Ups and Downs

It all started nearly two weeks ago with three simple words from a four year old - "My neck hurts."  He didn't complain about any other discomfort, so I wrote it off as his having slept funny or pulling a muscle.  Turns out he actually meant his throat hurt.  The next day he had a fever.  The day after that his nose was stuffed up and his throat hurt enough that he said, "I neck hurts so much I can't swallow my slobber."

Within a few short days the other kids started having symptoms and then Bryant and I both got sick.  We let it run its course and it is nearly finished now.  Pookie seems to be over it, Midge and Pibb are both at the tail end and The Boy is pretty well back to normal.  Scooter didn't really get sick except to completely lose her voice.  No pain, no other symptoms, just no voice.  Bryant is still feeling it, although he seemed to be getting better and I was nearly done. 

And then it happened.

I was eating a tortilla chip and apparently I didn't chew it up well enough because when I swallowed, it scratched my throat.

The next day, I complained to Bryant that my throat was really hurting, but just in that spot.  Pretty much from that moment on, I've gotten sicker and sicker.  Like all the healing I did was undone by that one tiny scratch. 

I know it makes sense - the scratch allowed more sickness into my body and it clearly was welcomed with open arms.  That doesn't make me like it any.  So while everyone else is on the mend or completely better, I'm still sitting here with a bottle of Zicam, a handful of cough drops and a box of tissues. 

Lousy, stinking tortilla chips!