The question is never if it'll hit.
The question is always when.
The tickle at the back of my throat started on Friday. I ignored it. Got up early to spin on Saturday. Packed the car and the husband and left the dog in care of the younger brother, dosed myself with one of those decongestants with pseudoephedrine and pointed the car north toward San Francisco for a 24-hour road trips.
Somewhere in Gorman the drugs kicked in.
Bay Bridge at 5pm. At the party at 9pm. Husband and I back to the friend's place at 1am. Up at 9am, burnching by 11am, back on the road at 1pm. Plenty of time to get home, change, get to the gym and start week two of the Couch-to-5K.
At some point, the tickle became a raspy couch, and my voice when from its normal lovechild-of-Betty-Boop-and-Kathy-Griffin to Patty and Selma. I crawled in the door and took to my bed, a shivering, febrile mess.
PLAGUE.
I woke up on Monday, thinking my choices were to
a) rest, and get over it or;
b) pretend I wasn't sick at all.
In a post-apocalyptic society, what would I do? Let's take a Stephen King The Stand moment: Earth's population is decimated by the plague. Suddenly, I, one of the survivors, get sick.
They'd probably take me back behind the shed and shoot me.
So I've decided to lay low and remain Patient Zero.
...
I had my first Doggie-First-Aid moment when I realized that Daisy the Wonderdog had what could only be described as a "hitch in her giddyup." She was slow moving up stairs and jumping on the couch. She still had an appetite, her poop was firm (ah, poop, the tea leaves of your dog's health), gums had good color, belly was soft and when I palpated her hind legs and back, nothing seemed to be wrong. I planned on taking her to the vet first thing in the morning.
However, when I lifted her 50.8-pound self off the couch at 1:30am to bring her to bed, she yelped. Daisy is a dog that doesn't bark, doesn't growl, doesn't complain ever. Pit bulls are known for being stoic toward pain and I wasn't cool with the idea of her hurting all night, so the husband and I decided the E-Vet was in order.
Nothing looks more post-apocalyptic than an empty city, and Los Angeles at 2am on a Tuesday is no exception. Daisy and I traveled through the cool, dark streets and sat in the lobby until a doctor could see us. At which point my limping, yelping, shivery dog...made a miraculous recovery.
However, I did have a chance to discuss the exam with the Vet and got a few pointers (if you could call "how to give a rectal exam" a "pointer.") It turns out the Wonderdog most likely has a groin pull.
No, I'll let you make the jokes.
Blood was taken to make sure she could hack the pain meds (as they're tough on the liver) and $361 and two hours later, we were heading back across and even quieter city to bed.
This morning, the Plague has subsided some but I'm still hiding out just one more day. I don't want to be shot behind the shed. Provided I'm somewhat back, workouts to resume tomorrow.
...
A bunch of people have indicated that they'd like to participate in the PAW: Home Game. I was thinking perhaps we could put together some sort of message board to give all y'all a way to communicate, discuss tactics or problems or team people up if they live close together. If you've got any suggestions, please email me!
Poor Daisy-Doodle. I'm glad she is okay. I have um had a Pitbull up until a week before Christmas but that is a sad story. Anyway I know vet bills suck but there is nothing we won't do for our doggies.
Posted by: ZooKeeper | January 15, 2008 at 04:08 PM
Oh my gosh! You totally have to lay low and recuperate! It's a rule of the post-apocalyptic scenario-preferably you should be in a coma in a shed or abandoned hospital so the zombies overlook you but laying low is good enough for real life. Otherwise you're just Cylon food.
Posted by: monkey | January 15, 2008 at 06:06 PM
Hope Daisy the Wonder Dog and you get to feeling better. I think a forum would be great. I'm definitely in.
Posted by: Complete Geek | January 15, 2008 at 06:27 PM
Hope you're feeling better soon. Glad the dog is okay. Today was my first day on the treadmill with visions of zombies chasing me. I must say it helped me run MUCH faster!
You're a GENIUS!
Posted by: Cursedthing | January 15, 2008 at 06:40 PM
Aw man. That blows. About the illness and the half-broken puppy. Well, maybe you need to learn how to strap Daisy to your back sooner than originally planned, so lots of tea and honey and knotwork practice.
Posted by: Gnat! | January 15, 2008 at 07:56 PM
Just make sure your symptoms are as different as possible, from the plague. The Stand, as an example, again, if you got what seemed to be a fast-moving flu, then we'd be Really worried. But if it were just something like dysentery, then you should be okay.
Just remember, we can't go around killing Everyone who exhibits the slightest sign of illness. It just makes the extinction come a different way.
Posted by: Damien | January 15, 2008 at 08:44 PM
It was so nice to see you!! I am ill too. SF did something fucked up to my eye. I hope I didn't get "ojo".
Ps. Have you ever tried Zicam? I carry it in my purse and whenever I start to feel potential plague I snort that shit and don't get sick.
Posted by: Agent Lover | January 16, 2008 at 01:27 AM