How did that happen?!

I’ve managed to catch a cold. How did that happen?! I haven’t been anywhere other than the usual places I go. I felt it coming on yesterday. I tried to ignore it, but it won’t be ignored any longer — it refuses to be. Sore throat, stuffy nose, sneezing, coughing, raspy voice, and general malaise. It’s all there. Oh, what fun. I hate being sick. I should’ve expected it, though. Extremely high stress leaves me very vulnerable to illness. The stress in my life the last few weeks has been tremendous. I hadn’t thought to take any extra Vitamin C or anything else. Obviously, I should have. I’m not going to be too hard on myself because, no matter what I do, this would’ve happened. I just don’t want it to turn into a sinus infection. Moreover, I don’t want bronchitis. These are both distinct possibilities — bronchitis is the fear because of scar tissue in my lungs — and both would require a very long recovery time for me due to their severity when I contract these types of infections. In other words, when I get sick, I get really sick. I will have to do a lot of resting today, take some cold medicine, clean my BiPAP really well, change those filters, and hope that some minor bug has gotten hold of me and not a superbug of any sort. I can handle minor colds. Those don’t require doctors visits. I’m hoping that this doesn’t require antibiotics. Come what may, whether it be major or minor, I’ll get through it. I’m very tough that way. Stubborn is what many people call it. I admit that I can be stubborn to a fault, waiting too long to go to the VA and say, “I’m sick.” I hate being sick that much! My doctor always says I should have come in sooner, and he knows that that does not fall on deaf ears…only obstinate ones. I have a great doctor, fortunately, who also always tells me to contact him immediately if things get worse or if they don’t get better. I have an appointment with my doctor next week, so he will be able to treat this almost immediately, in relative terms, if that’s what it requires. I’m glad for that! I really like my doctor and it’s too bad that I only get to see him when I’m sick.  We get along really well. I’m very thankful for a great primary care doctor who actually cares!