Skip to main content

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.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Why do they stand up there and say that when they are just lying?

That extra-long title is courtesy of my nine-year-old and was something she uttered during "Say Yes to the Dress" on Friday evening. I watch very little reality TV, but I make an exception for this show because I like to look at the dresses. And sometimes, the stories are heart-warming. Typically at the end of the show, a snippet of a wedding is aired. In this particular show, a woman who was confined to a wheelchair was exchanging vows with her fiance. After the two of them finished, J made her comment. I asked her what she meant as I must have been on the computer while the TV was on, and she explained that because so many people just get divorced, why do they even say "as long as we both shall live"? That is tough one, kid. I tried with what I thought was a sound explanation: Most of the people who get married truly believe they will be together the rest of their lives, but sometimes it just doesn't work out. But if you don't think that you will be ...

Do you ever just want to run away...

Yesterday's post was a rant about a fairly pointless two-hour delay. For the record, if it is snowing in the morning or if it has snowed throughout the night, I am not against a delay; the road crews have a lot of ground to cover. It is unfortunate for those who still need to get to work and are left scrambling to find child care or have to go in late. But I am all about safety. It is the temps that are clearly going nowhere any time soon that do not warrant a delay, again, in my opinion. It will be cold all day today. Having another delay today, once again, seemed pointless, but I am over it. ***** I had a rough weekend, and I have debated whether I should write about it. As my mom and one of my brothers are so fond of saying (though I will be paraphrasing), "Once you put it down in writing (on paper or in an email), it will always be there. You can't take it back." For that reason, when things weigh heavily on my mind, I don't always share them in this blog....

TMI

When I refer to TMI, I am not talking about people sharing (often gross) things they probably should not. But rather sharing a friend's or a relative's personal information with a spouse or significant other. I know people who have cheated on their spouses, had abortions, have been raped or victims of domestic violence, committed (minor) criminal acts, did not disclose things to the government that they should have, suffered from various mental aliments, and who have been drug addicts or alcoholics. In most cases, I have not shared that information with Brian unless the person told me I could or I felt he needed to know for family safety issues (e.g., you have to consider who you let your children around). I am certain he would think less of some of these people if he knew things they did, so what purpose does it serve telling him? But more importantly, I want these people who confide in me to know they have my word. I can honestly say I don't think I can trust any of ...