So, I'm in the middle of my second bought of miserable illness since I had the baby (guess all those interrupted nights are really working for me). When it hit Thursday I was sure it was the flu. And I cursed the damn flu shot that I got this year, voluntarily, for the first time in my adult life, because now my incidence of the flu is TWENTY TIMES higher than it has ever been*. However, the symptoms that had me convinced then** are mostly diminished now and I'm left with The Cold From Hell.

I am not enjoying The Cold From Hell.

Along with the nasal congestion, coughing, exceedingly sore throat (I'm just last afternoon starting to actually eat anything besides milkshakes or jello), I also have the fun-fun symptom that my Eustachian*** tubes are very blocked up (that's the tube that goes to your ear by which the pressure is adjusted). This is making me highly miserable. Both ears are hurting. If I hiccup, I feel like they're going to explode. Suuuuuuuuuuck.

I have been suffering for Four. Frickin'. Days. now and I am really ready to go back to normal life. Up three times a night is heaven compared to up three times a night plus wanting to crawl under a rock and curl up and die. Plus, as an added bonus, Wil decided last night that 3 a.m. was WAKEUP TIME! WHEEE! LET'S PLAY! I was up with him for two hours then Matt took him from me so I could go back to bed (poor Matt had been up since 3 a.m. as well).

My mom actually took the baby Friday night and did all the night feedings so we could both rest (best mom ever!), and I still feel like crap. Actually worse now since only one ear was blocked Thursday.

I had a brief moment of joy last night when I phoned the Alberta Medication Line and they told me that I could take pseudoephedrine while breastfeeding, as it's been OK'd by the American Academy of Pediatrics. That lasted until Matt got home from the drugstore with it and said the pharmacist strongly recommended against it (but still sold it to him, bastard). I thought I'd better double-check since I was getting conflicting advice, and it turns out that it is OK to breastfeed with but can have bad effects on supply, dangit. So, no drugs for me.

*sigh*

I really want a NeoCitran. :(

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* Ten years, no flu shots, one flu. This year, one flu shot, two flus. Bah!

** Sudden onset, fever, complete exhaustion and feeling like I'd been beaten all over with heavy sticks all day.

*** Spelled it right on the first try. Yeah, me!