Feeling a little sick.

So, here’s something I forgot…

There are other kinds of sickness besides losing your foot, and foot loss related malady.

Over the past couple of days, I’ve been developing a really solid sore throat and sinus congestion, and, today, I woke up unable to speak, which is a real bummer.

It’s gotten a little better since the morning, but I still sound about an octave lower than normal, which is sweet if you’re doing some Barry White, but not so good when you’re about the head into tech week on The Wizard of Oz, during which I will be playing Uncle Henry.

I am already a little self-conscious about doing my first show from the wheelchair. It would be a crying shame if I also couldn’t speak.

I’d feel like a pet rock out there.

But I also know that, now that I’m recovering from a serious injury, “pushing through” a sickness like this isn’t going to do me any good. I mean, that’s part of the reason I’m in this chair to begin with.

And I’ve promised myself not to do that kind of thing anymore. I only have one good leg to gamble with.

So, not only am I not particulary mobile, but I’m also not feeling well. If it escalates, it becomes a logistical and physical problem.

You know what you don’t think about until it becomes a possibilty? The fact that, if you have to throw up, and you can’t be standing up at the time, you need a recepticle wherever you are, so you can do it facing front.

Without two feet, it’s awful hard to stand up facing front in front of the toilet.

Also, being sort of sick really saps your energy, which throws your balance…well…out of balance, and makes it more difficult, and perhaps prohibitive to do all of the one-legged things I’ve gotten used to doing over the course of the past couple of months.

So, here’s a tip.

Prepare for being sick, even when you aren’t. Make a plan and think it through. If it’s going to be difficult to get medicine or cough drops or orange juice or chicken soup, give yourself the gift of getting those things in house when you aren’t sick. Future you will thank you so much for the effort.

But, also, this.

Your body is different now. There were sicknesses that you could ignore before, but you can’t anymore. It’s just another thing you’re going to have to admit to yourself. And that’s ok. It’s better to be remotely healthy and angry than to be self-satisfied in the hospital again.

So, take care of yourself. I’m trying it out myself.

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As always, if you have it in you, please give a thought to donating time or money to Hospice Austin. They do amazing work for people who are going through the hardest thing a person can face.

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