Christmas 2012

Christmas 2012 is certainly one I will remember.  Not for the family time, so much as the FLU!  Saturday night, the 22nd I started feeling a little off.  Katie had a cold the week before so I just assumed I was getting her cold -- no big deal.  Sunday was our Christmas gathering with mom's side of the family and I didn't feel any better, but still thought it was a cold.

Sunday night I took a turn for the worse.  By Monday morning, my fever was over 103.  There have been few times in my LIFE that my fever has been that high.  I just don't run high fevers.  I had to concentrate to even understand what Matt was trying to say to me that morning.  I basically told him I needed to go to the doctor and to keep Katie away from me. 

The good news (not really) -- I haven't established a primary care physician in Roanoke.  So, Matt and Katie drove me to an MedExpress urgent care facility and dropped me off.  I didn't want them near me -- or anyone else who would be there on Christmas Eve.  When the doc examined me, she said you look like you have a really bad sinus infection, not the flu.  She said "we usually don't see fevers this high with the flu, and the level of congestion in your sinuses is indicative of an infection."  I asked if she could humor me and do a quick-flu test to be on the safe side, since I had a 3 year old at home.  She agreed to do so.   20 minutes later, she came back into the room and said "you have the flu."  AWESOME!  Just what I wanted for Christmas.

Now, there are few times during the year when my job is calm enough for me to take 1-2 weeks of vacation and spend time with Katie and Matt.  And this is the first year in MANY years that Matt and I have both had Christmas vacation time together.  So -- to say that I was a little disappointed about being sick this Christmas -- would be a MAJOR understatement.  Not to mention, my family was scheduled to arrive Monday afternoon and celebrate with us.

Despite my concerns over others getting sick, my family came to the rescue (I am so fortunate).  Nana, Papa, and GG came to help on Christmas Eve.  They helped care for Katie, wrap presents, put together bikes and virtually everything in between.  I got out of bed long enough on Christmas morning for Katie to open her presents and then I went right back to bed.  Where I remained until yesterday.

Nana and Papa took Katie to their house in Woolwine on the afternoon of Christmas Day where she stayed (happ7 & healthy) for 2 nights.  Matt spent 2 days nursing me back to health and scrubbing his hands everytime he left my room (yes, I was quarantined).

So far - no one else in the family has gotten the flu (praying it stays that way).  Again, I'm disappointed that this Christmas didn't turn our how I had planned.  But I am so grateful to my family for all their help  -- especially my parents and my.  It is definitely a memorable Christmas, but not for the reasons I intended.  The pictures from this post are from Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  I'm so glad Matt got some videos so that I could enjoy them later.