I realized yesterday I've been sick pretty much most of the month, and today is the 17th! It hasn't been just myself, my whole family (except baby Bea, who we have somehow kept healthy through it all) has been sick. It started two and a half weeks ago with Athena getting Pink Eye, we were lucky enough she was the only one that caught it, and by the end of the weekend (it started on a Friday) she was completely cleared up.
But that Monday i got sick, I ended up with the stomach flu which was pretty rough. Took me down for a several days, even though the getting sick part was only for a day. The weird upset stomach lasted several more. Everyone in the house would get the stomach flu over that week (Except Bea), after myself it was Donovan, followed by Athena, then Brandon, and lastly Kira who we actually thought was in the clear.
At some point in there i started to get sick again, but a new sick. This time it was horrible throat pain, with scratchy eyes, stuffy nose and a rough cough. By last Monday (A week ago today) it got really bad. My tonsils swelled up (just red and irritated no white gunk so not infected). I've dealt with this for a solid week now. My throat pain hovers around 7-9 (on a 1-10 scale) whenever the pain is bad. About 30 percent of the time i get some relief where the swelling goes down a bit, and i've either scorched or frozen my throat enough for it to be mostly numb, this can buy me a few hours of relief and about a 2-4 pain level if i'm lucky. With this i keep loosing my voice. I never realized how exhausting it is to feel like your yelling everything to put out a whisper. At it's worst my throat hurts on the outside as well, it's hard to describe but i can just feel those swollen glands radiating through my neck.
Pop a couple anti inflammatories, gargle some salt water, drink some ice water or some hot tea, wait maybe pop in the shower to clear my sinuses, attempt to lay down and get some rest. This has been my life. The past two days i feel slow progress in the right direction.
But last night . . . . it broke me mentally.
I worked 12 hours yesterday feeling like crap, trying to make up a few hours i had missed the day before after coming home early. I couldn't get my cough under control, and i work in a restaurant. I'm an hourly salaried Manager which is nice when you go over, but sucks if you don't make your hours cause your pay takes an awful hit. This means gotta work my min. hours or my check takes an awful dump. I came home exhausted. By 11pm i was so tired i passed out, i needed the rest, my BP was through the roof, my head hurt, my body hurt, and i couldn't keep my eyes open. . . . . seems rest would help some except,
I was up an hour later (that hour was the most sleep i would have until 5:30 am when i'd get one more hour), i woke up to muscle cramps in my right leg. Got up walked around, had Brandon put some muscle cream on my leg, gargled salt water because my throat pain was at a 9 again. Took some more anti inflammatory, tested my BP it went down a little but not as much as i wanted so i took a diuretic, i hate those things so i don't take them very often unless my BP isn't staying down, and with all the salt water i've been gargling it makes sense. Laid back down, 1am still awake cough keeping me up, so i go and hop in the shower. 1:15ish get back into bed. Almost fall asleep and then around 2am i get cramps in my left leg, this time i can reach it so i slather on the muscle cream and wander around the house trying to walk it out. Take some cough medicine, lay back down. 3 am realize its been 4 hours since i first passed out and i cannot get anymore sleep! Through is hurting bad again, get up gargle salt water, take more anti inflammatory, Drink lots of water (i did this each time i got up by the way), lay down. Cannot stop coughing, the cough is so bad it makes my through hurt that much more again. I'm so exausted, i sit on the side of my bed pointing my chin at the wall to open my airway I finally lay back down, just to have my muscles act up again and get out of bed wandering around. Hop back in the shower, and eventually back into bed. around 3:45 am i'm up again, i havn't fallen asleep in ages even though i keep trying to lay down. I'm so mentally and physically exhausted at this point. Keep in mind this is coming off of a 12 hour shift.
This same sort of rotation continued until about 5am. By 5am i hadn't had more than maybe 10 min. of sleep here or there. I was up again re medicating, and trying my hardest to to get my cough to stop long enough to pass out.
For a few minutes i look at Brandon passed out and want to wake him up, just ask him to hold me for a few minutes i could use the comfort. Why is it when we are really sick we feel like little kids? But i realize he isn't getting any sleep either. Everytime i get out of bed, everytime i have a coughing fit i'm surely waking the poor guy up, and at this point in the night when i'm really breaking down, i can hear him softly snoring so i don't dare wake him, he needs his sleep cause i'm going be be useless come morning. I get up gargle some salt water, take more medicine, drink some water, check on Bea who is thankfully sleeping just fine, and sit back on the edge of my bed.
This was my breaking point, completely exhausted, feeling awful, can't sleep, just wanting some comfort but unwilling to wake my poor sleeping husband. So i sat staring at the closed window and cried quietly. Crying itself is pretty exhausting. After about 10 min. or so i laid back down and finally fell asleep, I woke an hour later when i heard Bea stirring. I got up made her a bottle and laid back down. By 7am I realized i wasn't going to get anymore sleep, and i should be thankful for that solid hour i had between 530-630am. It's daylight outside the night is over, I stepped out the bedroom door to make a cup of coffee, and was greeted by a smiling little face, from an excited Donovan wanting to tell me about his day yesterday while i was at work. Kira was up next, and then Athena. That's it my day has started.
I have not felt this bad in a long time, i can handle being pretty dang sick but the length is what is killing me. Whatever this is, it is bad, Kira has it but not as bad as me. Several co-workers have it as well. If i can survive one more night at work tonight, then i make it to my weekend and hopefully i can kick this dang thing! Or else the doctor is in my future, just not till Wednesday, since the kids already have wellness visits scheduled for tomorrow. The life of a sick parent!
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