Right now I am trying to get over allergies and a head/chest cold at the same time. Today I tried to drive to church and was sneezing and coughing so bad, I think my pups wanted to take the wheel. When I finally got home, I took a nap. I then awakened and had some soup I failed to register right away as too hot. While eating I went to go and do my schedule for this weeks shopping. Well my coughing and sneezing was acting up so I took some medicine, finished my route planning and zonked out again. I came to a little while ago and was checking my route. I really must inform the sick me that while a city is within a state, it does not make it on my way. I also need to inform myself while sick that a 3 hour drive does not make cities all that neighboring. oh this is going to be such a fun week. I have a shop in Corpus Christie at 8 am and a lunch by 1 pm in Needville on Wednesday.
Note to self - do not touch shop schedule whilst sick. sigh

ps I can't afford to spend any more time "off" since what happened earlier this month killed $300 and had me loose 20 days. I have money coming, yes. However I must eat and feed the pups and the last thing I needed was to get sick and loose more time/money. I need to suck it up and deal but I did shake my head at myself since I normally know better than to schedule like that.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/27/2014 06:20AM by gypsymonkey.

Gypsy, just be really, really, REALLY careful when you're driving, when you're coughing (and sneezing) that way, and tired/out of it. Seriously.

Back in 2001, I had the most horrific day of my life. I was driving my niece and two Smooth Collies to a dog show weekend at the beach. I have always had allergies, and was also getting over what I thought was just a cold. I still had a cough. Sometimes, the cough would get really bad, so bad that I could barely breathe or catch my breath. And that would make me really, really dizzy ~ like vertigo dizzy. Before this trip, I'd actually had to pull over a couple of times to catch my breath and recover from temporary dizziness when driving around town. It was scary, but I thought I'd be OK.

I wasn't.

I got one of those coughing jags while cruising down the highway at about 70 mph. It got bad. Really bad. Apparently so bad that this time I passed out from not being able to catch my breath and the vertigo. When I came to, my mini-van was sitting on it's butt end, nearly but not quite vertical, against a bridge abutment some distance off the freeway. A fire was starting under the hood. My niece and I had to jump out the driver's door, and it was a long way down because the front end of the car was so far up in the air. The passenger's side was up against thick/heavy brush.

We were exceptionally fortunate that two other drivers, who stopped to help, were an off-duty cop and an off-duty ER nurse.

We couldn't get the Collies, who were riding in the back of the van of course, out via the sliding door, because the van only had a sliding door on the passenger's side, which, as I noted, was blocked. And, as also mentioned, the car was sitting on it's back hatch so we couldn't get them out that way, either. Right after helping me & my niece out, the cop tried to get in and get the Collies through the driver's door, but the fire was spreading too fast and he had to run. All of this happened in a very short timeframe.

I stood there and watched my car explode in a giant fireball, with my two precious Collies still inside.

That day pretty much ruined the next many years of my life. I am deeply damaged and haunted by it still.

I can't even begin to imagine if anything had happened to my niece, too, who was only 15 at the time. Or, if I had hit/injured/killed another driver.

Turns out I had whooping cough and didn't know it. I wish with all my heart I hadn't taken that trip when I was coughing like that.

Please... please please please be careful... especially if you're driving with your sweet doggies. I wouldn't wish the hell I went through on anyone. {hugs}

I hope you feel better soon, try Tylenol Cold and Sinus. It helped me survive last winter.

Oh My Gosh Storm! What a sad story about your baby Collies! Big Hugs!!!!

And Gypsy, be careful. I heard a very strange cough in the Lowes the other day and then it struck me! That guy had Whooping Cough!

My cough turned into Pneumonia! I had it 3 weeks and I would not wish gasping for air 24 hours a day, on anyone!

Gypsy: You sound very sick. You know you won't get better if you keep working. Shut it all down and get some rest!If you have kids or family, think of them. They are your "drive" to taking care of your health and not making yourself or possibly others, sick.

Storm, I am so sorry about your pups. I understand how difficult that is. I will be careful on the road. Today is a heavy day with 9 shops and the drive however tomorrow is only 4 shops and no drive. Wednesday will be hectic but doable (4 shops and a drive). Thursday is 3 shops and Friday is only one shop. Looks like about $600 for the week. I will not be taking any more nyquil, just halls. I have been asthmatic my entire life and know that the Las Cruces weather and desert just got the best of me. I am trying to aim for Florida where I can veg next week with friends and it not cost me anything.
I will be careful and will take it slow on the road.

Texas is a big state, so much so that it irritates me when schedulers say things like "I have an open shop in (far off town I've never heard of), is that anywhere near you?"

Here in Houston, TX, we are actually closer to Tallahassee, FL, than El Paso, TX (by about 40 miles give or take). Something more than a two hour drive away, even if technically in the same state, may as well be across the Louisiana border.

DrSquash I mean no offense to any one when I say this however yesterday I was scheduling like a scheduler so I am laughing over here at your response. I know better then to schedule El Paso --> San Antonio --> Corpus Christi --> Galveston --> Houston drive without some "bump" time. I have driven it before and I was not shopping the route, just driving up to MT and it was a bear then. I am hoping that all of the shops go smooth, quick and without a hitch. The majority of them are yes/no with a small naritive so I should be ok. Also several have 48 hour deadlines with followup requirements so I should be able to get it done. Trust me though, I learned niquil, being sick and scheduling is not for the faint of heart especially since I just found out that my light days had things hovering and just cleared. I will be careful driving though.

I teared up reading that story. I'm sure even time hasn't healed that wound. Glad you are OK at least physically.

Stormcloud - that would have been so damaging to my psyche as well. What a horrific experience.