Well, well…well.

I mean, you try to be oh soooo careful whenever you set foot outside your house, especially during the flu season…For example:

• you never go food shopping during peak times
• you avoid seeing friends if they have the slightest sniffle
• you never shake hands or kiss anyone, or, well, you try not to…

My “try to avoid getting sick” list goes on and on…I repeat, I try to be sooo careful. I always carry a little bottle of hand sanitizer in my purse, for emergencies, such as, well, let’s say that, due to social circumstances, I’ve been forced to shake hands with someone and can’t immediately rush off to find a bathroom and wash my hands, which wouldn’t be very courteous, would it? Sort of like, “Oh, such a pleasure to meet you…um, excuse me, where’s the bathroom?” Much more polite to turn my back discreetly ASAP and whip out the sanitizer, right? And certainly much better than saying, “Oh, please don’t take this personally. I don’t shake hands with anyone because I have smoldering multiple myeloma, and shaking hands with you might kill me.” Hmmm, I wonder what the reaction to that would be! I might try it someday…(just kidding!)

So yes, I try to be super careful, especially during the flu season, as I mentioned before.

But sometimes, in spite of all your precautions, the germs GET YOU anyway. And this time it wasn’t because of my passing next to a sneezing child in the supermarket.

This time it was an IN-HOUSE GERM ATTACK.

Last Friday Stefano came home from work with a sore throat. When he told me about the sore throat, my “GERM ALERT” alarm started blaring loudly, and I avoided touching or going near him all weekend, no hugs, nothing…well, duh, of course we sleep together…

But usually that works…keeping away from him, I mean.

Not this time.

This time the germs he’d picked up were a bunch of really TOUGH guys…

And those tough dudes MIGRATED OVER TO ME, where else?, over to the innocent nice gal with the teeny tiny immune system…

And so, while Stefano merely had what he called a “mild sore throat,” and in fact we had dinner out with friends on Saturday night, here’s what happened to me, starting on Sunday: I woke up with a TERRIBLE sore throat (which, luckily, disappeared within 24 hours…awful, I could barely swallow/talk).

By Sunday evening I had a TERRIBLE cough, ah yes, THAT cough, THE cough. Then fever, vom…well, yeah, that, too. What else? Oh, terrrrrrrible fatigue. I slept and slept and slept, propped up into a sitting position in bed because of THE cough.

Monday was the worst. Then, on Tuesday morning, I began thinking I’d survive. How did I know? My sense of humour came back. 😉

Anyway, since by now I recognize all the symptoms and am well aware that, with my compromised immune system, things can go downhill reaaaaaally fast, from a little sniffle to a full-blown cough within hours, I began taking an antibiotic, a strong one, on Sunday night (but that’s when I was still in vom… mode, so I don’t know how much antibiotic I managed to assimilate…sorry, trying not to be too gross, here!).

Yesterday, much much better: I didn’t have a fever, cough was better, etc. Today I’ve barely coughed at all!

So I’m officially convalescent now, taking it easy, just doing some light housework (laundry, dishes, etc.) but mostly resting, watching my TV series in bed, with various cat-nurses draped on and around me.

But a little while ago I got a call from Stefano (who wasn’t feeling that great this morning but had to go to work…), telling me that he feels terrible. It’s not just a  “mild” sore throat anymore. Sheeshhhhh. No idea how he’s going to be this evening, but it doesn’t sound good.

I told you those germs were TOUGH! Mamma mia! But…we’re going to smash ’em to smithereens…no worries.

Anyway, take care, everyone, and stay well!!! Stefano and I will, too! Ciao! 🙂