Sicko
Despite spending several hours a week in the Children’s Room at the library, I managed to get through the winter without getting sick. No colds, flu (bird or otherwise) or creeping grunge. Thus, I have little recent experience with being ill. Until yesterday.
Since the headache and nausea hit at the about same time, it’s tough to say whether one caused the other, if they were otherwise related or simply coincedent. The headache, though, was one of my “half-a-headaches”, meaning it affected only the right side. And boy, what a doosy.
It was one of those close the blinds, turn out the lights and put pillows over my eyes and ears headaches. Even so, every stray photon seemed like a searchlight and I’ve been to quieter rock concerts. I think I could hear my toenails growing. The puking started just after I took some Tylenol. Not to be outdone, the other end joined the festivites not long after that.
Once upon a time, I could bargain. “I’ll never drink again, just make it stop!” But these days, well I couldn’t think of anything else to give up. With no bargaining chips and my inexperience with being ill, (these things take practice), it was just plain suffer through minute to minute.
Eventually, things quieted enough so that if I laid on my back, perfectly still, perfectly in the middle of the bed, and with the pillows just so over my eyes and ears,it became manageable. I even drifted off to sleep, only to be awakened either by a snore, or the need to hit the bathroom again, or the chills, or the sweats.
Since I’m still feeling weak and my body hasn’t decided if it’s too hot or too cold, I called in sick for tonight. The last time I called in sick anywhere, I was still drugging, and that was because I was either dope-sick or spent the whole night getting high. I forget which.
So I thought I’d commemorate the event with an entry, and reset the sick-time clock back to zero.
May 4th, 2005 at 8:12 pm EDT
sip fluid, rest, take it easy for the rest of the week. nasty viruses out there