Pathways to Healing

Ugh! I am feeling so frustrated right now.

On Christmas Eve, Michael began complaining of a sore throat. Christmas day, he had pink eye and a burst eardrum. Boxing Day, he had two pink eyes and two burst ear drums. We had been treating it homeopathically and herbally (mullein drops for the ears before they burst and eyebright compresses for the eyes) but decided to go to a doc. We came home with three prescriptions for antibiotic/steroid eyedrops, oral antibiotics, and eardrops. We filled the eyedrops and skipped the rest.

The next day Michael broke out in hives from the eyedrops.

Meanwhile, Katie Grace had one pink eye and a cough.

Nicholas has goopy eyes that never quite turned pink.

All three of them STILL have a cough.

I managed to pick up a double ear and sinus infection. I went to the doc's on Tuesday, and did end up filling the script for antibiotics. I've also been downing Vitamin C like a crazy person. But oh my goodness, I am still. so. sick. I have no voice. My ears still hurt. My throat is killing me. My head feels like it's going to explode. I have swollen glands. I lost my voice. I think I'm going to have to skip my prenatal visit today. :(

I've been reading Healing at Home: A guide to using alternative remedies and conventional medication that will change your approach to illness by Sandra Greenstone. It's interesting, because she talks about three different "paths" of care you can choose: Supporting the healing process ("caring for the whole person through proper nutrition, fluids, warmth, rest, and care of the senses..."), home therapies, such as herbs, homeopathy, aromatherapy, etc, and commonly prescribed drug therapy. I suppose where I am frustrated is that I've tried to approach this illness in a very balanced, self-honoring way. I've tried to eat healthy foods and keep hydrated, I've rested, I've kept the television off. I've take Sodium Absorbicate and Emergen-C and homeopathic losengers and showers to loosen the phlegm and drank herbal cold care teas and gargled with sea salt and put Erbaviva sniffle care aromatherapy in the diffuser. And I've taken the antibiotic and Tylenol even though I absolutely loathe taking this stuff when I'm pregnant.

And I'm still sick.

I'm starting to feel sort of depressed and like some Higher Power is out to get me. I feel guilty because this was supposed to be the week we got back into a rhythm and routine, and I can't even talk. Worst of all, I'm starting to feel very crabby.