Dealing With This Cold/Flu/Weirdishness

Several weeks ago, during "Urinetown" rehearsals, I got sick. But just a little sick. I got better.

But it wasn't the end. It appeared to be a rolling illness, or a series of illnesses, that would never quite end before the next began.

Last week, of course, was the worst. I got sick, worse than ever, towards the end of ultra-demanding "Urinetown" tech week. Not only did it degrade my performance, but it nearly caused me to lose consciousness during Saturday's opening number, which would have vastly-complicated life for the crew and cast.

Early this week, I seemed to improve a bit, but Tuesday may have been the worst day of all. I felt really spaced-out and weird all day - most of all, at about 6 p.m. I wondered if I might be having a heart attack, albeit a strange one, with no pain.

Feeling so strange, I didn't work at all, but focused instead on an undone task - locating last season's Breaking Bad site where Skyler shows Walt the enormous stack of cash. Where was that obscure storage unit located?

Feeling weird means you have laser focus on eccentric matters. It took four cold calls to assorted New Mexico storage businesses, but lo and behold, I located that site! I am so happy! I updated my BrBa Web pages with the information.

Then I remembered something. Last year, I also felt strange. The culprit wasn't illness, but the balance of blood pressure medication.

About three years ago, the doctor put me on potassium chloride (KCL; or potash) supplement, to counteract potassium loss caused by the medication. Last year, he put me on new KCL-loss-blocking blood pressure medication, which required me to stop taking the supplement. Which I did.

But I think I still, occasionally, need KCl. Last year, when I felt weird, it took just one KCl tablet to feel better.

Last night, I tried it again, and it worked again.

I'm feeling a bit odd this afternoon, but better than yesterday. I'll see what transpires.

During typical tech weeks, I tend to gain weight, because I eat more, and more erratically. During "Urinetown" tech week, I maintained weight, at 182 lbs.

Nevertheless, this morning, I weighed 176 lbs. It's weight loss to rival the 2010 Mexican trip illness! There are benefits to illness!