JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Hang on, everyone, I’m
going to complain. There’s nothing better than moaning about your illnesses to
a captive audience, is there? And I have a lot to moan about. I developed flu
symptoms on February 2nd, and I’m still sick, albeit now with a bad
chest congestion that may or may not be pneumonia (my doctor doesn’t want to
x-ray me until and unless the antibiotics I’m on are a dud.) I’ve managed to
drag myself to some of the classes I teach at the local community college, but
my students aren’t exactly getting their tuition money’s worth.
I’ve been conserving what little energy I have
for the most important things - bringing up wood from the wood room,
keeping the kitchen fire going, and walking the dog as necessary (The Smithie,
who’s been burning the candles at all possible ends with work/campaign volunteering/dating
every guy in a 50 mile radius, has also fallen ill.) All extraneous
tasks like laundry, cooking anything that doesn’t come out of a can, or
shoveling snow that can be waded through have fallen to the wayside.
The thing that’s so frustrating? February was
supposed to be the month I ramped up my social media presence heading into my
book launch. I was going to be contacting bloggers about guest spots, running a
contest for ARCs, sending out newsletters, etc. etc. Instead, I’ve just sat on
the comfy chair in front of the aforementioned kitchen wood stove, groaning and
hacking. (I sound like an 87 year old woman who’s been smoking in front of a
slot machine since retirement.) I’m reminded of the times when, as a young
stay-at-home mother, I got sick: I can recall setting out juice and crackers in
the family room, shoving a Disney movie into the VCR player, and collapsing on
the sofa, knowing I could lay there inert until Beast turned back into a human
prince.
How about you, Reds? Have you ever had an
illness/accident/can’t-put-it-off surgery at the least convenient time?
JENN McKINLAY: Oh, sweetie, I feel you. Last
summer I was supposed to be trotting around NYC, meeting and greeting and
shmoozing everyone in the publishing industry, etc. Instead, I ended up
skulking in my brother’s basement in Massachusetts, like a bridge troll, while
quarantined with Shingles. As if the pain and blisters ON MY FACE weren’t bad
enough?! As a show of solidarity, I am going to hit the social media airwaves this
week and pimp the shizzle out of HID FROM OUR EYES! We’ve got your back!
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Poor thing! Always
always always. I wish I could forget about the time I had to give a
speech in front of 400 people in Miami, and my voice completely went away the
day before. COMPLETELY. I croaked through it, sipping honey-hot water,
and managed it, and everyone was very compassionate and atta-girl, but it would
have been much better if I had, um, been able to talk. I think sometimes
stress decides to see how much more stressed it can make you...ah HA! It
says. Watch what I’m gonna do now.
And Jenn, ah. I had shingles too, which
obliterated an entire holiday season and holiday-card-sending. I know that was
brought on by stress. It was HORRIBLE.
Julia, your book is going to fly off the
shelves, and we will be the wind beneath its gorgeous wings.
DEBORAH CROMBIE: Julia, we totally have your
back on this!! We will shout from the rooftops. You REST. And have that x-ray!
My absolutely-worst-time-to-get-sick was
waking up in London the morning I was due to leave for a book tour in Germany,
with the flu. It was awful. I did five cities in Germany with an entourage
including my German publicist, a translator/media personality, and a German
actress who did the German readings. These were all ticketed events and I can’t
imagine anyone wanted to be in the same room with me, much less touch a book I
had signed. By the last city I had completely lost my voice and we had to drop
the English readings all together. Then the Icelandic volcano blew up and my
return flight to London was canceled. My fabulous publicist managed to get me
the last seat on the train. When I did eventually get back to London, I came
down with, wait for it, NOROVIRUS. Gaaa.
HALLIE EPHRON: OMG, I cannot cannot cannot top
that. ANY of that! Losing my voice in the middle of a writing conference with
several workshops left to give is the worst. Oh yeah, and there was the bad
oyster I ate the night before teaching at the Cape Cod Writers Conference.
Julia, your new book is going to be HUGE.
And everyone out there, please stay well.
LUCY BURDETTE: So sorry you’ve been sick for so
long Julia! Probably my worst timing was the day I was supposed to be the guest
of honor/speaker at a large golf tournament. I woke up in the night with a
stomach virus and had to tell them I couldn’t make it. They were upset
(naturally) but you simply can’t soldier on through the stomach flu!
Julia, here’s hoping this is over soon, and we
all agree, this book is going to be huge!
RHYS BOWEN: Oh Julia, the only thing that
matters is recovering. Flu is a really bad illness and it takes a month to
recover. When you look back the success or failure of any book does not hinge
on a guest blog post but on good writing!
My most inconvenient illness? John was told he
needed open heart surgery two weeks before I was due to teach a workshop in
Tuscany. People were coming from all over the world. I faced being seriously
out of pocket and disappointing everyone. Miracle happened and the doctor said
he could stent instead. We went to Italy on schedule.
JULIA: Oh, Rhys, I remember that! Nerve-wracking, horribly timed and scary. Okay, I'm actually feeling a lot better about not feeling better - at least I don't have to travel through foreign lands, miss meetings or risk disappointing an audience. Dear readers, how about you? When and what was your least convenient illness?
RED HOT DEALS! Have you ever wanted to be a character in one of JULIA's books? Here's your chance! I'm donating a character name in my next book as part of a fundraiser for the University of Maine Model UN Team. Every $5 donation gives you one chance in a random drawing (ends mid-March.) Go here to donate and enter!
THE MURDER LIST—now an Agatha award and Mary Higgins Clark nominee!—is now in gorgeous trade paperback! https://hankphillippiryan.
THE MURDER LIST—now an Agatha award and Mary Higgins Clark nominee!—is now in gorgeous trade paperback! https://hankphillippiryan.
Oh, Julia, do feel better SOON . . . .
ReplyDeleteBeing horribly sick is absolutely the worst thing, especially when you’re expected to be somewhere or to speak . . .I can’t top any of the horror stories you’ve all shared. I’ve been fortunate in that I’ve been mostly healthy . . . the last time I remember being that sick was when I had whooping cough a gazillion years ago.
My worst have-to-do-it-when-I’d-rather-be-in-bed moment was trying to teach classes at a teacher’s aerospace conference with a horrific migraine headache . . . .
Oh a migraine, that's miserable Joan! We don't hear much about whooping cough now days, but I did use it as a clue in PREACHING TO THE CORPSE. That was fun:)
DeleteWhooping cough is still around. It blew through the local high school population here a few years back.
DeleteOh, Joan, I feel for you. I got migraines constantly when I was going through menopause, and they can be crippling. Fortunately, I haven't had any in several years, but I can still recall the misery of lying in a dark room wishing someone would just decapitate me and put me out of my misery.
DeleteGigi, I had whooping cough close to the end of the school year despite having received the vaccine. [I wasn’t sad to miss all the end-of-the-year exams, though!]
DeleteAnd, yes, migraines are absolute misery . . . Fortunately, I seem to be a bit less susceptible to them these days, and I’ve learned to take something at the first hint of a headache, which, most of the time, keeps it from becoming a full-blown migraine . . . .
Joan, that's what I did. I finally got away from the medicine you take after the migraine starts to a daily prophylactic. Stopped almost all of them before they got started.
DeleteOh, Julia! Take care of yourself. The flu is awful and takes forever to get over. Stay in front of that woodstove and drink lots of soup.
ReplyDeleteI've had inconvenient illnesses, but have so far managed to avoid disastrous ones. Fingers crossed that my luck continues.
Kait, I'm taking things as easy as possible and drinking LOTS of fluids, including soup!
DeleteI'm so sorry to hear that you've been sidelined by the flu, Julia. I have no convenient home remedies to offer, other than lots of lemonade and rest. (Trader Joe's Original is best, but Minute Maid if you have to. Vodka optional.). Most inconvenient illness? Seven years ago, the last time the band played at the Texas Music Educators Association conference. I was still kind of a newbie at my job, and had never taken the band on the road before. I felt like crap, but flogged myself to get them all onstage before a sold-out house. Once the concert was over, I skipped the afterparty and crawled off to my hotel room, where I spent the whole night trying to cough down the building. Back home the doctor said it was pneumonia. But the band sounded great!
ReplyDeleteWorst sick spell ever? Newly widowed and living alone waaaaaay out in the country. I came down with a norovirus that had a 10-minute repeat cycle. I was 20 minutes away from the doctor. Friends brought essentials and left them on the porch. It also happened to be Thanksgiving week, and by Turkey Day I was thankful that I could keep down chicken soup. If you ever want to feel miserable, helpless, and lonely, I recommend the stomach flu on a major family holiday. On the bright side, being alone on a holiday will never be that bad again.
You are in the running for worst story ever Gigi!
DeleteIt seems I took your recommendation, Gigi. Stomach flu on my nephews first Christmas. On the couch, unable to move except to run to the bathroom. Ugh.
DeleteStomach flu is the worst, in my book. All you can do is ride it out.
DeleteStomach flu is the worst. I remember one of the rare times Ross fell ill with one of the bugs going around his elementary school, and it was a norovirus. Poor man didn't get any further than eight feet away from the bathroom for days.
DeleteOh, Julia! REST! Do what you need to feel better. I've already pre-ordered the new book and have been promoting the heck out of it to my fan group. Like Hallie, I can't compete with these horror stories, although I confess, I live in terror of falling ill prior to any public appearance, especially this time of year.
ReplyDeleteThe worst similar story I have involves the first time I went to Writers Police Academy. My mom went into the hospital (I now forget if it was for a fall or for her heart) two days before I was to leave. I almost cancelled, but my darling husband and brother wouldn't hear of it and took over Mom Duty in my absence. I remember sitting on the floor during lunch while I was there, talking to Mom, still in the hospital, on the phone. Can you say GUILT????
Feel better soon, Julia.
Thank you, Annette! It's almost worse if it's someone you love, isn't it?
DeleteI'm sorry to read that you are sick Julia and I hope that the antibiotics work their magic so you can get back to regular life pursuits.
ReplyDeleteAll sicknesses are inconvenient so any time I get sick it's a royal pain in the butt. Food poisoning the day before a 15 hour day at the gym to coach basketball and run the league photo day was definitely one of the worst times I've had.
Oh, Jay. Oh, no. I don't think I've ever gotten food poisoning, and I'll be happy if I can avoid the experience entirely in this lifetime.
DeleteJulia, so sorry to read this. These winter upper respiratory things are awful , and last and last. I keep getting bronchitis. The cough really did linger last time for 4 weeks or so. Take care! So - You must keep resting, hydrate and proper medical care. (personally I like ginger ale when sick) As to badly timed illnesses? Oh,yeah, a long history. Broken hip first week on a new job. Twice I ended up in hospital just before big trip. The weirdest was dangerously low blood platelets. I felt perfectly fine! I said, "I can't go to hospital i"m going to Cancun tomorrow for a conference." They said, "No. Hospital.In an ambulance. Car stays here- you can't drive." Apparently I could bleed out from a minor bruise. Definitely excitement you don't want. Sending best wishes.
ReplyDeletePS Who did those great illustrations today?
ReplyDeleteThey were vintage ads I found by Googling "cold and influenza vintage advertisements"!
DeleteHealing thoughts to you and the MM!
ReplyDeleteOne winter I had pleurisy: 3 rounds of antibiotics, 3 chest x-rays, and if I sat perfectly still with a pillow on my front, I didn't cough. I also used the pillow when I was driving. Grim, bleak times.
Ugh, Margaret, that sounds dreadful. At least with flu/pneumonia, I can see an ending point.
DeleteJulia, do you need a virtual assistant? Send me names, send me files, I'll contact the bloggers for you! And yes to this book flying off the shelves--we (as in your fans) can't wait to get our hands on this book and we are going to be telling EVERYONE how great it is to have a new Julia Spencer-Fleming out!
ReplyDeleteSo the best thing you can do is concentrate on resting, think healing thoughts, get enough liquids, and find someone to put on speed-dial to tote that wood! You and The Smithie get better soon!
My worst-timed illness? Some kind of upper respiratory infection--the kind that makes you break a rib coughing--and you can't stop coughing--the week my father died and was buried. I had it, the baby had it, my three sisters had it..... just total misery on all levels.
Thank you, Flora! I'll let you know - as soon as I can talk without hacking too much, I'm going to have a conference call with my publisher's social media guys. I'm going to see what they suggest.
DeleteAs for everyone coughing at the funeral - it sounds like one of those events that has the potential to become a much-loved family story after enough years go by.
This is reminding me of the time my husband and I BOTH got the flu at the same time. Fortunately it was pre-kids. We were in our double bed coughing and hacking so much (sounds like a version of what Flora and her fmily got) that the bed started rollling around the room. Our friends living in the same building left a pot roast outside the door.
ReplyDeleteHusbands and wives are not allowed to be sick at the same time. It's in the rules
DeleteIt IS! And being alone and sick is also against the rules.
DeleteI'm happy to say Ross and I were never sick at the same time. I do, however, remember both of us having terrible post-party hangovers and having to get up and tend to kids and pets. Groan.
DeleteOh Julia, rest up, please! The book will take care of itself.
ReplyDeleteThe worst for me, I think, was before Malice a couple years ago. I fell the week before and wound up on crutches with, what I thought (and the doctor thought) was torn cartilage in my knee. Fortunately, I didn't have to drive (yay Annette Dashofy!) and the folks at Malice could not have been nicer about taking care of me, right down to Art Taylor (who invited me to sit with him at the Agatha banquent) making me sit while other people fetched plates and drinks.
I found out weeks later, after an MRI, that it wasn't torn cartilage but a hairline fracture of my tibia. At that point, however, it had mostly healed.
I remember that convention! You were miserable.
DeleteArt Taylor is one of the kindest people on the planet, isn't he?
Yeah, wasn't great. And yes, Art is wonderful, as is his wife, Tara.
DeleteYes, I remember Art Taylor and I agree that he is a kind person.
DeleteYou know, if you have to be in dire straits at a conference, Malice is the way to go. So many lovely, caring people there!
DeleteOh my dear Julia! I've had pneumonia twice, both times in June last year, and it took me forever to get over it. The second time I was in the hospital receiving IV antibiotics. You may want to consider this.
ReplyDeleteIn the meantime there's not much you can do but rest and drink lots of fluids. Any fluids. Orangina works for me, and it's such a treat. It reminds me of Paris and sitting in the Luxembourg Gardens in the sunshine, watching the children sailing little little boats on the pond.
You can't just push through this. Pneumonia is a serious diagnosis.
Don't make me get out of this chair. xox
Oh, Ann, I love the idea of Orangina! I'll ask one of my friends to pick some up on our next mercy-grocery run. Also laughing at "Don't make me get out of this chair"... many memories of motherhood tied up in that phrase. :-)
DeleteHope you feel better soon, Julia. I’m on week 2 of a cold and that’s bad enough. Can’t imagine adding in fever and chills and the rest of the horrible flu symptoms. Having to teach when sick is really hard since you just don’t have the energy (or voice) to really do a good job.
ReplyDeleteMy worst sickness came years ago in a different job when I was traveling quite often. Just as I got to airport to return home, I started feeling bad. Shortly after takeoff some kind of stomach bug hit me with a vengeance. I was so sick for the cross-country flight! The flight attendants set me up in the back of the plane near the bathroom and my boss, who was traveling with me, got me home from the airport. Luckily I don’t remember much of the flight, but I still feel guilty about all the other passengers I probably infected.
Cindy, being ill on an airplane is the pits. I was about two months pregnant the one and only time I flew back to Maine from visiting my parents in Syracuse, and I got morning sickness SO BAD on the flight. I remember telling everyone I was pregnant (which I usually didn't do until later along) because I was afraid they would think I was hungover - it was New Year's Day.
DeleteFirst, Julia, I hope that you feel better soon. Take care of yourself and your daughter must also take care. This flu is notoriously evil. Chicken soup, hot ginger tea, more chicken soup.
ReplyDeleteDeb, Julia, and all you Reds, I do not wish to compete about illnesses. Your stories of terrible timing are beyond awful. Those of you who have conferences and book signings where you are touching a million hands and holding a million pens, do not touch your face, don't scratch that itchy spot next to your eye, go wash your hands. Keep a small packet of wipes in your purse and use them on your hands if getting to the ladies room is too inconvenient. Put yourselves first.
Sending love for a speedy recovery, Julia. I, too am looking forward to your new book. I've just about finished all of the others and will be ready to pounce on it when it arrives.
Thanks, Judy. And yes, when I go on book tour, I always carry along lots of hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes. Fortunately, I've never had to tour during "cold and flu season" - and I'm going to do my best to avoid doing so in the future!
DeletePoor Julia, being sick is so awful and it is never the best of times.
ReplyDeleteFortunately, I have a good health and can't complaint about back's pains after reading this post and comments.
When I feel bad about anything, I repeat to myself : I allow myself to live what is, knowing that I have what it takes to go through.
Hoping you come through soon and don't worry, I'm sure your book will be a huge success.
Sending love and good vibes your way.
Thank you, Danielle! And that's a very good philosophy to hold to.
DeleteOMG. These stories! Awful all round. Rest up, Julia. It’s simple and excruciatingly complicated all at the same time. I cannot compete with any serious illnesses and my fingers are crossed it stays that way. Be well, dear Reds.
ReplyDeleteAs for your book, Julia, April cannot come soon enough for that long-awaited baby to show up on my Kindle!
Thank you, Amanda!
DeleteJulia, I feel your pain so I'll share my family remedy with you: add honey and shot of whiskey to your tea. You will no longer care if you are sick. LOL
ReplyDeleteI pre-ordered your book and can hardly wait for it to magically appear on my Kindle. I know it will be as fantastic as all the others!
Hugs and get well wishes to you!
Cathy, in days past we used to consume Kazakhstani Heath Drink: one shot of vodka, a generous squeeze of fresh lemon, fill the remainder of the mug with boiling water. It either cured what ailed you, or you didn't care.
DeleteAlas, when the Maine Millennial came back home to live, I got rid of all my alcohol and mixers. (She'll be 21 months sober on March 1!)
Feel better soon, Julia! And I agree with Rhys - your writing will blow people away even with no advance publicity. Fingers crossed for the antibiotics to do their magic.
ReplyDeleteRight now I have a painful bone spur in my left thumb. The latest (very painful) injection did NOT work. There's a surgery I can have, but my spring is so busy (book launch! Agatha nomination! Long-planned trip to Ireland!) I cannot take six weeks to recuperate until June (and even then I'll have books to write...). Gah. When you see me at Malice, that will explain the incredibly ugly hand brace they gave me.
Wait - I did have an awful sickness story. Living in Ouagadougou (capital of Burkina Faso) with children and husband. He had flown to a Guinea to work and there was only one flight a week. I came down with typhoid fever. I've never been so sick. A couple of ex-pat women friends drove my kids to school and kept them to play afterward. The embassy nurse almost medivacked me. True misery.
DeleteTyphoid fever! That's authentic 19th century illness, Edith!
DeleteI understand that if you put a potato in a sock, it'll help. Didn't work for me though; maybe because I used a Russet rather than a Yukon Gold of some other type. This may be just nonsense superstition, but what do you have to lose?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, heal well and soon.
LOL! Well, Jerry, if there's one thing we have in plenty in Maine, it's potatoes. Maybe I should take some in liquid form (with lemon and boiling water) to see if they help.
DeleteJulia, I am sending you thoughts of wellness! Do hope you are better soon. And why isn't that dog doing more to earn his(her?)keep?
ReplyDeleteEveryone is right - your new book will be fantastic and I cannot wait to have it in my hands!
Thanks, Judi! And Janey is a she - in fact, with the addition of the Smithie's dog and cat to mine, we are now a household of 5 females.
DeleteTriss, you are so right! Husbands and wives cannot be sick at the same time… It is definitely the rules!
ReplyDeleteJulia, Phoenix will rise from these ashes! With all the love on this blog you will be soaring soon. Yes, I can confirm that THE book is sick (grandson speak), awesome (daughter speak), and as a friend wrote to me, after I recommended Julia to her, "compared favorably to Louise Penny". I realize those might be fighting words to quote in public, but I want Julia to feel much, much better with some knowledge from the sphere. And I love Flora Church's offer. It does take a village. Hugs.
ReplyDeleteI'm going out on a limb here, but I think Julia's books are BETTER than Louise's. There, I said it!
DeleteAgreed! I’m out here on the limb with you! Mine is in California, so we span the country!
DeleteI'm blushing!
Deleteoh, no! Get well soon. Having been lucky enough to read an ARC of Hid From Our Eyes I can honestly say - Honey, you got nuthin to worry 'bout. It is TERRIFIC!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kaye!
DeleteJulia, I'm sending positive healing vibes to you, and to Victoria. How awful, for you both to be down at once, and still needing to stoke the fire, walk the pup, etc. Wish I could deliver some chicken soup for you.
ReplyDeleteThe worst and least convenient illness I ever had was shortly after my husband left on a 10-month trip to California. We had two young kids, 10 and 7, at the time, and my oldest daughter, who could have helped, had moved 300 miles away. I got what I later realized was pneumonia just a couple weeks after Steve rolled out of the driveway in the loaded minivan, in a window of time when even his dad and brother had left town on photography trips.
It took awhile to figure out how ill I was, since I was trying to teach sewing classes, as well as keeping up with two active kids. Luckily a friend stopped by with a quart of soup, and she urged me to get to the doctor. Who was aghast that I was even able to drive there. I found out what the term "walking pneumonia" meant!
Long distance was pricey then, and so we were trying to keep in touch via pre-Windows email. At Steve's end the dial-up modem was powered by a solar generator, and it was the rainiest season California had ever had, so communication was sporadic, maybe even sketchy. Scary time.
Julia, you have an army of social media multipliers, right here, with your back blogging community. Just let us know what we can do to help. I'm willing to help broadcast the news on Facebook and Instagram, and I'm sure most of the rest of us is, too.
Be well soon, my dear.
Karen, how awful for you! I've had walking pneumonia, too, my senior year in college. It set me back a whole semester.
DeleteJulia, you really do have to give yourself plenty of time to recover. It's very easy to relapse from flu/bronchitis/pneumonia if you over do.
No, I'm at least smart enough to not push myself any more. I was feeling better about half-way through and went to a book event, out for dinner, and then taught two classes back to back. Woke up the next day feeling as if a train had run over me. Now I'm listening to my inner mom-voice reminding me to rest!
DeleteI'm so sorry to hear you are still not feeling top notch. Feel better soon. (But stop drinking the chicken noodle soup if you start sprouting feathers.)
ReplyDeleteHa! I'm mixing the chicken soup with beef barley and bean with bacon, Mark. So I'm getting soup from all major meat sources.
DeleteIs there any convenient time to get sick???? My husband and I were with my parents in Ireland back in 1996. It was my first trip across the pond. Frank did the driving. On one of our last nights we were at dinner and I started to feel nauseated. Dinner took forever, it seemed. Frank decided to order dessert. The universe was definitely conspiring against me. I was trying to hold it together. When we drove back to our B&B Frank missed the turn. Now I knew the universe hated me. He finally pulled in to the parking area where I leaped out and hurled on the gravel. Couldn’t make it to the grass. I skipped meals the next day. We couldn’t find anything approximating a saltine to nibble on. I think we left for home the following day but I was over whatever it was. I think an earlier meal of smoked salmon did me in. I haven’t touched it since.
ReplyDeleteI’m looking forward to getting a hard copy of your latest, Julia!
Thanks, Pat. Is there anything less appealing than sitting in a restaurant when you don't feel well? You get the sainted wife award for that.
DeleteLate to the party again!
ReplyDeleteJulia, I am so sorry that you have the flu. I have not been posting on social media for a while. A close relative passed away after a long struggle with cancer. Our grandfather had the same type of cancer.
There is never a good time to get sick. The most recent thing was that I got sick the morning we flew to Canada for the mystery conference and I finally got well the last two days of the conference because I tried several different cold medications. I just wish I had not gotten sick so I could have enjoyed the conference more!
Please take care of yourself and focus on your recovery.
Diana
Diana, so sorry to hear about your loss. Sending hugs!
DeleteDeborah, thank you! Much appreciated!
DeleteDiana, so sorry to hear about your loved one. Cancer is a cast iron bitch, and never, ever fair.
DeleteJulia, thank you! Much appreciated!
DeleteOh, Diana. That is so difficult. xoxoo We love you...
DeleteHank, thank you. Much appreciated!
DeleteFor those of us who travel a lot--or anyone, really--you can get prescription anti-nausea tablets. Ask you GP. The first time I got norovirus in London (the time before the post-Germany bout) I had to call a doctor service to come to the flat where I was staying. The doctor brought these wonderful little tablets that stopped the vomiting within fifteen minutes. Now I never travel without them, or Immodium! Best to be prepared! It can make a huge difference.
ReplyDeletetravel kit: Phenergan anti-nausea pills, benzonatate gel caps cough suppressants, Benadryl, Mucinex-D, and Nyquil.
DeleteI'm taking notes on all of these.
DeleteWhen we were going to Tanzania I asked my doctor to help me decide what to take for emergencies. She prescribed a heavy-duty antibiotic, but said to first try Pepto-Bismol (which is available in travel-friendly tablets), then a probiotic like Align, and if neither of those worked, THEN take the antibiotic. I also swear by Oscilococcinum, and have had to use Immodium, too.
DeleteWhen I was in Italy a few years ago I started getting a UTI, and went to a pharmacy in Venice. The OTC cure took less than three hours to halt the burning pain.
Yup. xooxo
DeleteJulia, feel better soon!
ReplyDeleteA couple of years ago, I thought I had a particularly persistent flu, achy, weak, often nauseated. I ended up in the hospital with a bleeding ulcer the week I expected to be flying off for a long-planned trip to England.
Oh, no! It's like the reverse lottery, isn't it: "You don't get to go on your trip to England, but as a consolation prize, here's a bleeding ulcer and a stay in hospital!"
DeleteI got shingles the week my first grandson was born and then got to make an emergency trip to Cleveland as my youngest daughter had a malignant melanoma and needed surgery a few days later. I suspect my shingles might be related to stress (and it's the second time I had it). I totally can empathize with the month long flu siege - we've been going through that here as well. Awful!!!!!! Hope everyone is on the road to recovery.
ReplyDeleteShingles scare the you-know-what out of me, which is one of the reasons i got the vaccination shots as soon as they dropped the age limit to 50. Every person who's had it has a horror story!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI'm so late coming in today, but it's my Birthday and I'm busy thanking people on FB for their birthday wishes and will soon be going out to eat and having cake. Some of you have seen my black and white pics on FB from a birthday party when I was a girl in pigtails, the very pigtails I talked about on here last week (finding them in an envelope).
ReplyDeleteJulia, I am so sorry that you've had to deal with being sick for so long, and I hope Victoria doesn't have the long version of it, too. When you're sick like that, all you can do is to take care of yourself. Like Jenn, I will blast my FB page with promotion for you, Julia. I think Hid from Our Eyes is going to take off like a rocket anyway, so you should have no worries there.
I enjoyed all the old ads and care instruction in the post today. I can remember my father doing something called a mustard plaster (I'm sure my mother must have fixed it) for chest congestion and colds. Of course, I remember the Vick's Vapor Rub and using it. Here's instructions for the mustard plaster (and a short video). I know you will all want to use it. Hahaha!
I got my second shingles shot last week, and from what I'm reading here, it's sounds like I did a good thing.
I forgot the link for the mustard plaster. https://heilennaturalmedicine.com/blog/2016/3/9/mustard-plaster-for-cough-and-cold
ReplyDeleteJulia, turn off the computer and go to bed. Xox
ReplyDeleteI'm VERY late to comment, but I have been at the doctor's office getting diagnosed with the...flu. I got sick last Thursday and, of course, the doctor is off on Fridays. So this morning was the first time I could see him. I missed my very first time to be a volunteer in the NICU at the Children's & Women's Hospital last Friday (after applying, getting references, shots and TB skin tests, being accepted and attending TWO orientations, I had to call in sick) and now I will have to miss this Friday as well. I missed church yesterday, I'm missing Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday, and this Friday I will also miss meeting the Rev. William Barber, who is coming to Mobile with his Poor People's Campaign! I am very grumpy about it. When I came home I took a selfie of me in my mask and posted it on my FB so I could get some sympathy. At least that is working!
ReplyDelete(here's the link in case anyone wants to see my lovely face - https://www.facebook.com/mary.c.robert/posts/10221887467562987?comment_id=10221888980280804¬if_id=1582568950715210¬if_t=feed_comment)
I sure hope you will feel better soon, Julia! Can't wait for your new book to arrive!
OH NO! xoxooxo poor thing!
DeleteOh, Julia. Feel better. I will help spread the word about the new book. This whole thread made me think of the time my husband was speaking at a conference in Mystic, CT and our then two-and-a-half-year-old son went along for what was supposed to be a fun maritime adventure. Except that as we pulled into the hotel parking lot, I began to feel . . . ill. By the time we'd checked in I was sooooooo sick. We managed as best we could in that hotel room but just as he was finishing his speech, my husband began to feel a bit off too and had to sprint back to the room to avoid vomiting on the podium. For the next three days the two of us were unable to move from the floor of the bathroom. We had been pretty strict about no screens up until that point, but that was the moment we introduced our son to the wonders of television . . . and room service. Feel better soon!
ReplyDeleteFeel better Julia. Having read HID FROM OUR EYES I will definitely shout it out.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry I can't come up a dramatic illness that affect me when I was supposed to participating in a special event. I guess I've been healthier than I thought. My step-sister did accidentally sit on my Mom's right hand, breaking the thumb joint where it joins the hand. They were driving to Oregon and Mom was the driver. John wasn't driving anymore and my step-sister is blind. Mom had to drive back to Santa Rosa. I made Easter dinner that year.
ReplyDeleteOh Julia! Please get well soon. Pneumonia is nothing to mess with. I had it years ago and it took two rounds of antibiotics to get rid of it. Docs said I had scarring on my lungs because of it. Then I got again the next year. Thankfully, I haven't had it since, and that was, oh dear heavens, 25 years ago now. But I've been very susceptible to bronchitis ever since then. Please go get the x-ray.
ReplyDeleteAs all the JRW's said, HID FROM OUR EYES is going to fly off the shelves. In fact, I just pre-ordered my copy. In terms of my "reading life" I only recently discovered you (thanks to Annette Dashofy). But it didn't take me long to plow through every Clare and Russ book. I can't make them last more than 24 hours - every. single. story. is SO ADDICTIVE! I'm eagerly anticipating this latest one.
Please get well! From just one of your adoring fans,
Cheryl A.
I can relate, Julia. I was all set to join Hank Phillippi Ryan at the cozy writer's retreat she hosted last month when I came down with some kind of crud that tests could not diagnose. Had to cancel the retreat and so many other important activities for the next five weeks. Turns out, it was pneumonia! I like to say I'm never sick, but this time I was flat out miserable. Didn't even have the strength to sit at my writing desk. Ugh! This is the first week I'm well enough to rejoin the world. Hope you're feeling better soon, Julia!
ReplyDeleteI love the ad for whisky. My dh swears a tablespoon at bedtime clears a stuffy head. Get better soon!
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