So here's your update, or your scorecard, or whatever.

I have pneumonia. Jeff has bronchitis. The hacking and wheezing is a sight to behold, but the good news is that nobody's going to the hospital—hooray! My white cell count has dropped from 18,000 to 15,000, which still isn't good, but it's an improvement and indicates I'm responding to antibiotics. Jeff's currently stands at 16,000. (Normal? 4,500-10,000 per microliter)

We are sad and pathetic, but we are sad and pathetic together, and that's what counts.

I am being treated with a veritable cornucopia of drugs:

• Three nebulizer-based breathing treatments (one yesterday, two today) with albuterol.
• horse-sized naproxen tablets for pain.
• levaquin (levofloxacin) - antibiotic
• guaifenesin to thin out some of the crap residing in my lungs
• Advair (fluticasone) - steroid, bronchodilator
• Singulair (montelukast) - anti-inflammatory agent
• cough syrup with phenylephrine (decongestant), diphenhydramine (antihistamine), and hydrocodone (narcotic pain relief).

Since I'm taking 750mg of the levaquin daily, I've been advised to eat as much yogurt as I can stand, to hopefully help ward off potential gastrointestinal issues and (even yummier!) yeast infections. We bought a LOT of yogurt today.

We're talking a metric sandal-wearing-hippie-ton of yogurt.

I said this to someone today—can't remember who—but it took me a little while to realize why this infection was being treated so aggressively. In the grand scheme of things, you treat an upper respiratory infection so that it won't escalate into bronchitis, and you treat bronchitis so that it won't escalate into pneumonia.

Yeah, well, guess what. So much for escalation. Been there, done that, learned how to prop myself up on pillows so I could breathe well enough to sleep. This bites. So who does the dishes? The guy with bronchitis or the girl with pneumonia? A difficult question indeed. :)

The short version is that we're sick, but I'm definitely responding to treatment, and we'll be on the road to recovery soon as long as we rest. Our next checkup is Monday.