt my chest each time I coughed.

When I woke up at 6:45 on Friday to set up for our yard sale, I felt okay, but I felt weak. We set up and within an hour, I was shaking with chills. I shook for the next 10 hours, trying to warm myself in anyway I could. Each minute I got weaker and weaker until I couldn't move. I couldn't walk, sit up, or help the girls. I also had a pounding pressure headache that throbbed with every cough. We closed our yard sale early and I laid on the couch for the next 2 hours until the girls took a nap, at which point I moved to my bed. Then when they woke up, I went back to the couch until daddy was almost coming home at which point we moved to the guest room, where I stayed for the next 2 hours until I moved back to the couch until going to bed.

My poor girls. They didn't get fed all day on Friday until Braden got home. Keara had KIX for breakfast and then found the box and poured in on the floor for her and Taryn's lunch. She found some juice in the cupboard to drink, and then got a sippy from the cupboard and filled it with water. I had to get up twice to get bottles for Taryn and to put them to bed. But otherwise, I tried not to move. I was SO grateful that they played and let me rest in peace, for the most part. Besides climbing on me. Anytime they even came near my body, I hurt. I felt like each touch was burning my skin.

Every bone, every ligament, every joint ached. Oh, wow, it was terrible. My sister suggested TheraFlu which Braden ran to get for me. Amazingly, it worked! At least long enough to come downstairs and eat. I had a full appetite, but couldn't move enough to eat or even stop hurting enough to chew. So I felt much better for about an hour until it knocked me out and then wore off during the night. So I was up throughout that night and awoke early Saturday for another go at the yardsale. (btw, I made about $125 from it all. Hooray!)

Saturday was much better. My voice was still hoarse, but not as manly, the chills were gone, the aches were less, but the cough was stronger and more frequent. Then my muscles started hurting. Like each cough shot a pain in my chest and back. My neck feels so strained, probably from lying down so much. My glands swelled up and I started feeling hot, though not running a fever. But I couldn't stop coughing. And the coughing made me nauseated. So I got a blessing from Braden and our friend Ben last night and the coughing subsided for the most part. I even slept with only coughing 2-3 times! It was great. Were it not for Keara waking up twice, I would have slept all night. (any song come to mind?)

Anyway, when I woke up this morning, I felt tired. Very unenergetic. Braden and I talked about me not going to church. If I hadn't gone, it would have been the first time in years that I didn't go to church, besides right after having a baby. I believe in going to church. I believe that if you are able and you're not going to infect the world, you should be in church every week. The more you miss, the harder it is to go. So I didn't want to stay home, but I didn't know what is wrong with me and I didn't want to make anyone else sick.

We decided I should go just for Sacrament meeting (the first hour or so of church) and then I would bring Taryn home. Our friends were blessing their baby today and we wanted to be there for that. I figured we would just sit where no one else was so I wouldn't breathe on anyone. But there were SO many people there that we filled up the entire chapel, first, second, and THIRD overflow! It was amazing. But, then again, there were 3 babies blessed and everyone's families came to be there.

Long story longer, I felt really good thru all of church. I hardly coughed, though my voice is practically gone today. It's nice to whisper. We stayed, and I'm glad I did. But when we got in the car, the coughing started again, the aches came back, and my head is hurting now. I want to lie down, but I hear Taryn upstairs and Braden is on the phone with a family from his mission to Brazil. So, I guess we'll just get going.

Excuse my home, by the way, if you happen to come over. Its a warzone here. I've done nothing to clean it because my head hurts to bend over and pick things up. So, besides the wonderful job Braden did the other day tidying up, its trashed.