Recuperation

Only after the doctor gave him antibiotics did the Squirmle show real signs of being ill: by the Thursday his temperature had reached over 100. Fortunately by Monday lunchtime he was back to normal, so I could take him to nursery and then crash out myself to try and fight off whatever he had passed on to me.

However, last Friday I woke early in the morning with a dull ache in both hands, reaching halfway up the forearm, and found that my fingers didn't work properly. I had no strength in my grip, and any attempt to lift or pull anything caused pain in the fingers and forearm. Pouring the tea took two hands, and I had to find a new way of holding my spray deodorant. Amid mutterings about "carpal tunnel syndrome" (which it certainly wasn't), I contacted the doctor. It may just have been a side effect of the viral infection, but it was worrying, since it made actions like picking up the baby and changing his nappy both extremely difficult and acutely painful. I was relieved that by today it had subsided to a vague tiredness of the muscles. Actually, the bit that made me feel the worst was the blood test ordered by the doctor. I've always felt faint after blood donation (had to give it up), but I discovered that having even a small amount of blood removed left me faint, nauseated, and deeply unhappy. I had to lie down for five minutes while the Squirmle wriggled in his buggy.