Will I Ever Get Better?

About a week after New Year's, I was running around the house, picking things up and thinking about 500 million different things like always. I noticed that when I bent over, there was a pain in my chest. Weird. I paid attention to it sort of, marked it in my brain and moved on. A couple of days later, I had this cough starting. A 'reactive' cough as they call it. Then a low fever. I'm very commonly sick in my sinuses, so to be sick in my chest was really weird. I don't have anything in my house for chest congestion. I took myself to the dr (which ended up being the PA) and found out that I had bronchitis. She gave me an inhaler and some cough syrup. I hate that prescription cough syrup. It never helps. It never does anything. It's like the doctor knows there really isn't anything they can do, but it's the standard 'go to' prescription. She told me it could take a month to get over it. A month later, the cough was almost gone. I was still running a low temp (alllll that time). A couple of my kids had a one night bout with the throwups. Sassy transitioned immediately into a fever/cough/sinus infection. A few days later, Link got the fever/cough/sinus infection. And then I started to get sick. My bronchitis took on a whole new life, like someone had given in vitamins or something. But this time, I was all congested in my head too. After a few more days, George came home from school with a fever and 5 days later he was on antibiotics for, yes, the third sinus infection. Geez. Me however? I'm tired. My body hurts. My head feels like it's going to freaking explode. I'm so congested. My sinuses are throbbing and my chest hurts so bad when I cough. Which comes in waves that I can't stop. And even though I can only cough so hard physically, my body wants me to cough harder than it's capable of and then I sound like I'm dying or something. Gross.

So back to the PA who says, literally, "Well, I think what you have going on in your sinuses is viral. But let's put you on an antibiotic in case you have something else going on that we can't identify." You have GOT to be kidding me. I think she was offended when she asked me if I had been using the cough syrup and I said no. I told her the night-time theraflu was doing just fine and I hadn't felt like I needed it. I hear tales of these doctors who test for influenza. They must be out there somewhere. Mine doesn't. I've never even heard anyone suggest that it can be done other than my friends or family who've experienced it. So I have decided that's what I have and the PA is an idiot. Since I've been under-the-weather since the beginning of January, I decided it was time to throw in the towel. I canceled everything for the week. I made arrangements for children and I've spent the last three/four days in my pajamas doing almost nothing. I feel the tiniest shred of a hair better this morning. I could actually taste my breakfast. I ate out of habit more than anything though. I still don't feel hungry or desire to really eat. Not so bad, right? Today is the first day that I will be home alone. George finally went back to school today. Landee will be here in a minute to pick up Sassy for gymnastics. I will need to take her to dinner or something after all this blows over.

Worst of all, I'm supposed to be making this big, gorgeous cake for my friend's 40th birthday this weekend. Do I cancel on her? Or do I muscle through it? What would you do?