Alive in San Francisco

First, I have to apologize for the lack of blog updates recently. I’ve been overwhelmed at work getting ready for one of the most significant product launches in the history of Cisco. To make matters worse, I came down with a bacterial infection last week.

With a pending trip to San Francisco, I rushed to the doctor on Thursday hoping I could banish the sickness before traveling. Unfortunately, things got worse before they got better. I woke up on Sunday morning feeling terrible and barely able to breathe through my nasal cavities — not a good sign right before boarding a plane. Undeterred, I inhaled nose spray in the hopes that it would keep my sinuses clear enough to endure the pressure changes during takeoff and landing.

Takeoff was uncomfortable; my ears were slow to adjust to the pressure changes, but eventually they did. I slept through most of the flight, hoping the rest would help me feel better. The flight was uneventful for the most part; that is, until we went to land. Almost immediately, both ears clogged, and it just kept getting worse as we continued to descend. I could barely hear the people sitting next to me who were talking. I was just praying that I wouldn’t rupture my eardrum (it’s happened to me once before, and it’s an experience I don’t want to repeat). Did I mention how much I hate traveling when I’m sick?

Finally, we landed. The pressure inside my head was painful. There was no relief even on the ground. Twenty minutes later, my right ear began to pop and release the pressure. Unfortunately, my left ear refused to cooperate. It hurt so bad that the left side of my face felt numb. Yeah, I hate traveling sick.

I was running a fever again by the time I made it to the hotel. My ear was still completely clogged. Oh yeah…did I mention I was supposed to be working? Well, I had to bail out of my work plans and rest because the big event started on Monday, and I had to be there. Besides, my ear was killing me.

Twenty-four hours later my ear still refused to cooperate. It wasn’t until late in the day that it started to release the pressure. Forty-eight hours later, it’s still popping. Each time, it feels better and I can hear with more clarity, but wow, what a pain in the…well…ear. Can I say again how much I hate being sick?

I’m relieved that I’m finally starting to feel better, and I’m happy that our launch event was a huge success. The last three days have been difficult, but I’m still alive and that’s the important thing. The conference ends tomorrow, and then I’m heading from San Francisco to San Jose for the rest of the week. I return home on Friday, and I’m looking forward to a plane trip home without the complications of a bacterial infection!