The New Year Starts Next Week

It is not the new year yet because I said so.

Give me a week off and what do I go and do - get sick. Not just a minor head cold either.

See, in this week off I was looking forward to going to the gym every day.
There was the cleaning out of the cupboards.
And the writing.
Maybe catch a couple of films.
Get the flat sorted out.
Take a ten kilometre walk every day.

None of this happened.

Okay, until Wednesday, I had the snuffles. A functional cold as I call it. You can do most things with a head cold. Fine.

Thursday, New Year's Day, I got up and went for a walk with Jay. Did a lap of the Botanical Gardens, grabbed a juice. Jay, a doctor, mentioned that I had a bad run this year with minor colds and flu. Actually it's not been great. One bout of full on flu, one bout of pleurisy, but a couple of other sniffles and snuffles. I thought this would be just another cold.

Pig's arse.

Got home from the walk and my ear began to ache. And ache, and get worse.
An hour later, I'm on the bed with a hot water bottle strapped to my head, waiting for the panadol to kick in.
And hour after, blood and pus are coming out of my right ear.

Fun times!

On the bright side, this is not the first time this has happened - third time I think - the ear drum burst fairly quickly this time - a blessing in some ways as the pressure goes and most of the pain stops.

So yesterday, I make an appointment for the doctor. Somehow, after a night of getting up and down, finding my temperature was sitting at 38 degrees (100.5 in the old language) taking cool showers and asking the cat for help, I got up, dressed and made my way down the road.

The doctor is a lovely, practical, rather stern woman, one of many at my lovely doctor's practice (Once you find a good doctor's practice hang on to them) She took one look at me, at my ears, throat, glands, took my temperature and smiled.
"You know me. I don't hand out antibiotics unless I really have need to. You needed these yesterday. You, take this prescription down to the chemist. These will knock you around, but they'll fix your ear."she said.
"What do you mean knock me around."
"You might get thrush or the runs."
"I'll live with that. But you don't give out antibiotics."
"Yeah, well if you don't take them you could be in all sorts of bother. Come back next week, I want to check that you've healed properly too."

So there you go. I'm sick. Ear infections suck big time. I know why kids scream when they get them. They're brutal.

So for the last two days I've been sleeping and knitting and talking to the cat. The flat is in a state. I find that popping down the street takes all my energy. The cocktail of painkillers keeps the aches in the face at bay. I'm rather glad I haven't seen anybody.

Not how I wanted to start the new year.

So the new year starts next week, when I'll look to my resolutions, challenges and tasks - when the ringing in my ear has gone and I feel like there is a purpose to life once again.