Getting my ducks in a row

One would think that a self-proclaimed cat-herder could get her ducks in a row.

October was a busy month for me. Very busy. And in the midst of my races (two half-marathons and one Warrior Dash--3.5 miles with 12 obstacles), I became ill. Apparently, the week after I got my flu shot, I was exposed to the nasty virus (presumably during the Nike Half-Marathon). The weekend after Nike, I had a full-blown case of the flu.

I didn't let the flu keep me from working though. Instead, I propped my fevered body up on pillows on my bed and worked all weekend. The following week, I worked from home until 24 hours after my fever was gone. But I still felt horrible and had a nasty cough that I knew wouldn't go away without some aid, so I made an appointment with my doctor. My doctor told me to "suck it up, and drive on."

OK, she actually told me that I would have to "ride it out" and that antibiotics are no longer prescribed for bronchitis. She offered to send me to another clinic for a chest x-ray, but I wasn't in the mood for another waiting room, etc, so I declined. I did contact my friend, Dexter, who is a doctor, and he verified that antibiotics really aren't prescribed for bronchitis these days.

So I plugged along. I considered canceling my last event, the Warrior Dash, but I really wanted to complete my three races, and this one sounded like the most fun! So I was a Warrior, and had a blast with my friends! But I felt horrible afterward, and I slept most of the next day. On Monday, I learned that I had pneumonia (via chest x-ray). I was subjected to a painful antibiotic injection with oral antibiotics to follow. Yuck.

Still, I  thought I was pretty "high-speed" until today. After all, I completed the Warrior Dash with pneumonia on Saturday--that makes me a true Warrior, right?

Not so much. The medical readiness section on my AKO page is showing "amber." That means I have some medical boxes to check-off before I am "medically ready" for deployment (No, I'm not currently scheduled to mobilize, but we need to be ready). I was amber because I was due for a dental exam and the second immunization in a required series. No big deal--I scheduled my appointments and was ready to check off my boxes (get in line, ducks!). Until today.

I had my dental exam yesterday--checked off box number one. My immunization was scheduled for today. However, when I showed up for the appointment, I was handed a questionnaire asking if I was being treated currently for any illnesses . . . Does pneumonia count? Um, yes . . . it does.

The doctor sent me away and told me to reschedule when I am well. Once again, I am discovering that I'm not superwoman (I sooo want to be superwoman!). I can work with a fever and race with pneumonia, but that doesn't make me a Warrior. At least it doesn't make me a smart Warrior.

It's nice to know that I have the capacity to do these things if I need to, but it isn't smart to push myself to these extremes when it isn't necessary.

Back to cat-herding . . . I guess I'm more of a cat than a duck.

Now where are those ducks, anyhow? It's time for them to queue-up!