It’s been a tough long week. One week ago today, I was sitting right where I am now at my desk in my office wondering what was wrong with my heater.

I was conducting interviews as part of my job. I was having trouble concentrating. I was fire and ice. It was too hot, then too cold, repeat. On top of all of that, I was getting a weird pain in my leg which I attributed to a particularly long bike ride the day before.

After my calls I was feeling really tired and off my game I went inside the house and took my temperature. 101 F. 101. That’s like almost dead. So I took fever reducer, put an ice pack on my head, and took a nap. I am not a nap person, something was rotten in Denmark.

My wife and I did what one never should and Googled my symptoms. It was either an infected wound, and I had not been wounded, or it was a blood clot. SCARY. I knew I had to do something that I hate hate hate to do. I had to go to the emergency room. So we did.

Turns out it was the first thing, an infection of the skin, cellulitis. My leg was not hurt from too much motorcycling, it was somehow infected. Apparently this can happen from just a scratch or a small cut. I had to go to a second ER to confirm the lack of blood clot with a larger and much more uncomfortable sonogram machine, like the ones they use for expecting mothers.

Y’all don’t want this skin thing. I ended up taking two days off work this week and could not drive or even walk very well. So I am here and back to work. I’m reflecting on how grateful I am that my body is usually in such great health, at how much it does for me each day, and how healthcare workers are really there for us when we need them.

Feeling grateful - wash your hands.