No, no, and no, and for the last time-

I've never been a smoker!

Geez... sometimes medical people... they're standing there, looking at the chart in their hands- the chart that clearly says 'smoking: never'. So clear that I can read it upside down. The chart that was in the hands of the gal at intake, when she asked me if I was a smoker; the chart that was in front of the nurse when she took my vitals and asked if I was a smoker, the chart that was in the hands of the doctor, who then looked up at their fancy new computer system, looked at the SAME INFO there on the screen and then turned to me and said "You've never been a smoker?"

So I dragged myself in to the doctor on Friday. Had to shoehorn myself in- Dr Becher is fully booked until mid-June, so I saw a Dr Behle (pronounced Bailey). She verified that I have the viral crap that is all over the country (and all over Germany now, thanks to Katea and Wanda) . And she said that the crap in my chest is not pneumonia, which is good, but that the virus had jumpstarted my asthma, which is NOT good. They did the nifty peak-flow meter test thingie, which I flunked. And the little finger-clip oxygen thing wasn't happy either. (Which I guess was why they kept asking about smoking.) So they sent me home with an Rx for albuterol and one for a steroid inhaler. Got the albuterol, the steroid had to be ordered- hopefully it will be in Monday morning. The albuterol makes me feel like Hammy the squirrel on several cups of espresso and a Red Bull chaser- you could strap a brush to me and buff the floors. So now I can't sleep because of the cough *and* because of the drugs. Woo-hoo!

Annie is sick, which has me really worried. She hasn't been seriously ill (beside the random cold or tummy bug) since she was a kid. Sore throat, really swollen with the white patchy stuff on her tonsils. Classic tonsillitis. It hasn't been going away with aggressive amounts of home-care and when I called Sunday evening she was in tears most of the call. She can't swallow solids, can just barely get down liquids, barely talk, etc. She's missing days of work now, so she's worried about money. I told her Go.To.The.Doctor, and we'd figure out the money stuff after she'd feeling better. Fortunately there's a teaching hospital close by- she's headed there tomorrow for Urgent Care or ER or whatever- whatever it takes.

It just kills me. I'm thousands of miles away. I can't just say "Mommy fix" and hop in the car. Oooohhh... guilt guilt guilt...

Well, beyond all that, I have to get my rear in gear tomorrow and seriously start in on pre-tourney stuff. Bleh. Hope I feel better in the morning.

News came in from Crown. Tiernan del Cais won. Not really a surprise- he's been in the top gang several times. He seems to be a decent fellow, but I am... a bit woodjy about his wife. The only interaction I had with her was not the best, and a number of people I trust have had problems with her. So I guess we'll see. My participation may be low this tourney season, thanks to gas prices, so it may be a personal non-issue, but I don't have a good feeling about Stromgard, and about possible repercussions to Amalric and Caia. They're adults and can take care of themselves, but still, they're my friends...

I am looking forward to Egils- I like camping, at least our style ;-) and I love puttering in the kitchen all day I just hop the weather is better than it has been the past couple of years!

Geez- what am I going to wear! Ack!