Sick of Being Sick

As some of you might remember, last winter at just about this time I got some weird thing where my face just in front of my ear and down to my neck swelled up. It would change in size quite rapidly. At one point, I stood in front of the mirror and could actually see it getting larger.

It was right before New Year's so I didn't wait to see what would happen. I figured it would get worse right about the time the doctor's office was closed for the holiday. I saw my doctor who was just as baffled as I. He wrote a prescription for an antibiotic and gave me instructions to wait 24 hours before taking to see if it would start to clear up on its own. I waited those 24 hours he suggested, and it got worse. After two pills, it pretty much clear up and by the time the antibiotic was gone it was better.

Last Friday afternoon, I got that familiar tenderness just in front of my ear. It's not something I feel all the time, but it was tender when I was washing my face. Sunday evening while eating dinner that tenderness turned to a tingle, a familiar feeling from last year also. It was the same feeling as when I watched that area swell in the mirror. I moved my hair and told Bob to watch. He didn't believe me last winter when I told him I could see it get larger. It freaked him out and he was ready to run out of the restaurant to take me to the ER. It went down shortly after, but I had already decided I would be calling the doctor first thing Monday morning. I felt fine other than that annoyance.

I saw the doctor Monday afternoon. As I waited in the waiting room for my doctor, I noticed my throat was feeling a raw, I was beginning to feel feverish and a sinus headache. The doctor is still baffled by the swelling thing, but I do have strep and a sinus infection. If this other problem doesn't clear up after I am done with this round of antibiotics, the doctor wants to see me to follow-up it. He thought it was very strange that it happened one year later almost to the day. He said it could be that I got in early enough last time that whatever I was coming down with hadn't taken hold and the antibiotic beat it before it got a chance to. However, he also said it could just be completely coincodential that they both happened at the same time. It could be a problem with one of my salivary glands (he mentioned this last winter as well).

Due to this swelling thing I cannot chew foods. The swelling will go down and if I chew something it pops right back up. I didn't have any swelling at all until I had one tiny piece of cheese. I thought I was over the hurdle, but no such luck. I am so sick of oatmeal, scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, soup, pudding, etc. One the bright side, I have lost 6 lbs this week without working out for one minute.

The laundry looks like at mountain, the tree is still up (I think it's the only one left in the neighborhood). I don't feel like doing anything, but curling up on the couch and sleeping.

ETA: Oh my, I just reread my entry after I hit publish. I sound like a big whiner! I promise I am not! Usually, I am one who takes things in stride for what they are. I know there are many out there with worse ailments than some little infections. Please forgive my momentary lapse there.