Major Illness

It took me over a month to finally recap my half marathon experience from the Disney Wine and Dine on October 2nd.  I did mention previously that I had a good excuse...whooping cough.  The media has been reporting since the beginning of October that the number of Whooping cough cases has risen sharply in the last few months.  I was one of the lucky ones that came down with the human version of kennel cough.

When I first returned from Disney, I felt crappy but I just attributed it to nearly dying while trying to race and the fact that I just got my period.  That wasn't the case.  The Friday after I returned I came down with a cold.  A cold that would last for exactly two weeks.  Low grade fever, sneezing, mild cough.  On day 15 the coughing started, and by coughing I mean what sounded like I was hacking up a lung.  There were several occasions where I coughed so hard it made me throw up...yech.  I decided to Google "cough and vomit" and low and behold Whooping cough was the main culprit.  I didn't even know adults could get whooping cough, but apparently the vaccine you receive as a child only last for five years after the last booster.

Whooping cough isn't dangerous to adults, just annoying (it will kill little babies though).  For the next three weeks I suffered through a never-ending runny nose and severe cough accompanied by vomit.  Such fun!  I literally went through 13 boxes of Puffs Plus w/lotion and I still ended up with a raw nose (I can only imagine that my nose would have fallen off if I'd used regular tissues).  According to Google health, the infection usually last 6 weeks, which technically means I am still one week away from total recovery.  My doctor made the diagnosis and supplied me with inhaled steroids and a Zpack to knock that cough right out of my system.  By the way, Mucinex did not help initially to remove the scores of fluid hiding in my sinuses and my lungs.  Only generic Wal-phed from Walgreens expelled the nasty Mucinex guy and his family.

I was still stuffed up with bruised ribs and a sore shoulder from the coughing, but I ventured out into the real world last night for trivia and actually feel ok today.  The Turkey Trot is in 23 days and I would like to get back into walking this weekend.  

So word to the wise, check out Google's page on Whooping Cough and visit your doctor/get tested if you have any of the symptoms.  There was a breakout earlier in the month in two northern suburbs of Chicago (Winnetka and Wilmette) yet officials waited a month to release the information.  I wonder if any of those cases flew from O'Hare to Orlando the first weekend in October?