Maybe because I was exposed to a whole lot more people than usual at work AND it was a really high stress week at work (due to ongoing weather related remediation) I am sick.

I woke up Friday with a sore Throat and extra tired and this has happened before so I didn't think too too much of it but by the end of the day Friday none of my usual "get rid of a sore throat" tricks had worked and my throat was even worse and I was running a very light fever and then I didn't sleep that night because every time I swallowed the pain would wake me up.  (Seriously, do I always swallow that much while sleeping and just not notice it or what?)

I tested negative for Covid and wasn't feeling awful, just very much in a lot of sore throat pain so I masked up and got myself some groceries Saturday morning and then came home and wondered what on earth I'd bought... who let the 10 year old choose the grocery list my gosh!

I didn't sleep Saturday night either (and I even put in earplugs against the heavy rain noise) and when I got up on Sunday and mentioned this to Jason he asked if I had been using night time cold medication and I explained that no, I stopped buying them cuz they didn't make me sleepy... and that's when I clued in that maybe, just MAYBE the cold meds were keeping me from falling asleep.  So I didn't take cold meds on Sunday (today as I type this) and I'm hoping that I'll sleep.  I feel like a solid sleep will really help me kick this.

As of Sunday evening my throat is still sore but looks (inside) much better and much less infected and nasty.  I wondered if I had/have strep throat but I don't have really any other symptoms except the nasty throat and some mild sinus stuff.  (I did leave a message for my doctor on Sunday that maybe I shouldn't have... asking if she could see me Monday as I think I have strep throat, but now I'm thinking I hopefully don't so... oops?  But she's probably full up anyway?)

I would say my energy is ok but honestly I haven't done much for three days now so it's hard to gauge.

I tested negative for Covid again on Sunday but feel like we'll never actually really know for certain with these home tests anyway.  Is it strep?  The no more fever suggests not?  Is it a nasty cold?  Probably?  But did I also seemingly get off easy with no other major (knock on wood) symptoms?  Yes.

Oh, I also bought some throat numbing spray stuff to try to help with the nasty nasty pain and that's how I learned it makes me gag to spray the back of my throat, ew!  (I started swishing with it after trying a few times GAK.)

Staying off from work today (tomorrow... Monday) as I don't know that I'm not contagious, and it really makes me think of how I was in the "before times" where I would go in to work sickly more often than not, and sometimes I'd even go to the gym to "sweat it out" and that for me, at least (and I know I'm not speaking for everyone, clearly) I'm much more conscious of not spreading whatever ick I may have than I used to be.

Whatever it is that I'm dealing with and fighting off, I'm very grateful it's not gone into my lungs (knock on wood) and that I'm doing ok with it even if the pain has been intense at times.

FWIW, I've had strep before and although it was a while ago my memory tells me this level of pain upon swallowing may in fact *be* strep, as well as some of the uh... nasty visuals I saw when looking in my throat.  BUT... not a doctor, can't diagnose, and I'm hopeful that I'm kicking whatever this is anyway.

I'm in to see my doctor this week for unrelated issues so worst case will get checked up at the end of the week (if they don't contact me today... I guess.)

Anyway, just to say I got hit by something, I don't know what it is, it knocked me back a bit this weekend and the not being able to sleep didn't help.  I'm fighting the whatever I got and hoping to start sleeping again (if it was the cold meds keeping me up).