Had a bit of a tough day, yesterday. I woke up with a fever of 38 ° Centigrade (100.4 Fahrenheit, oh I do love those online converters!) and felt icky enough to call the doctor. He put me on antibiotics immediately. By 2 p.m. my fever had gone up to 39.3 ° C (102.7 ° F), and I had a familiar pain in my left lung. In May 2006 that kind of sharp pain was my first main symptom of pleurisy (a painful inflammation of the linings around the lungs, called pleura). But back then I didn’t know what the pain meant, so the condition went untreated for days (that’s the problem of getting ill on a Friday!). By the time my doctor came to see me, I was gasping painfully for air. I was ill for two and a half months, and completely bedridden for at least the first month. I refused to go to the hospital, and my parents and Stefano agreed. So they took care of me, a heroic feat indeed. I will always be grateful to them for that. Well, this time I recognized the pain, and am confident that I caught it in time. Gone, however, is my feeling of pride in my valiant little immune system! 😉 Drat.

I am feeling much better today, still a slight fever and a slight pain in the pleural region, but clearly the two types of antibiotics are working. Ah, and my sense of humour has returned. Stefano and I were joking around this morning. However, I won’t be answering e-mails any time soon.

Take care, everyone, and watch out for high fevers and stabbing steady pains in your lung area. Ok, back to bed! 🙂