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Down for the count

I am fairly certain this is the third time this year I have been ill. Prior to this year (or maybe last year), I got sick once a year, more likely once every few years, and it was usually over in a day or two. I have no idea what is going on with me. This particularly illness has really thrown me for a loop. I went to bed at 8 p.m. on Sunday after having felt tired and achy all day long, and  I slept horribly. After about 10 second in the shower the next morning, I felt as if I were going to pass out, which was promptly followed by a wave of nausea. I practically crawled out of the shower and did not even bother to dry off; I was that ill. I asked Brian to take Jordan to school (and to get her ready, breakfast, etc.), and I made my way back to bed, where my 101-plus degree body stayed for most of the rest of the day.

As I heard Brian and Jordan getting ready that morning, I thanked God that I was not a single parent. How could I have gotten my kid to school when I was too dizzy to stand? My whole body ached, and I could not stop coughing. Fortunately, I feel a little better today. It helped that I went to bed at 8:30 last night (maybe I will actually make it to 9 tonight) and slept most of the night until 6:30 a.m., just before my alarm went off. My body is not nearly as achy, but my chest is pretty sore from all that coughing. Once I finish this blog post, I intend to rest a bit.

But back to the whole being sick when you have a family thing: it is really tough. I went to the grocery store today, despite feeling feverish and exhausted because, sadly, I am just not that good at shopping and I have to go every single week (and sometimes more often). Monday is my usual day, but obviously that was not happening. The hampers in the house are overflowing, so I had to throw in at least one load of laundry, and the dishwasher is not going to unload itself. I am grateful that I have a husband who does 95 percent of the cooking. Otherwise, last night Jordan and Brian would have been eating some frozen dinner. And thank God Brian works from home so he was able to drop off and pick up Jordan from school.

When I was lying in bed for hours yesterday, I thought about what would have happened had I gotten that one job with the company that went on a hiring freeze. I would have had to have missed yesterday, which would have meant not getting paid. And not sure about today. I mean who wants to be around someone who is constantly coughing and somewhat feverish (at least I assume I was while sweating at the grocery store, though to be fair, that could have been from the rising food prices and knowing there was no way I was going to make a trip to cheaper Aldi's as well). I remember when I had bronchitis back in 2004 or 2005. I know my coworkers were annoyed that I kept coming in to work, but I could not stand the thought of taking almost my entire PTO allotment in the first month of the year just because I was coughing. What if I needed time off for my sick kid? Or what if I got sick again? What about when my kid's daycare was closed? And what if I just wanted to take time off for myself?!

Although we are struggling financially, and we will be in big trouble if one of us gets sick enough to require hospitalization or multiple doctor visits, if we have some major house repair, or if some other unexpected expense comes up, I can at least be grateful I have options for now. I don't have to go into work when I am sick because, well, I don't have a work place to go to. And at least I can be here for my kid when she needs me. When I am healthy, anyway. (Note to kid: As soon as I feel a little bit better, I promise we will go to the park or swimming.)

Sigh.

Now off to bed while I can.

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