serious illness

I've been blessed, there have been very few serious illnesses among my family & friends. The worst illness I have ever had hit me about 7 weeks after DS2 was born. It started as a cold. Just a slight cold, but then I had to go into the hospital to have my gall bladder out. While I was there I must have picked up something because three days after the surgery I had bronchitis & walking pneumonia. I also had anemia from blood loss during DS2s birth & my immune system was weak. The pneumonia cleared up after a week but the bronchitis lingered, and lingered and lingered. I'd feel better for a week or so & then be floored again with coughing, an inability to breathe deeply, chest congestion, & fever, for couple weeks. I couldn't sleep, which made things worse. Nothing seemed to stop it. Various meds would work briefly but it would come back. My doctor kept insisting I needed plenty of rest to let my body recover. I had a newborn & a 1.5 year old. No family nearby & none that could come & take over for a week or so. DH had used up his sick leave after DS2s birth & the gall bladder thing. I couldn't just spend a week in bed recovering. So I didn't recover. The bronchitis lingered until well into November. I was on another round of meds when we went to Florida to see my folks for a week. They were super mega meds. Between them & a week where others could do things for the boys, I finally recovered.

It depresses me. DS2s whole first year of life is mostly remembered by me as a miserable time for me. What I can remember of it. Illness & lack of sleep blur everything. When I think abut 2004 I remember DS2 birth & first couple of weeks. I remember the gall bladder surgery & then it's just a blur of feeling miserable. DH & I were stressed & tense with one another. I was so tired all the time. And the boys were growing up. Certain things stand out & I can look at photos & remember moments, but overall nearly that whole year is fog.