The Noro Hammer Drop: No No Norovirus

 

I’ve had some absolute doozies when it comes to being sick over the years. I’m talking about chronic issues that led to losing most of the hearing in one ear from infections that went as far back as when I was a kid. If you’ve ever seen me sing live in the past 15 years and wondered why I stick to ballads and slower tunes, it's because I can’t hear myself very well, so any fast tunes I do are from pure muscle memory and ballads (or as someone once put it, boring songs) I can manage with a careful ear. I still battle recurring middle ear infections that require a PE tube insertion every few years after the last falls out. After battling through COVID five times, I honestly thought I knew what "the worst illness" felt like, though I’ve heard Shingles is pretty awful and the first round of the vaccine was horrible. Before the COVID, I might have said Chicken Pox might have been the worst illness I’d ever had but on both accounts, was I wrong.

My newest personal record for misery started innocently enough last Sunday. I was actually doing an at-home sleep study my doctor arranged when I was abruptly woken up at 4:36 AM by the sound of Terry getting violently ill then coming in and announcing what was going on. The sleep study? Abruptly over. We initially suspected food poisoning, maybe from the McDonald's I’d ordered via Grubhub, though I’m usually the first one to get hit by bad food. Then we thought about the nachos we had on Saturday at work, I tossed half of mine, but Terry finished his entire portion.

Tuesday rolled around and I was trying to manage things from work and was doing fairly well and on my break, I ordered some easy-prep groceries for Terry and a case of Sprite, the official soda of the BRAT diet. When I got home, he was still not feeling well and had to make sure he was able to get to the restroom quickly. When I'm sick, I hate being bothered, especially if someone is eating in front of me and I try to give someone else the same courtesy. So, I stayed in the kitchen and ate while he camped out in the living room. I needed to get up early, but I figured I’d go to bed around 7 PM.

Around 1 AM, Terry finally came to bed, still not great, but then a familiar bad feeling started bubbling up in my own tummy. My legs started feeling weird and I knew I was about to join the illness party. I scrambled to the living room, downed a Zofran, took a few sips of Sprite and popped a piece of peppermint candy in my mouth, peppermint usually does the trick for me.

I laid back down...and within minutes, I was making a frantic sprint to the restroom. This wasn't just for unnatural-feeling bowel movements; this was because nausea hit me like a ton of bricks. I jumped into the shower, hoping the cold water would help, but it was too cold. I cranked it up—too hot. I settled somewhere in the middle, still not feeling right. I grabbed the spray nozzle because I honestly thought I was going to poop myself in the shower.

Nope. Instead, the dry heaves started. And not just three or four times. On the fifth heave, it seemed like everything I’d eaten over the past few days decided to exit one way, while the really recent stuff went the other. Once it starts for me, it doesn't stop until the sights and smells are gone, so the spray nozzle worked overtime getting everything off of me, off the sides and floor of the tub and down the drain. A quick squeeze of toothpaste in my mouth calmed me enough to wash up quickly with some shampoo and a bar of Dial, only to hit the toilet one more time. I am so glad I bought a bidet for my toilet because it has been an incredible tool throughout this time.

Terry came to the door to see if I was OK, obviously I wasn’t and I let him know I was definitely in the same boat as him. I requested ice chips, more Sprite and I grabbed a wet cloth before attempting to go back to bed. Sleep never really happened. I messaged my manager that I wouldn’t be in and I had a video visit with a Kaiser Permanente doctor. Listing all of my symptoms, Terry’s symptoms and the rapid onset, the doctor agreed immediately: classic norovirus. She told me to stay hydrated, expect to be out of work for three days and called in a new Zofran prescription, told me to take Pepcid AC to calm the stomach and take nothing like Imodium AD, she said Pepto would be OK in a few days but after everything’s out. Wednesday and Thursday were nothing but Gatorade, Sprite and ice chips.

I still don’t understand how Terry was able to eat on his second day, because I couldn't even think about food. Around 1 AM Thursday night, I started seeing flashes of light—orthostatic lightheadedness. I was weak, dehydrated and then I remembered something else: I hadn’t taken my blood pressure medicine (amlodipine) in a few days. I took it and went back to bed.

The whole ordeal was excruciating, but the worst parts were the body aches and the fact I had to sleep on a towel because I knew it was never just a fart. I wasn't really sleeping; I was weaving in and out of consciousness.

Friday morning, Terry, now functionally better though not 100%, woke up and encouraged me to try and eat something. While he was at work, I managed ½ cup of applesauce and 8 saltine crackers. 

Saturday, I decided I was not going to call out and I actually went to work and managed to get through an entire shift. I wasn’t hungry but before work I had the same amount of applesauce and also crackers. While I was at work, I had a few more crackers and for lunch I had a banana. I was wiped out by the time I got home from work and for dinner, I had some rice and applesauce. Terry thinks I should have been eating more by now but I really don’t feel I can jump into regular food like that because it’s all about "baby steps" for me, mostly because I have an irrational fear of vomiting and pooping myself. I'm taking precautions now, ordering hand sanitizer and wipes specifically effective against Norovirus to keep with me, because the stuff they have at the airport that works for COVID is useless against the Noro. I’m also realizing the airport is a giant petri dish. The contractors who are supposed to clean the restrooms and common areas aren’t exactly the cleanest people, I’ve seen them eating in the public restrooms, while the counters are covered in water and paper towels and stalls look like Noro had made its rounds. For Terry and I, hopefully, this is the last of it.

I’m so grateful to be on the upswing now, even if I’m just enjoying a banana like it's the greatest meal on Earth. I actually have a pork loin in the crock pot with some amazing spices, herbs, onion and garlic. Once it's done, I’m going to shred it up and add some BBQ sauce, in hopes I can handle some BBQ tonight. I know it’s not a glamorous story but thanks for reading! If you've been through this, drop your best recovery tips below—we can all use the help!

Years of Navigating Medical Challenges: A Year of Issues in Review

I've tried to keep most of my posts positive, but since this blog is about things I love and elements of my life, it can't always be cheerful. So, here I am, sitting at Kaiser Permanente, waiting for Terry as he gets the first of two lumbar facet nerve block diagnostics. Hopefully, this will lead to lumbar ablation and some relief from his years of pain.

Last year, I injured my back at work. Even though I like my job, Georgia's workers' comp laws aren't the best. I've endured pain while receiving treatment and working my normal schedule. I had similar procedures done and they offered a lot of relief, but I feel like I'm due for another round of ablation as the pain is starting to creep back.

This past year has been a medical nightmare for both Terry and me. If it wasn’t our backs, it was something else. I've struggled with weight loss for years. Over 20 years ago, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and low testosterone, but I lost my insurance when I was laid off. Working in restaurants and hotels meant no insurance, so I couldn't get treatment. Med-Afford clinic in Fayetteville has been a lifesaver, helping me with blood pressure, ear infections, and sleep issues. Terry’s been lucky with continuous insurance coverage.

For my back issues, workers' comp covers the costs, but everything else falls under my regular insurance. My work plan is decent, with lots of preventative care covered and a low deductible. But, as I sit here, I'm thinking about the past few months. Respiratory issues from the chlorine plume at the BioLab fire in Rockdale led to pharyngitis and a middle ear infection. This Thursday, I’m having my 7th myringotomy.

My ears have always been a struggle for me. I’ve dealt with ear infections as far back as I can remember. An old doctor my parents took me to for the typical "swimmer’s ear" sort of infection told my mom to put alcohol in my ears when they bothered me. So that's what she did, not realizing that not all ear infections are the same. Most of my issues were middle ear infections, and as noble as my mom’s efforts were with the alcohol drops, it couldn’t treat an infection on the other side of my eardrum.

My first-grade picture shows bags under my eyes because I spent most nights with my head on my mom's heating pad, trying to alleviate the pain and pressure from my left ear. Despite the colds, flu, and ear infections that followed, I had perfect attendance throughout my elementary school years. My mom eventually took me to a doctor who recommended a myringotomy in his office but warned that he wasn’t an ENT, so there was a chance I could go deaf. He suggested a specialist for a second opinion.

This was one of the rare times our family had insurance through my dad’s job. When my mom discussed it with my dad, he thought the doctor didn’t seem confident, but both of them were hesitant to seek a second opinion, fearing the original doctor would get mad. This was a thing for my parents—they firmly believed seeking a second opinion could be upsetting if the doctor found out. They didn't realize how crucial a second opinion could be.

Despite their reluctance, my middle ear infections would eventually resolve themselves, although they were particularly tough when I was working as an actor or singer. Not getting proper treatment earlier damaged the nerves and bones in my left ear, leaving me with only 5% hearing in that ear. Luckily, my right ear functions well, and I can rely on it. If only my parents had understood the importance of second opinions back then.

Eventually, I got a myringotomy, which helped for years, but I lost most of my hearing in my left ear due to untreated infections. Luckily, my right ear is mostly fine though I have had a few middle ear infections in it also. Recently, I got my testosterone levels tested again and I finally saw the specialist and I am now on testosterone therapy, currently on 2 pumps of gel a day and within a week or so I noticed a difference in energy as well as other things higher levels of testosterone bring 🍆💦💦💦 if you catch my drift.

Despite good insurance, co-pays and co-insurance add up, especially with taking time off for doctor's visits. Taking time off work for both my own doctor visits and Terry's has really eaten into my paychecks, thanks to using up all my sick time throughout the year. I'm determined, after this week, to be that person who shows up to work no matter what's going on. But trying to line up doctor visits on my only weekday off, Monday, is a real challenge.

One of the coolest things in modern medicine is the ability to do virtual and e-visits. Up until a few months ago, I had never done one, but I've had three over the past month: one with a specialist, another at 3:00 AM, and the third at 4:30 AM just before heading into work. I saw my parents struggle with their health when they were my age, and I vowed never to get that way. Here I am now, but luckily, access to medical resources has become a bit easier, depending on your insurance situation.

I really appreciate having Kaiser for insurance, especially with a few full-scale facilities near my house. They function like a factory assembly line: see the doctor, get labs done, and pick up meds at the pharmacy on the way out the door—no need to go anywhere else. I just wish they could cover time lost at work. I vowed never to let my health get as bad as my parents' did, and I'm grateful for easier access to medical resources.

So, that's what's been going on and those are my thoughts for the day. Sorry, nothing too exciting to report today though in a couple of hours, I'll share something a little more lighter.