Minor Miseries

I've been feeling rotten the past 10 days for various unrelated reasons.  Now please do understand I'm not comparing that to any serious problems.  No broken bone, no serious illness, no diagnosis of lifelong condition.  Just several surprises.

I've been fortunate to be generally healthy all my life (and I turn 66 next month).  So it is more a matter of what I am unused to.

So when I started violent sneezing fits 10 days ago, I was surprised and concerned.  And I mean SUDDEN and VIOLENT!  I went through an entire box of Kleenex in one day.  I literally could not be out of reach of tissues.  I barely slept for 2 nights. 

Now, I do recall having to take Coricidin-D for allergies to our family cat as a teenager.  And a couple of times, I had a brief sneezing fit when I had a teen job mowing lawns.  But all that went away.  The most I had since teenage years was a couple of sudden sneezes when I first walked into bright sunlight for the day once or twice a year. 

So this sudden constant unending sneezing and nose-blowing really baffled me.  And it was actually debilitating.  And exhausting.  You know how, when you blow your nose, you tighten up your abdominal muscles?  Well, I did that so many times it HURT.  Can you sprain your diaphram?

It lasted 3 full days and then stopped like flipping a light switch.  The only thing I can think is that (which climate change) some new weed as moved into my area.  I saw one unfamiliar plant I think is a wild mustard, but it is still blooming and the sneezing has stopped. 

One odd thing is that I had walked outside through the tall lawn grass just before it started and the cats were all upset by the smells on the cuffs of my pants.  They gave the "flehmen" response where a smell suggests an enemy.  I wonder is some unusual animal came through the yard and maybe peed on the grass I walked through; some thing I reacted to...

Then, as soon as that was over, I twisted my right knee.  I've been limping for a week!  At first, I thought it was an attack of gout (I have had a couple incidences of that in the past 20 years, but the knee wasn't sensitive and swollen like gout.  I must had just strained it too much doing yardwork.  That has happened before.  I push myself too hard sometimes. 

But that usually only lasts a day or two, and this is the 7th day.  It is nearly gone away, so it isn't serious, but it sure made getting around and doing house and yard chores hard!  And there was NO comfortable position in which to sleep. 

And now I'm getting muscle cramps on the sides of my chest.  No, don't worry, not heart attacks.  I get them from twisting around too much while working.  That's been a problem for many years.  I try to be careful, but sometimes the most innocent movements will cause it.  Happens on both sides, but never both at the same time.  Sometimes just cleaning the litter boxes will start it. 

I had a roommate once who got pnuemonia and coughed so hard he actually broke a rib, causing similar problems.  I have a slightly constant cough from smoking (don't bother telling me how stupid that is, I KNOW).  But I wonder if I have done the same damage to some ribs. 

I hope this series of problems is only temporary.  Otherwise, the rest of my life if going to be rather uncomfortable...

My apologies to people with REAL problems.  But what you aren't used to is difficult to GET used to and I sure hope I don't HAVE to get used to these sorts of things.  My dad never had any physical problems in his life until his last year.  If things don't get worse and I live to his age (92), I will be very grateful...  And I suppose I would be grateful at 80 if it doesn't get worse.