Thursday 10 January 2008

Getting the Monkey off my back!

Happy new year to all and I trust it is turning out to be a good one so far. I hope everyone is well, kicking those old bad habits into touch and acquiring new bad habits to replace them. Thank you to you wonderful people that have posted on my last blog entry. I hadn’t intended to be away for so long but a few things conspired to waylay me and I am only now able to get back into the swing of things.

About the 10th of December – almost a week after my last blog entry - I was doing the usual getting prepared for the festive season’s activity and planning another blog entry when I started to feel under the weather. I slowly ground to a halt over a period of 48 hours and suddenly took a downward spiral into virus hell. For about four days I was completely away with the fairies as my temperature raged, my body ached with such intensity that I felt like I had been the recipient of a good kicking by a marauding bunch of football hooligans and to top it off I suffered hallucinations aplenty. It was the worst virus that I have had in ten years and my God there were times I was suffering so much that I wished I was in possession of a pistol so that I could end it all. Not that I wished to commit suicide you understand - suicide is a long term solution to a short term problem. I was merely unable to find anything that could address the horrible symptoms long enough to give me a break and thus rest my tortured mind and body so being completely worn down and in my delusional state I might just have seen pressing the trigger as a welcome change from the misery I was in.

It was a horrible time and mostly all I did was whimper in a corner because I couldn’t sleep as the symptoms were so strong. And when I finally did manage to beat off the filthy virus I was so weak that I was shaky on my legs, dizzy and light headed for another week. I was worn out just lifting a glass of wine of an evening. Even after I recovered from those after effects, I was racked with heaving chest busting coughs as my body tried almost in vain to clear my lungs of gunge as thick as molasses. My rib cage almost disintegrated at the relentless force of it all and I dreaded every onslaught. God, this filthy little bugger of a virus must have been brought in by aliens because surely it didn’t germinate from our planet. I wasn’t suffering alone though. My lovely husband went down with it approximately a week after me so at least I was able to host the Christmas festivities and such like when the family came to stay. He wasn’t quite as bad as me and was well enough to participate in the festive activities with good humour and cheer. But like me he coughed and hacked his way through and swore blind I was breaking his ribs when he was asleep as coughing alone surely couldn’t cause so much agony. I assured him that I wasn’t walking on his rib cage with stilettos on whilst he was in the land of nod but that if he continued to moan big style that I’d make a point of finding our baseball bat and doing a nutty on him whilst he slept just to justify his accusations.

Our New Year celebration was one of fun, laughter and optimism for 2008 as we shared it with six of our immediate neighbours and friends at a wonderfully constructed dinner party contributed to by all those in attendance. And New Years day was spent again with them and more of our other neighbours in a civilised and friendly canapés and drinks party next door. After four hours or so, quite sensibly most of the neighbours headed off home for a nice quiet evening in but, ourselves and the hosts, felt it necessary to extend the bonhomie and good cheer we were feeling by strolling along to our lovely old inn for a few more snifters just to round the evening and the festive season off. After all, we deserved it didn’t we? Just about everyone at that party had been ill or knew someone who was and so we deserved to enjoy ourselves now that good health was almost restored and our bodies might just be able to handle a hangover.

Work piled up for me and I have only just caught up and also only now feel like blogging again. I was laid pretty low by this virus and the irony is that whilst I couldn’t sleep when I was suffering the awful symptoms, all I wanted to do after was sleep. I’ve only just caught up with everything and today for the first time feel great, fully restored and ready for the year ahead.

I have come into the New Year with a lighter heart and with more direction than I have had for a very long time and with the intention of ditching one final last ‘Toxic Friend’. Something that I have wanted to do for a very long time – well actually from the first time I met her – but it’s a complicated story and one I wont bore you with now but just having that monkey off my back makes me feel like I’ve lost fourteen stone of ugly fat already!

Fair well dear all and I hope 2008 is your year.

19 comments:

aims said...

Well - I had almost given up on you. And apparently for good reason. That virus sounds alien indeed - keep it over on that side of the pond will you?

I'm still wondering if that woman had anything to do with the ex....or is this something that we will have to find out through the book only?

Anonymous said...

Not nice at all. You poor thing. I have also heard of so many who have suffered during the holidays and I count my lucky stars that none of us (me, Amy & the farmer) suffered also. Mind you, I am wondering when it's our turn!

Take it easy.
Crystal xx

Manic Mother Of Five said...

Oh I have missed you! Welcome back. happy New Year too. So sorry to hear you have been so poorly. Sounds nightmarish. A big sympathetic hug is coming your way.

Am still all agog waiting for your next installment but for the next wee while I am just glad to have you back in "blog land"

MWAH X

softinthehead said...

Welcome back - you were much missed. I checked in on your everyday - sounds like things are looking up now though.

Swearing Mother said...

Hey you're back.

Good show!!

Happy 2008.

belle said...

Glad you're back - missed you!

A Mother's Place is in the Wrong said...

Welcome back - you were really missed. Like so many others, I checked on you every day! How horrible the virus sounds - you must be delighted to be feeling human again!
Happy New Year, Margot xx

JILLS said...

Poor you! You have been a poorly person! I am pleased you are feeling so much better now but those viruses are nasty little buggers. I had one last year that wiped me out for a week and a half and then left me with a hacking cough for two months! And that was even though I had already had my flu virus!

A lot of people were ill over Christmas - not sure what is going on.

Happy new year to you though and good luck with all your endeavours in 2008.

Best wishes,
Jills

Breezy said...

Good to see you back. We also got a vrus just before Christmas but glad to say not half as horrible as yours

the rotten correspondent said...

Oh, you poor thing. I'm so glad you're feeling better and are moving among the land of the living once more. Those bugs are ball breakers.

It's nice to have you back!

Anonymous said...

hey MOb happy new year welcome back - I am looking forward to a very different year this year too.
I have just packed in my job -- scarey stuff but I feel the need not to be corporate anymore

The Woman who Can said...

I'm so glad you're back MOB - look forward to hearing more from you.

She's like the wind said...

Glad to have you back, my mum has been off work for 4 weeks with the same thing, so much of it about.

Please note the change of name.

selfemployedmum. xx

Mopsa said...

Now, I must have been reading this all wrong MOB... you are MARRIED??? To a LOVELY MAN??? I thought you had just been dumped by an arsehole! Hence all the wonderously hilarious and desperately sad posts. I will go stick my head in a bucket of cold water and start again.

farming-frenchstyle said...

Glad you are back, but sorry you have been so poorly. Happy 2008, and look forward to you blogging again.

Irene said...

I am glad you are back too, although this is the first time I am visiting you. You are funny and I am glad you are better. I'll be by every day to see how well you are.

Sherry said...

Great blog you have here...I'm still laughing at all the humour on the sidebar!

Anonymous said...

hello and welcome back glad your all well again and keep on bloging.

willowtree said...

I'm with mopsa! And did no one else notice??