Home Sweet Home

I had to call into work sick today. My coughing and sneezing has finally gone away but I woke up with a terrible sinus headache. My eyes feel like they are bruised and hurt when I move them. *ugh*

I stayed in bed all day and rested. I was able to catch up on all of the US tv shows I watch that I am behind on but with the pain I would have rather felt good and been at work.

You can't really tell in this photo but Rooney must have been cold because he was curled up under the covers with me all day. He is that bump you can just about make out under the covers.

High: 62°
Low: 50°
Forecast: Partly Cloudy
Sunrise: 6:29 AM
Sunset: 7:45 PM

I have the day off today because this is my week to go in on Saturday. How better to spend my day but with a headache and the sniffles?

I could tell yesterday that I was starting to feel ill. My nose kept running all day at work and last night I was starting to get a pretty bad headache.

I woke up this morning not feeling any better. Thankfully I found this medicine tucked away in the cabinet in the bathroom. Bring on the drugs. At least it doesn't take a lot of energy to sit in bed watching TV and cross stitching.

High: 57°
Low: 52°
Forecast: Periods of Rain
Sunrise: 6:21 AM
Sunset: 7:57 PM

8:00am : Call Surgery, busy signal, hang up, redial... repeat...

8:20am : Get thru to the surgery and ask for an appointment, am told I can come in at 11:30.

11:20am : Get to the surgery (only a couple blocks down from my house). I arrived a little early because I had remembered they still had our address as Andy's parents so I wanted to fill out a change of address form.

11:55am : Asked to go back to the doctor's office. Was shocked to find that he was already in there waiting for me. This never happens in the US, there you usually end up spending more time waiting back in the room then out in the waiting area.

He looks at my throat, up my nose, in my ears and feels around my neck and tells me that I have an ear infection (otitis media) and the starting of strep throat. He gives me a prescription for antibiotics and tells me while I am getting the prescription filled to ask the chemist for a good chesty cough syrup. He fills out a little paper for me to take to work on Monday to excuse me missing work today. He also tells me that if I do not feel better at the end of the course of antibiotics to come back in.

12:00pm : Walking out of the surgery and across the road to the Chemist.

I give them my prescription and as instructed ask for a chesty cough syrup. She tells me that for my prescription and the cough syrup it will be £10.30, I pay and am asked to just wait to the side.

12:05pm : I am given my prescriptions and I am on my way back home.

So seriously... what in the world is the United States so scared about when people suggest a National Health Service? I was sick, I was able to get into the doctor on the same day I called, I was given antibiotics to stop my illness and it look at how fast it all was. Oh and do not forget the most important part.. it only cost me £10.30!

Back in September '07 I was feeling ill and I went to a clinic in the States and for the appointment I had to pay $180 and then for my prescriptions another $25. That was a total of $205 and this was with me having a pretty decent health insurance which was costing me $75 a pay check (which was every two weeks). Man those insurance companies, doctors and pharmaceutical companies must be rolling in the money back in the States. Plus I had to wait something like an hour out in the waiting room and then another hour back in the room where the doctor sees you. Then of course when you drop off a prescription it takes them hours to actually fill it!

Everybody that gave me crap in the US about how the NHS is horrible and how could I even dream about moving to the UK... can stick it! Today was an absolute dream and I am so thankful that I do not have to worry about going to the doctor when I do not feel well and knowing that I do not have to auction off a kidney in order to afford it!

Despite it being Valentine's Day... this is where I have spent the entire day. I woke up at round 9:00am and thought that I would be getting up but then after staying in bed a little bit longer I was able to fall back to sleep and I did not wake up until 11:30am.

After I took a shower I marched right down stairs with my pillow and assumed a comfy position on the couch.

Between yesterday and today Andy and I have watched several episodes of UK Wife Swap, the newest Indiana Jones movie, we have caught up on Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice and Desperate Housewives. There are a few other things that we have watched but I just cant remember them right now. Andy is over at his dad's right now watching an old Everton match that he had recorded and I just caught up with The Bachelor also.

I think I am going to see if he will run down to the shop for me as I am afraid I only have like two cold pills left and am still sniffling, sneezing, coughing and aching. I miss Nyquil. Two of those little liquid capsules and I would be knocked out... haven't been able to find anything comparable yet.

However... again... regardless of how I feel I am going tomorrow, there is no way I will miss it!

Well it is official... my cough and sore throat has turned into a full blown epidemic. *ugh* I completely blame me getting so many colds on the fact that I did not get a flu shot this year, a mistake that I will not make next year. I have gotten a flu shot for so many years now but it just did not happen because of the move this year. I had not yet registered with the local surgery when they were giving them so I missed out.

My plan is to rest, rest, rest because we are back to Liverpool on Sunday for the FA Cup 5th round match against Aston Villa. The match starts at 2:30pm so at least I will not be as cold as I was during the night match against Liverpool. No matter how I feel I am still going... so I should at least rest a little to feel the best I can.

You may look at this photo and think.... why in the World did she post this? Well this is the best way I can express how I felt today.

It started at around 3:00am this morning. I woke up to use the bathroom and when I stood up to get out of bed I immediately fell backwards onto the bed. I tried again and the same thing happened. I sat there for a minute or two and tried to focus on the alarm clock and it was very difficult the numbers kept bouncing all around. Finally I stand up and make my way to the bathroom but I had to hold both of my hands out and steady myself on the walls. I made my way back to bed and fell asleep.

When I finally woke up later it was not nearly as bad as earlier but I was feeling dizzy all day.

So the above picture gives you an idea of how I felt all day... like crap.

On a better note the Liverpool v. Everton FA Cup Match was tonight and it ended in yet another 1-1 draw! The replay is scheduled for next Wednesday February 4th and this time they will be heading back to Everton's grounds (Goodison Park) and Andy and I are going to try to get tickets. Wish us luck!

I have had a headache all day long. Me on the couch watching TV with the cats at my feet is about all I have accomplished today.

I stayed up last night and put 3 of the 4 bookshelves together but did not feel like doing the last one today. We carried it upstairs but the box is still laying in the walkway between our bedroom and the spare room. It will probably be there until this week sometime. I hope I don't feel this bad tomorrow at work. *ugh*

Wish I had a more birthday festive photo but honestly this is what has taken up most of my time today. Last night was one of the worst nights of my life. I did fall asleep but then I woke up about every hour on the hour. First I would be ice cold and my teeth would start chattering and then the next hour I would be burning up and would have to kick the covers off. *ugh*

Hopefully Andy does not get this crud as a birthday present!