Sick and tired of being sick and tired

By FAITH MOLDAN

Bigfork Eagle

Being sick is never fun, but being sick in Northwest Montana during the summer is the worst.

As I lay in bed last week with a 100-degree fever and strep throat, all I could think was that my illness was stopping me from doing so many things in this beautiful place I get to call home.

I managed to type in the results of the Ladies' Invitational at Eagle Bend at work last week, even wishing that I was well enough to play a round of one of my least favorite sports. The lush green grass and views sounded glorious as I tried to get my work done as quickly as possible and go home to treat my ailments.

My fevered body felt hot enough to fry an egg on it, and the 19 hours I was without power at my house made me honestly think about jumping in the lake to cool down. Instead of being able to get out on a boat and zoom around the lake, or even simply stand on a dock or on the shore and fish, I was fishing another antibiotic out of the bottle.

The soreness in my throat and the ache in my ears made me wish for the soreness and aches that plagued my body just a few days prior to my diagnosis. Hiking in the Montana wilderness is always strenuous and gives me some achy joints. I wanted that back. Heck, I wanted enough energy to actually get out of bed and do more than grab another bottle of Gatorade or Jello cup from the fridge.

I heard my neighbor kids outside playing and laughing. Other kids rode past my house on their bikes, scooters and skateboards. I had never felt so lazy before, but there was nothing I could do about it. The sounds of racquets and tennis balls at the courts down the street from my house taunted me as I dozed off once again.

The spell of lightheadedness I experienced while picking up a few groceries passed and I was able to put my groceries in the trunk of my car without dropping a bag of food all over the parking lot. I moved my baseball gloves, baseball and softball aside to make room in the trunk and wished that I was well enough to play catch with someone. But instead, I hurried myself home and into bed again.

My energy level and wellness had both increased enough for me to take part in the third annual Relay for Life in Bigfork. I even managed to turn a cartwheel while helping set up our tent and walked about nine miles around the track during the event. It felt amazing to feel healthy again, at least healthier, just in time to do some good for people who are fighting a much worse illness — cancer.

With about 1.5 months of "summer" remaining, I've started a long to-do list to make up for the time I spent laid up last week. I better get started.