The Five Stages of Illness
DENIAL
The day before you feel a little run down. Maybe more tired than usual and sneak off for cat nap in the car on your break, or dose off while the kids are watching PBS. You feel just...off. The next morning you don't really want to get out of bed because it is warm and you are still exhausted. Gee, you notice you're a little stuffed up and your throat is kinda tender (orange juice+ sore throat= awful burning pain). You go about your day normally. Sore throat wears off and you think, "huh. It must be getting drier due to the weather change". Never mind that you and the Kleenex box have now become acquainted. That night you think soup sounds good. You go to bed early because obviously you must not be getting enough sleep.
And then it hits in the middle of the night. Your sleep is restless because you've tossed and turned all night trying to find a position that allows you to breath. Your partner didn't get a wink of sleep from all your snoring and weird...your arm hurts. You try to talk and accuse your partner of beating you in your sleep and it comes out like "Why'd du hab to be so rude?!" in a half squeaky, hoarse voice.
ANGER
Then you realize it. You are SICK. Four million excuses run through your head why you can't be sick. I have work, kids, laundry, cookies to make, paper route, meeting, play date, trip, exercise, walking the dog, or a fun filled day cleaning your hairy couch with the vacuum cleaner. I CAN'T BE SICK!!!! you scream, well, if you had a voice to do so.
Then you search your brain for whatever places you have been that could have infected you with obnoxious germs. The shopping cart? The steering wheel? Did someone ELSE use my toothbrush? Wait...I saw my kid drinking out of my cup the other day! Keyboards! My phone? The cat, because he was sneezing last night? The rainy day. The windy day? The snowy day? The open mouthed baby kiss I got that I thought was so cute, but now is just gross?
BARGAINING
You think, I'll just call in sick for today, because surely this is the worst of it. You sit around all day, watching bad movies in the name of rest, drinking tea, inhaling cold medications, eating soup, sleeping with the cat you suspect got you sick in the first place and popping Vitamin C's like they are candy. Its okay the house is trashed because you are sick. You'll clean it up tomorrowo when you feel better after a long night rest with a humidifier/vaporizer.
DEPRESSION
You thought yesterday was miserable? Today, my friend, is 10 times worse. Now the Kleenex box has taken on a name and you hug it to your chest like its a long lost treasure. You're telling it secrets in your hallucinating delirium from fever. You have never felt this horrible in your life and swear you are dying. A shower will help, you think. Only when you emerge after putting on clean clothes and "think" your hair is okay, you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror. "I look like death warmed over!!!" Pale skin, red nose, watery eyes and black circles underneath glares back at you and why does it seem every pore in your face is visible when you're sick? "I'm hideous!" Hence, depression sets in as you spend an even longer, miserable day draped over furniture and feeling guilty you had to call in sick again because obviously they will think you are playing hooky for a day of fun.
ACCEPTANCE
I'm sick. "Take something!" your significant other hisses at you because you look, smell and sound horrible. You paw through the medicine cabinet looking for anything that will stop the drip of your nose, the ache of the headache, the burn of raw skin on your nose from the evil Kleenex. You laugh at the word rest, because while you are down, life is still going on and either you can't sleep because you can't breathe, or you can't sleep because everyone is lost without and constantly badger you for directions, advice, permission, and to show you that if they stick a coin by their (obviously non-stuffed) up nose and inhale, the coin will stay there! You thought yesterday's mess was awful, now you are knee deep in clutter, tissues, dishes, blankets and pillows that piled up in your inability to move off the still hairy couch. You don't care. You don't care that you are watching Barney on PBS. You don't care that you are thinking of ordering a set of ginsu knives. You don't care that you now have a sink full of toothpaste because the kids tried to brush their teeth unsupervised (it'll just make the fixtures really shiny when you do get back to cleaning them up). You don't care that you've been in the same clothes for two days. You've accepted you are always going to be THIS sick.
Barring any complications, by day five you feel like a miracle has been worked. You can leave your Kleenex friend/foe at home now. You're getting a bit of color back in your cheeks. You shaved! It's like you've got a new lease on life because you survived! It may have only been a cold, but you survived to see another day!
I'm always so amused at how good operating at a 100% feels when you've been sick and operating on 10%.
Just so this isn't pure fluff, I thought I would add a few remedies we use for our family:
Use Mucinex (guifesen) and Pseupedphrine (you have to get it from behind the pharmacy counter) together for the first couple days. This has saved me from getting a sinus infection several times.
Use a humidifier/vaporizer. Put a towel underneath so it doesn't soak your furniture. Maybe not everyone's does this because they still have a rubber stopper thingy on the bottom of the vent. One of my kids ate mine, or vacuumed it up.
Tyelnol for pain. Ibuprofen for inflammation.
Chicken soup:
2 big onions
2 cloves garlic
3 chicken breasts cooked with soy sauce and lemon pepper
1 lb. carrots
couple stalks of celery
3-4 potatoes
Noodles (I use a whole bag because we prefer stew over soup...easier to eat for little ones)
To taste:
Bay leaves
celery salt
garlic salt
basil
pepper
yellow curry or tumeric (just a little...its very strong)
Water to cover all ingredients
Brown the meat. Add the onions, garlic and celery and saute until tender. Add water, spices, potatoes, and the meat and veggies. Cook until veggies are almost tender and add the noodles. Cook until they are tender.
Baths help with fevers.
Wash your hands frequently and Lysol everything.
Hope you all stay healthy this season. It seems like winter is setting in early. We've been sick for three weeks with various illnesses. I NEED it to end!!
The day before you feel a little run down. Maybe more tired than usual and sneak off for cat nap in the car on your break, or dose off while the kids are watching PBS. You feel just...off. The next morning you don't really want to get out of bed because it is warm and you are still exhausted. Gee, you notice you're a little stuffed up and your throat is kinda tender (orange juice+ sore throat= awful burning pain). You go about your day normally. Sore throat wears off and you think, "huh. It must be getting drier due to the weather change". Never mind that you and the Kleenex box have now become acquainted. That night you think soup sounds good. You go to bed early because obviously you must not be getting enough sleep.
And then it hits in the middle of the night. Your sleep is restless because you've tossed and turned all night trying to find a position that allows you to breath. Your partner didn't get a wink of sleep from all your snoring and weird...your arm hurts. You try to talk and accuse your partner of beating you in your sleep and it comes out like "Why'd du hab to be so rude?!" in a half squeaky, hoarse voice.
ANGER
Then you realize it. You are SICK. Four million excuses run through your head why you can't be sick. I have work, kids, laundry, cookies to make, paper route, meeting, play date, trip, exercise, walking the dog, or a fun filled day cleaning your hairy couch with the vacuum cleaner. I CAN'T BE SICK!!!! you scream, well, if you had a voice to do so.
Then you search your brain for whatever places you have been that could have infected you with obnoxious germs. The shopping cart? The steering wheel? Did someone ELSE use my toothbrush? Wait...I saw my kid drinking out of my cup the other day! Keyboards! My phone? The cat, because he was sneezing last night? The rainy day. The windy day? The snowy day? The open mouthed baby kiss I got that I thought was so cute, but now is just gross?
BARGAINING
You think, I'll just call in sick for today, because surely this is the worst of it. You sit around all day, watching bad movies in the name of rest, drinking tea, inhaling cold medications, eating soup, sleeping with the cat you suspect got you sick in the first place and popping Vitamin C's like they are candy. Its okay the house is trashed because you are sick. You'll clean it up tomorrowo when you feel better after a long night rest with a humidifier/vaporizer.
DEPRESSION
You thought yesterday was miserable? Today, my friend, is 10 times worse. Now the Kleenex box has taken on a name and you hug it to your chest like its a long lost treasure. You're telling it secrets in your hallucinating delirium from fever. You have never felt this horrible in your life and swear you are dying. A shower will help, you think. Only when you emerge after putting on clean clothes and "think" your hair is okay, you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror. "I look like death warmed over!!!" Pale skin, red nose, watery eyes and black circles underneath glares back at you and why does it seem every pore in your face is visible when you're sick? "I'm hideous!" Hence, depression sets in as you spend an even longer, miserable day draped over furniture and feeling guilty you had to call in sick again because obviously they will think you are playing hooky for a day of fun.
ACCEPTANCE
I'm sick. "Take something!" your significant other hisses at you because you look, smell and sound horrible. You paw through the medicine cabinet looking for anything that will stop the drip of your nose, the ache of the headache, the burn of raw skin on your nose from the evil Kleenex. You laugh at the word rest, because while you are down, life is still going on and either you can't sleep because you can't breathe, or you can't sleep because everyone is lost without and constantly badger you for directions, advice, permission, and to show you that if they stick a coin by their (obviously non-stuffed) up nose and inhale, the coin will stay there! You thought yesterday's mess was awful, now you are knee deep in clutter, tissues, dishes, blankets and pillows that piled up in your inability to move off the still hairy couch. You don't care. You don't care that you are watching Barney on PBS. You don't care that you are thinking of ordering a set of ginsu knives. You don't care that you now have a sink full of toothpaste because the kids tried to brush their teeth unsupervised (it'll just make the fixtures really shiny when you do get back to cleaning them up). You don't care that you've been in the same clothes for two days. You've accepted you are always going to be THIS sick.
Barring any complications, by day five you feel like a miracle has been worked. You can leave your Kleenex friend/foe at home now. You're getting a bit of color back in your cheeks. You shaved! It's like you've got a new lease on life because you survived! It may have only been a cold, but you survived to see another day!
I'm always so amused at how good operating at a 100% feels when you've been sick and operating on 10%.
Just so this isn't pure fluff, I thought I would add a few remedies we use for our family:
Use Mucinex (guifesen) and Pseupedphrine (you have to get it from behind the pharmacy counter) together for the first couple days. This has saved me from getting a sinus infection several times.
Use a humidifier/vaporizer. Put a towel underneath so it doesn't soak your furniture. Maybe not everyone's does this because they still have a rubber stopper thingy on the bottom of the vent. One of my kids ate mine, or vacuumed it up.
Tyelnol for pain. Ibuprofen for inflammation.
Chicken soup:
2 big onions
2 cloves garlic
3 chicken breasts cooked with soy sauce and lemon pepper
1 lb. carrots
couple stalks of celery
3-4 potatoes
Noodles (I use a whole bag because we prefer stew over soup...easier to eat for little ones)
To taste:
Bay leaves
celery salt
garlic salt
basil
pepper
yellow curry or tumeric (just a little...its very strong)
Water to cover all ingredients
Brown the meat. Add the onions, garlic and celery and saute until tender. Add water, spices, potatoes, and the meat and veggies. Cook until veggies are almost tender and add the noodles. Cook until they are tender.
Baths help with fevers.
Wash your hands frequently and Lysol everything.
Hope you all stay healthy this season. It seems like winter is setting in early. We've been sick for three weeks with various illnesses. I NEED it to end!!
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Well, Lets hope that is the worst you two get this year-good recipe btw!