Back at the beginning of the week the kids got sick: high fevers (104F+) and a cough. We gave them ibuprofen to reduce the fever, called in to the pediatricians to check if we needed to do anything else (no, unless the fever doesn't go down with medicine), and the kids sweated it out. When max takes a nap, you know he's not feeling well. I was hoping that was the end of it, but unfortunately, since the kids sleep with us, we're just inches away from inoculation.
Sure enough, its Friday and I'm working down in the basement (which is still a cool 64F) and I'm suddenly hit by a case of the chills. In fact, after coming upstairs, it still takes three layers of clothing and a heavy comforter for me to feel warm upstairs where its 79F. Check my temperature: 105.6F. Dang that's hot. Take some ibuprofen and crash for the evening. The next day I'm death warmed over, but I have enough sense to avoid trying any heavy mental lifting. My brain is so bunged that there's no way I could do anything useful like code. I imagine its a little like Charlie (in Flowers for Algernon), knowing that once before there was more capacity there...a brighter spark, but only being able to remember it like a dim memory. In my case I'm hopeful that at least some of my brain will return (baking your brain is not good for it) as well as my strength, energy, and ability to tolerate a room temperature lower than 95F.
On the other hand, I have to really recommend forehead thermometers. We ended up with this one after our kids decided the ear one was a hammer:
They're just as cheap these days ($35), and work just by pressing to the forehead (or behind an ear), and dragging it around an inch or so so that it runs over a blood vessel or two. Quick, the kids don't mind it, very easy to clean, and supposedly more accurate than taking a reading in the ear.
