floating in my tin can
Well, the sickness took me down, and took me down good. After three days with fever, I went to the doctor on Xmas Eve, and he said I was somewhere between severe bronchitis and pneumonia. He put me on an antibiotic called Levaquin, gave me some mucus-thinning medication, and told me to take it easy.
Well, easy is just about the only way I could take it. I have enjoyed all of the "less common" side-effects of the antibiotic, most notably extreme irritability, inability to sleep, and my personal favorite, dizziness. Oh, the joy of the dizziness. I am reminded why taking any mind-altering drugs has never held any appeal for me.
I also haven't been able to focus for more than one or two pages at a time, so I haven't even been able to really dig into Wolves of the Calla, or any of the other bitchin' books I got for Xmas.
I have watched all the appendicies on the LOTR DVDs, and I'm about to go watch some Fellowship commentary. It's been nice to live in Middle Earth for a few days.
Comments
Amen, brother! BTW, loved your piece on Unscrewed!
Hope you're feeling better. Nothing like a wicked case of pneumonia to cut your life horribly short.
Posted by: RoQ | December 30, 2003 03:17 PM
I hope you feel better soon. I am sorry to here that the medicine is bringing you down so much but hopefully it will only be for a little while. I hope you had a good Christmas despite being sick and that you have a wonderful New Year's.
Much love,
Eppy
Posted by: Eppy | December 30, 2003 03:20 PM
hey.... fix your clock when you feel better... you are 7 minutes in the future. :o)
Posted by: GEORGE | December 30, 2003 03:22 PM
The sickness is everywhere -- my sister had whooping cough for Christmas. As a present, we all maintained a five-foot perimeter around her.
Get well soon -- and take all your antibiotics even if you feel better.
Posted by: Jen | December 30, 2003 03:22 PM
I, too, had to make an emergency trip to the doctor on the morning of the 23rd. We had to delay our departure for our family holiday festivities so I could score a Z-Pack and some Vicodin cough syrup for my raging sinus infection and sore throat. Monday night, the 22nd, it felt like every time I swallowed I was tearing a hole in my throat. My first experience with the cough syrup. I only took it at bedtime. Thumbs up! I've pretty much recovered at this point.
Posted by: ttrentham | December 30, 2003 03:26 PM
feel better wil!
Posted by: popa | December 30, 2003 03:28 PM
Get some rest so you don't end up with a round #2. Don't forget you need to be in top shape for New Year's (if in fact you are doing anything...). Anyways, take care.
Posted by: Junyr | December 30, 2003 03:29 PM
SAVE FERRIS, I mean WIL! Be careful, I think Sam bites.
Posted by: ze-mag | December 30, 2003 03:34 PM
Have you seen Return of the King yet?!
WARNING!
Bring tissues.
Woo.
Posted by: Connie | December 30, 2003 03:36 PM
hey Wil! ahhhh medicine side effects suck! i have bronchitis and a mild case of strep throat... I always feel dizzy with the meds. But anyways, I hope you have an awesome new year! Feel better!
Posted by: Sarah | December 30, 2003 03:38 PM
Ugh, I hate dizziness! Feel better soon.
*~Kathleen
Posted by: Kathleen | December 30, 2003 03:38 PM
But did you manage to avoid the more common side effect of "god-awful shits?" :) I'll trade that for dizziness any day.
Posted by: anon | December 30, 2003 03:39 PM
Finally. It's about time you went to the doctor.
:P
I mean, I'm not one to say I told you so... Well, actually I am. I told you so.
Seriously, though, I hope you feel better. ;)
Posted by: Nayir | December 30, 2003 03:42 PM
Wil -
I'm very happy your writing career is taking off and very sorry you have what appears to be the plague.
See Return of the King, it will cure you or kill you. I've seen it five times (# six is coming on New Years Day) and now my eyes only water at two or three places (as compared to weeping through 3/4 of the goddam movie the first time I saw it).
I suspect you'll always manage to end up in front of a camera or an audience throughout your career, but you can take a lesson from Tolkien...
Write the damn story and let SOMEONE ELSE figure out how the hell to film it :-)
Warmest regards to you and your family throughout the New Year.
Bill Bekkenhuis
Posted by: Bill Bekkenhuis | December 30, 2003 04:08 PM
My finance...fiancee was also sick over the Christmas holidays with an outer ear infection. Dizziness,nausea,fever, all that crap. We also watched all the commentaries on the extended Fellowship and Towers DVD's about a week before I went to Memphis for Trilogy Tuesday. All three LOTR , the extended versions of Fellowship and Towers on the big screen and an advanced showing of Return of the King. Be careful, take care of yourself and I hope to see you on TechTV a lot more.
Posted by: Witt Sullivan | December 30, 2003 04:11 PM
Good to see you are getting better Wil. Suffered through it myself, now I gave it to my dog. No kidding, the doggie Dr. said that in his opinion, when people get sick the pets seem to do so in turn. 11 weeks old and she is getting her first taste of life. Only thing is, she doesn't seem to notice.
Take care Wil, and see ROTK!!!
-Wakonda
Posted by: Wakonda Robertson | December 30, 2003 04:13 PM
How the hell did you find a doctor who is willing to work on Christmas Eve?!? My doctor and my parent's doctor take a week off. I'd have to go to the hospital.
I really hope you feel much better soon, Wil.
Nice to have them hobbits around to lift your spirits a little, eh?
Posted by: Angelwwolf | December 30, 2003 04:21 PM
I'm so glad you like the LOTR movies. How could you not, but yeah. I'm just a nerd like that. You're def. cool. Yep.
*get well wishes*
Posted by: Jenny Finster | December 30, 2003 04:24 PM
oh no! feel better soon Uncle Willie! I'm sending you much much get better soon mojo! i totally agree...Middle Earth is a great place to escape to when feeling down!
get well soon!
love rach
Posted by: rach | December 30, 2003 05:43 PM
Wil-
I'm glad you decided to go to the doctor's. :^) I hate the dizziness, but what's worse is the disconnected feeling I get after every cold. It's like your head is floating and it doesn't feel like it's attached to your body. :^P
Take care and here's to good health in 2004!
Clara
Posted by: Clara | December 30, 2003 06:09 PM
Wil,
Try some chamomile tea for the lack of sleep. Have some vitamin C and iron (you'll need both for them to be absorbed) to help your immune system. Go for the citrus and leafy greens. Cayenne helps the process along as well.
Posted by: Michael W | December 30, 2003 06:19 PM
Glad to see that you're feeling better, Wil! I can't imagine how horribly sucky it must have been to to be sick like that, especially on the holidays. *hugs* I can't stand being dizzy, either, and that's just one reason (obviously) why I've never experimented.
It must have been nice as a resident of Middle Earth. *wishes*
Posted by: Elyse | December 30, 2003 06:32 PM
Wil,
Not all drugs are bad. Levaquin is one of the most powerful antibiotics that exists.
Remember, Jim Henson died because he didn't go to the doctor when he was sick. He died of frickin' strep throat. Who the hell dies of strep throat?
Get well...
Brad
Posted by: Brad Kimberly | December 30, 2003 07:04 PM
LotR as Source Critiqued
Happened to read this just before I came to your site. It should help keep you amused on your death bed. :)
Posted by: Alan Kellogg | December 30, 2003 08:23 PM
Update (the html didn't work)
http://www.mark-shea.com/LOTR.html
Posted by: Alan Kellogg | December 30, 2003 08:24 PM
OOh, man. That's terrible. I had the flew about a month ago and hot diggity, it was horrible. I've never had the flew before so it hit me hard. And afterward, I had an inner ear infection so I was so dizzy I couldn't read, sleep, eat, or walk.
I am so sorry that you have to go through this. Take it real easy and try not to get out of bed as much as possible. I hope Anne and the kids are taking good care of you. *Lots of Get Well Mojo*
Posted by: Pmacca01 | December 30, 2003 10:56 PM
The historical accuracy of LOTR is distressing. Not once are any of the cast shown to be eating LUNCH. Are we supposed to believe that they can kill all those orcs without at least packed LUNCHES?
Posted by: Mike Jericho | December 30, 2003 11:42 PM
I am so glad you finally went to the doctor--for viral stuff there's not much you can do but wait it out, but for bacterial infections you pretty much have to take antibiotics because they won't go away by themselves. You poor thing.
Be sure to take the antibiotics until they are all gone! Otherwise it will come back and you'll have to take another round. And the infection could become resistant to antibiotics as well. So even though it's miserable, take them all and kill that pneumonia dead.
Posted by: Mags | December 31, 2003 01:15 AM
Will -
Doc just put me on Levaquin. Pharmacist warned not to mix with antacids (Maalox, whatever) or run the risk of making the antibotic ineffective.
Also, just had weird dream involving Gary Gygax. May or may not be drug related.
farkable_idiot
Posted by: farkable_idiot | December 31, 2003 01:52 AM
Had pneumonia last november. A thrilling night when every breath I took hurted me like knives in my chest lead me to the doctor... And to hospital. Ten days to recover, and still I have to be careful about flu and heavy work...
All this when I was changing my home too.
Take care Wil, it's a really bad trip...
Posted by: Silvio | December 31, 2003 02:47 AM
Hi Wil- I'm glad you're feeling a bit better. I think that Middle-earth is a great place to escape to, flu or not. Have you seen RoTK yet? It's so great... I'm just so sad it's over. Thank God for the EEDVDs!! :) Happy New Year to you and yours, Wil.
Love, Alicia
www.thewagband.com
Posted by: Alicia | December 31, 2003 05:28 AM
Sorry you got so sick. I have seen the Lord of the Rings the Return of the King and let me tell you it is an Awesome movie don't pass it up middle earth is great and the battle seens are fansastic. Hope you New Year is blessed with fun and staying healthy.
Posted by: Sherrie | December 31, 2003 07:28 AM
I was recently on Levaquin. It's the newest and most powerful antibiotic, and so all the docs are pushing it on every bacterial infection that walks in the door. Mine was bronchitis. I, too, suffered from the more uncommon side-effects of this drug, which leads me to think they aren't so uncommon.
Then one week later the pediatrician wants me to put my 18-month-old son in a study group testing Levaquin on children. I don't think so.
Get well soon!!!!!
Posted by: Anna | December 31, 2003 08:31 AM
So I'm mid-conversation with hubby about a ST:TNG episode mentioning your name and he tells me that you contribute regularly to slashdot.org. I fall off my sofa, he shows me your website and then I find out your ill. You're not supposed to be ill! Especially over New Year! Hope you're feeling better soon, take the antibiotics until the course is finished, no-one ever does and you don't want it back again!
Get well soon, I'm off to recover.
Posted by: Kath | December 31, 2003 09:38 AM
Just reading about all these sick people makes me nervous about touching my mouse. Eeeww!
Posted by: Hez | December 31, 2003 10:00 AM
Isn't modern medicine great? A 100 years ago you would have a good chance of being dead? Even if you didn't die it would have taking you months to return to your former healthy self. Stop taking echinacea and say hello to Mr. Antibiotic.
Posted by: Thomas | December 31, 2003 10:09 AM
Hey, just wanted to let you know...that thing you had is exactally what I have, all the way down to the Levaquin. They also told me that I have 2 middle ear infections...so I got to have Veritgo along with the Levaquin side effects.
Glad you're feeling better.
Posted by: Chad Lembree | December 31, 2003 11:02 AM
Hope your feeling better soon! Being sick sucks big time! Glad to have ya back though, we missed ya!
Posted by: Marie A. | December 31, 2003 12:47 PM
Oh, man. So far I just have the flu that morphed into the cold from hell. Thank god for sick leave. I hope you feel better soon.
Why? Because you have to read Wolves of Calla soon, soon. It rocks--if I didn't have a stack of books I'm behind on (including the new Christopher Moore), I'd start it all over at the beginning right now.
Posted by: Chris | December 31, 2003 01:09 PM
heh.
When I'm sick, I watch old little kid movies like Barney and Disney things.
Posted by: Lane Fideler | December 31, 2003 02:08 PM
Wil,
Glad you're getting better. Wow, dizzyness! I used to have bad dizzy spell when I was a kid; glad I outgrew them. They're the worst.
Also glad someone mentioned the whereabouts of the stage thingy; tho sorrily it will happen during my work hours.
BTW, there's one glitch with this board that I don't paticularly like: using "links" takes you to "wherever" okay, but when you close the window it opens, you also close the window in which you are viewing all the comments, and have to click back in and try to find your place. I just learned to not follow any "links" until I'm thru viewing all the comments.
Have an exceptionally financially profitable New Year.
When will we be able to purchase the book? Oh, yas, you're still writing it, right? :)
--Joe Fekete
Posted by: B. Joseph Fekete, Jr. | December 31, 2003 03:24 PM
Yes, LOTR Appendices are great "sick day" fare. I've watched them three different times and still saw new stuff the third time through...I admit to dozing off and on.
Posted by: Karen Tynes | December 31, 2003 03:42 PM
Ah, Levaquin. Nothing quite like the feeling of floating whilst you are falling to the floor. Those "unusual" side-effects seem pretty ubiquitous to me, actually. For future reference, Cipro (a "cousin" to Levaquin) works just as well with way less trouble. Zithromax, which I just took to (sort of) clear up my bronchitis, is also good--only six pills over 5 days, so less to remember.
Feel better!
Posted by: Eliana | December 31, 2003 08:09 PM
Best wishes on a speedy recovery and to a fabulous and fantastic 2004!
Posted by: Andrew | December 31, 2003 10:34 PM
My Husband had to take that after almost 9 days in the hospital for his knee replacement surgery. That can be some wicked stuff! But it will kill what ails you!.
Hope your feeling better soon, and Happy and prosperous new year ! ! !
hehe after ringing in the new year, I can still type this out and complete spell check, this will be a great new year ! !
Posted by: Vickie | January 1, 2004 03:11 AM
Hey, Will...here is some more "anti-biotic" goodness..eat youghert (how do you spell that word anyway?) This replinishes the good organisms that the anit-biotics kill while attacking the bad organisms. Also, drink tons of water. Really. Tea will dehydrate you. Also, get some nasal saline spray, not the medicated stuff, but distilled water and salt (you can make your own too. use lukewarm water or you will have one heck of a surprise) and use that three times a day. This works, for I have had sinus and bronchitis probs my whole life. Also three sinus surgeries...beleive me, go for the youghert and saline!
Posted by: Rohan the Thunder Chick | January 1, 2004 08:41 AM
Sorry to hear it. I had something like that back in October. literally hit overnight and woke up with a 102 fever & feeling like death.
Dr. put me on Levaquin also (DAMN! That stuff is EXPENSIVE!) but my most memorable side effect was everything tasted awful, and there was no way to get that out of my mouth.
Hope you get feeling better soon!
Posted by: Henry | January 1, 2004 09:09 AM
It's always nice living in middle earth.
;)
Posted by: Jacqueline | January 1, 2004 01:03 PM
Hey Wil,
Sorry you were sick....glad to see you are getting better though. I'm still recovering from the same thing. It was wonderful to log on and read my exact thoughts about this darn 'ick'ness from someone else's mouth too!
Happy New Year!!
Three days in middle earth sounds wonderful. I'm sure you have already seen it but you must see ROTK...there is nothing I can say about this movie that hasnt already been said, but see it.
Take care of yourself and recover quickly.
*Star*
Posted by: Star | January 1, 2004 03:09 PM
Hope you're feeling better, Wil.
Posted by: delphine | January 1, 2004 04:14 PM
Wil,
Wow, what a bad time to get sick. I hope things get much better, for you, soon. Have fun checking out middle earth. These are great films.
FG
Posted by: Fabian | January 1, 2004 05:32 PM
yey..... gotta love medicine side effects...
at least yours arent permanant liver damage, convulsions and turning yellow like some of my potential ones are :D
but glad to hear that they could help, and the side effects are worse than the leftover cough for months that you get wiht that if you leave it to heal itself...
best wishes,
sara
Posted by: sara | January 1, 2004 06:24 PM
Will,
I have experienced, bad side effects from taking Levaquin. Its been over a year now and I am still unable to balance properly, or walk more than city block, without resting.
If you are still taking it, you should stop. Its very bad, along with other antibiotics called Quinolone.
I hope everyone takes my advice. Research it!!!
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