Back from the Dead

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone,

It's been quite a few weeks.

First, my wife gets a call from her college roomate - her husband, 48

years old, passed

away from stomach cancer. Big shock!!!! On Sunday, the 7th, we go to the

wake - very

sad :-(. It's a big rush too, because I have to come home and pack for a

business trip

to Arizona leaving early on the 8th ..... I plan to be in AZ from the

8th-11th - home for

the weekend and my wife's birthday on the 16th and then to Chicago from

the 17th to the

20th.....

At the wake, I notice that I'm developing a slight cough. That night, in

bed, the cough

escalates ---- I down some cough medicine and fall asleep. I wake up

Monday morning

at 5 AM. I don't feel well. Take a shower and try to shake it off. As I

start getting dressed,

I say to myself - " who am I kidding? I'm not going to Arizona " and I go

back to sleep.

wakes me at 6 and says " aren't you late? " . I tell her " I'm not going. I

feel awful " . When I finally

take my temperature - its' 103 degrees. Off to the doctor later that day

- and I've got ....

ta da!!!! - pneumonia!!!!!

If you've ever had it, you know its' not an easy recovery (especially,

to quote my

doctor " when you're your age - your not in your 20's anymore :-( " ). If

you haven't, its'

awful. First couple of days - you just lay there. Then, when you start

feeling better and want

to start doing stuff, you go for an hour and then you need to collapse

again. So, no Arizona ...

no Chicago ... no leaving the house ... till, yesterday when we did

Thanksgiving at my

sister's. I felt better ... but didn't eat much .... and I'm still

tiring pretty easily .. did

80% of the driving.

I'm starting to turn the corner - I can go 6-7-8 hours now without

needing a nap. Feel like

I'm rejoining the world. I'm going back to the office Monday, at least

for part of the

day. The good part of all this (and to keep this On Topic) is that

pneumonia really saps

the appetite. I haven't weighed in, but I haven't been eating much more

then soups and

salads the last 3 weeks (and lots of juice & tea), so that's a side benefit.

Well, that's it for now,

Best,

Mitch