Vacation Drain

Vacation fun or shall we say vacation stress. I have always been a homebody. When I was diagnosed with HIV, I became even more of a homebody in all honesty. My immune system was so damaged when we learned about my status; I easily became ill after being around other people.

I am venturing out of my comfort zone this year and trying to take some vacations. Honestly, some of these vacations are forced. By forced, I mean that my other half planned the vacations and I am along for the ride! My most recent vacation was a trip to Atlantic City and I am feeling the post-vacation drain!

Atlantic City trip

About 2 days into my vacation, I was already ready to return home. The casino was isolated from other places for tourists to see.

Additionally, the weather was cold and windy; therefore, we could not spend time on the boardwalk that was an Uber ride away. I am not a big gambler. Maybe if I had more income, it would be different.

Feeling overwhelmed

The first night we were at the casino it was still the weekend. So, there were so many people moving around. I felt drastically overwhelmed. The number of people, the noise, and the smoke were all a bit much for me. Even staying on the casino floor for a long time started to give me a migraine.

Back home and feeling drained

Normally, as soon as I get home from a trip, I unpack my luggage and do laundry. This time, I took the dirty clothes out and started laundry the next day. It took me a couple of days to unpack my luggage.

The first night back I was not even in a rush to fetch my dogs. That says something, because I love my furry pals. I just wanted to shower in my own shower and sleep in my own bed.

Sick

The day after we arrived home, my other half started feeling bad. Luckily for him, when he gets sick, he is only down for 2 days. Trust me when I say, I stayed far away from him while he was not feeling well.

A couple of days after being home, I started feeling ill. I was afraid of this happening. I was around too many people and on a plane, twice. My body responds slowly in most cases. Unlike my other half, I have been feeling sick for a week.

Going to urgent care

I went to the local urgent care facility 2 days ago. My heart rate was 140. We did a chest x-ray and some IV fluids. Much to my surprise, the chest x-ray was clear. I have a history of pneumonia and it was burning in my chest when I breathe in. The urgent care gave me a round of antibiotics and instructed me to go to the emergency room if things do not improve.

So far, I am still sick. The strangest thing is I do not have a fever. I have a deep cough that hurts my chest. Sometimes I cough up green stuff. Additionally, my chest hurts. All of this, yet my chest x-ray was clear. It is very strange.

Vacay take-aways

I feel like this was a vacation fail for me! I honestly did not enjoy the trip and I am not enjoying the aftermath. The only true positive was that I got to try a real Philly cheesesteak and it was so good! I am hopeful that my next vacation will be much better.