I’ve only had a cold since last Thursday, but by Saturday afternoon I was already feeling the tightness in the chest.  Seriously?!  So close to Christmas?!  I went to the doctor’s office today and confirmed it: yes, I have pneumonia. Again.  For the sixth time since early 2008.

When we returned from India a little less than five years ago, I was almost eight months pregnant with our youngest.  Thankfully, none of us caught anything terrible during our year in India (there are some nasty bugs there, so I was very relieved), but ironically I caught a cold/flu thing soon after our return and I got really sick, sicker than I had in many years.  After three weeks of suffering, I finally went to the doctor with a horrible cough and was diagnosed with pneumonia.  They admitted me to the hospital for a couple of days to administer antibiotics, and I recovered fully by the time she was born, but they warned me that for at least five years I would be susceptible to pneumonia.

March will be the five-year mark for the first bout, and I wonder if these annual (or worse) cases of pneumonia will subside.  Manly Guy gets frustrated with me when I get a cold and I don’t rest, but it is *so* hard when there is so much to do!  Now I have no choice but to take my antibiotics and crawl into bed.  Here’s hoping I get better in time to see the kids’ piano recital this weekend . . .