My Resurrection

I'd like to say I got through my week at home with the kids relatively unscathed....but I didn't.
Saturday morning I felt off, sore muscles and very painful joints. I had been to the Chiropractor for the first time in about 18 months and he had mentioned that I may feel a bit sore the next day. I sure did!
Monday I was no worse, asides from walking like an invalid when I woke up in the morning - my legs were stiff, my feet hurt to touch the ground, my ankles slightly swollen, but after a few stretches & walkabouts I was okay. Besides - I was taking the kids camping on Tuesday night with some other amazing/crazy Mums and it was super exciting & there was a ridiculous amount of organising to do. Oh the pressure of packing a car and taking your kids bush for 2 days. A lesser woman might have cracked, me - I just ate a lot of chips and ignored the yelling.
Once we were on our way it was fantastic. Maggie fell asleep 20 minutes into the 2 hour drive and Leo is one of those magnificent children who can stare out a car window and be perfectly content. Mama here thought it was a perfect time to pull out my old Tori Amos albums and boy did she sing us to Litchfield or what.

i’ve been looking for a savior in these dirty streets

looking for a savior beneath these dirty sheets
i’ve been raising up my hands drive another nail in
got enough GUILT to start my own religion

(crucify)

but what if i’m a mermaid
in these jeans of his with her name still on it
hey but i don’t care
cause sometimes i said
sometimes i hear my voice
i hear my voice

(silent all these years)

Seriously, she really spoke to me when I was a teenager. It was really powerful to listen and sing and remember who I was back then, how much music meant to me and my identity.

So camping was fanastic. A great group of Mums, a couple of Dads, heaps of kids and my crowning glory - setting up &; taking down a 3 person tent myself. High fives, thank you. Not to mention the 500 metre walk to the top of a waterfall that was extremely tough, especially considering Ms Maggie was by my side and on my hip for the entire duration. (sidenote - she walked/climbed almost half of it - I've never been prouder. That kid is something else - just have to direct her powers into positive endevours...)

However I woke up the next morning after a fitful sleep, with a very itchy arm. That soon progressed to 2 itchy arms, stomach, thighs, legs, feet. I was covered in red welts and felt as though I may possibly implode in agony. Fortunately someone had a hayfever tablet that settled me for a time, I bathed in the thermal pool & cranked the cars airconditioner and headed for home.

The kindly pharmacist assisted me with some adult phenergan for night and claratyne for day. I was dead on my feet by 5pm, asleep soon after. The next day I felt dreadful, still covered in welts & like I could sleep for a year. Those of you who have children will understand this was, in a word, impossible. I took Maggie to daycare & Leo got to hang with his strange looking Mum for the day.

I know, beauty is only skin deep.

I googled my symptoms, not a terrific idea. Auto Immune disorders here we come. Went to the Docs, he found my rash fantastic, which was quite nice. He prescribed me a slow release pain killer for the joint pain and got a nurse to take about 6 vials of my lovely blood. Hello mosquito borne viruses.

The various drugs kicked in and I started to feel slightly human again. I slept again that night for about 14 hours, probably twice what I usually do! The next day I dosed up, again I felt better. Thank you legal pharmaceuticals, I love your work.

2 days on I am completely off all pharmaceuticals and feeling much better. The rash has disappeared, I'm slightly tired but that's normal. 7 days on I'm terrific - feeling healthy has never felt so good, or valued.  I will call for my blood test results (fingers crossed they don't call me first...) next week but in the meantime, hallelujah I have been resurrected. Seriously - who has the time to be sick? It sucks. Really wish I'd taken more photos though - my sexy leg shot hardly does my hives justice. 

So I survived, both my children and a mysterious illness. But damn was I happy/grateful/excited to be back at work on Monday.