Universe, are you joking?

It seems like this happens every time I try to get my weight/exercise habits/eating habits back on track; some random but somewhat debilitating health issue pops up, and I am back in a comfort eating rut. A few months ago, when finally feeling like my knee was ready to start exercising, and when I had the energy to start cooking again, I had impacted, infected wisdom teeth that had to come out. No big deal, until I also developed a locked jaw and throat infections post-op that consumed the month of November.

Finally, healthy again and ready to roll, the kids and I were brought down by some kind of never ending respiratory bug. No big deal, it happens every winter. But this cold brought me a special gift. I've been deaf in my right ear since birth, which has never really bothered me. But in the midst of this cold, I developed something called bullous myrngitis, which is blisters behind the ear drums, and rarely accompanied by neurological hearing loss. I lost a good chunk of the hearing in my good ear, and am now on steroids and antibiotics trying to get my hearing back. We'll know in a few weeks how much loss will be permanent, and whether or not I need a hearing aid.

I am trying very hard not to let this get me down. This is far from the end of the world, but I am also only human, and I am feeling like I would just like to catch a break. I don't want to be a "sickly" person, who is always whining about her health, so most people don't have any idea about any of this.

Since exercise is again on hiatus until the pressure in my ear recedes, I am left with trying to manage the comfort eating I so crave, which is being seriously spurred on by the huge dose of steroids I am on. I've gained 10 lbs of water weight in the past week since this happened. That is pretty hard to swallow too, and makes me feel like I don't have a lot of control right now.

I'd like to make some bold, strong statement about making positive life changes in the midst of this uncertainty, but honestly, I just can't. Not today. Maybe tomorrow.