Ugh.

***Warning--This blog not for the weak of stomach...***

Ahh, Tuesday evening. It was filled with such promise. I gently folded some of my cutest clothes into my suitcase, and set aside a couple of portable craft projects to haul to Mom and Dad's house.

My head swam with images of helping Mom cook a lovely Thanksgiving dinner, of a semi-planned day trip to a fabulous antique shop in Santa Rosa, with a possible side trip through the wine country.

But alas. Wednesday came.

I woke up at 3:00 that morning feeling a little...strange. Shortly thereafter, "strange" became, "uh-oh..." as I dashed towards the bathroom. I didn't even make it to the toilet--instead getting sick in the sink.

Oh, dear.

I don't throw up. Seriously. The last time I had a flu bug that made me throw up was--I kid you not--1998, and in the NINE years since that horrible few days, I can count on one hand the number of times I have upchucked--always the result of gag reflex. Unpleasant, yes, but over quickly and not something that ruins my day.

Anyway, it's not a pretty topic.

This was Wednesday--my last day of school before my glorious four-day weekend. The school frowns on people taking days before long weekends and breaks; in fact, we are not allowed to use personal necessity time. We must use sick time, and the school can ask for a doctor's note.

I'm one of those employees who hates taking sick days. I drag my butt to work with colds, flu, and even, once upon a time, with strep throat (though, to be fair, I didn't know I had strep when I went to work that morning, only that I felt awful).

So after one incident of being sick, I went back to bed, thanking, "I should get some more sleep if I'm gonna make it through today..."

I didn't sleep much...and a little before 5:00 I was dashing to the bathroom again--and again, I only made it as far as the sink.

At this point I figured, "Hell, I'm up. Might as well shower." And still I was determined to work! I figured, "If I throw up a third time, then I'll call in sick."

Well, within an hour, the third time happened, and shortly after that, the fourth.

Needless to say, I was feeling pretty punk.

I called the sub line, prepared a lesson plan, and threw my suitcase and a disgruntled Millie in the car. I drove to school (ever the dedicated teacher) to leave my lesson plan and get a couple of witnesses to my illness (no, I didn't ralph in front of them, just let them know that I was sick).

After this, Millie and I drove straight to Mom and Dad's house. Hey, if you're gonna be sick, might as well do it at Mom's house. I'm pleased to report that I did not have to stop once during the two-hour drive, which is fortunate, because I had visions of being approached by a wary Highway Patrolman on the side of Interstate 5, as I decorate the median. The embarassment!

I have awesome parents. Believe me, I'm aware of this, and I appreciate it. Sure enough, I was greeted with quick "don't-breathe-on-me!" hugs and a hand to my forehead ("Oooh, you're warm..."). After this came, "I have to go to the store. Do you want me to buy you some 7-Up?"

Mom and Dad went shopping while I went to bed to rest. While they were gone, I was sick two more times, bringing the barf-o-meter to six, and my misery to a record high for the day.

The good news is, that's the last time I threw up. After my sixth trip to bow to the Porceline God, I was able to eat some saltine crackers and sip some 7-Up, the first food I'd consumed in well over 12 hours.

So there hasn't been any more vomit, but it wasn't the end of the flu. I spent most of Thursday on the couch, unable to help Mom cook dinner--"I don't want your flu powder all over the kitchen!" (borrowing an item from Harry Potter...Floo Powder? Get it?). I've been achy, tired, and my gastro-intestinal issues went in an altogether different direction (yeah, yeah, TMI, I know, I know).

Anyway, things are looking up. I was even able to leave the house today! I'm not achy anymore, and I've been able to eat, including that lovely Thanksgiving meal last night.

Something to be thankful for, for sure.