While teaching Thursday night, I realized I had caught whatever has kept my daughter home all week. By bedtime I had chills and by morning was running a fever and had body aches. As of Monday morning, I'm still in bed. Surprisingly, I haven't been sick much since starting Enbrel in 2010, despite working with about 75 students per semester all hacking and blowing during class, so I guess I am due. As I lay in bed, I've had a few random thoughts on being sick I thought I'd share.
Children
While our society likes to demonize teenagers, I've been so appreciative of mine. They've both made runs to the store and took my spot in the dog walking rotation. This morning I woke up to coffee, an emptied dishwasher, and one volunteering to walk the dog again. Also appreciated is a sunny personality from both of them and more hugs than usual from my sick daughter. I ❤️ hugs.
Netflix
My name is Cathy and I have a Netflix addiction. However, when you're sick, you don't have to feel guilty for indulging in one series for hours upon hours. Plus, having great shows to watch instead of randomly going through cable channels is the best.
Border collies
Border collies are known for their obsessive behavior. My Izzy seems to have a built in alarm clock that wakes her up if I'm not awake at my usual time. She "talks" to me until I get up and then she goes back to bed. Cute, unless you were up the entire night blowing your nose and coughing. She is a working dog at heart and does not give up easily on her job of caring for me.
Doctors
I don't generally take my family to the doctor when we have cold/flu symptoms, but since my daughter was missing so much school and not getting better, we decided to check things out. Guess what? Mom does know best. The doctor's recommendations were the same as mine: Over the counter eye drops and warm wash cloth for pink eye along with time and patience. Also happy to see that doctors in our practice seem to be steering away from handing out prescriptions for everything. Sometimes when I take the kids in I just want reassurance that they are ok. This doctor did not let me down.
Food
You know I'm sick when I can't finish even half of my Chipotle bowl. :(
Enbrel
Do you use Enbrel with you have cold/flu symptoms? I feel like I received confusing advice from my rheumatologist. I decided to skip this week.
Stress
I don't think being sick is the worst thing in life which is one reason I don't do flu shots. I think our bodies are telling us something when we are sick and that is to slow down. Being sick is a great way to let go of everything else happening in your life and focus solely on getting better. I've been really stressed the last few months and catching a virus is not surprising. In fact, I think it's just what I needed to take my mind away from all that is crazy.
