Lyme Disease, AntiBiotics and A Messed Up Face -- Just Be Who You Are, Cody

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." -- Dr Seuss

I’m just not myself right now. One of the main symptoms of Lyme Disease is lethargy. One of the side effects of daily IV injections of the antibiotic Ceftriaxone is lethargy. But after two full weeks of sitting on the sidelines – basically the first time I’ve ever taken sick days in my career that I can recall – I came into work Monday, with adrenalin flowing. That adrenalin and the psychology surrounding it carried me midway through the week.

But lemme tell ya, it took just about everything I had to get through this week of work. Thursday afternoon I hit a wall and became emotionally and physically exhausted.

The bartenders and crew at Happy Hour teased me Thursday evening about how scared they were to see me on caffeine when I ordered a Coke instead of my usual ginger ale at the Bull & Bear. I usually have a cup of coffee in the morning and half a coke at lunch. But I’m a guy who considers six hours of sleep a full night’s worth, and I typically stay away from caffeine after 4pm. However, the crew needn’t have worried about me bounding over the bar this week or next – at least not until I get this tube out of my left arm’s bicep vein and don’t have to pump these liquids into my system anymore. I’m just not myself right now.

On a related note, I will note how relieved I am that my face is mostly back to working normally again. I’ve now got about 95% control of the right side of my face, up from about 20% just a couple short weeks ago. Everybody who’s had a friend or relative who’s had Bell’s Palsy assured me that it’d be sure to go away after a couple months. But I tell ya’, it’s scary when it’s happening to you and your face just doesn’t work. (How remarkable my Bell’s has faded much more quickly.)

Indeed, with my limited ability to pronunciate my F’s clearly (whenever my mom would tell me my face was better during the couple weeks the Bell’s Palsy was in control, I told her to let me know when I could say “I’m a freak” without sounding like a freak…) and the stares that I’d get anytime I would gather up the energy to venture into the public, along with the un-Cody-like utter lack of energy I’ve had, I’ve sort of felt like I’ve been living in someone else’s skin. A lot of folks have noted how much I’ve looked like Two-Face from Batman. They had no idea on how many levels they’ve been right. I’ve just not been myself.

Being myself though, I’m feeling guilty for having fallen behind in answering what’s hundreds of emails from friends and family and viewers and readers who reached out to me during my illness when I simply couldn’t muster the energy to read all my emails, much less answer them. Sorry if I’ve left you hanging. I’ll get caught up when I’m actually done with these treatments and thusly this disease.

That’ll be in another couple weeks, as I’ve got a feeling that since I could barely get out of bed this morning to for a short ride with Lobo, that this week will be much like last week, when I rushed home each night from the show to do my treatments and collapse for the night.

Speaking of which, I think this body that Cody is indeed stuck living inside of right now demands that I do just that – collapse.

Just be who you are, right, Cody?

Oh, you were asking me? Yes, just be yourself. I mean, just be myself and take care of yourself.  Er, myself.  Somebody help.  You can only help yourself.

Collapse for now. But like I said – I’ll be back more than full speed when all this is all said and done.