I'm really sensitive to the fact that I seem to be sick "all the time," which people seem to mention to me every time I'm not feeling well. I have chronic pain from my back issues, & I also seem to have bum sinuses, so usually when I'm sick, it's more like "sick" - I feel gross, but I'm not, like, contagious or totally down for the count. Like, apparently I had a sinus infection for six effing months last year, so yeah, I guess I spent a lot of time not feeling great. But I feel like I'm actually generally a pretty healthy person...
The stomach flu, though, is on another goddamn level. And lucky me, that seems to be what I came down with last week.
Step 1: The Onset (Dun, Dun, Dunnnn)
You know how, sometimes, you'll sneeze funny & suddenly know: "I just got sick. Right now. In this moment, I am now sick."That happened to me on Tuesday afternoon, but without the sneeze.
All of a sudden my body started to hurt - badly - while I was working on my computer at a local coffee shop. I straightened up, stretched a little, & immediately felt exhausted. I stuck it out for a little while... until I threw up in the restroom, at which point I headed right home.
Step 2: Stocking Up on Supplies
Before I settled in & succumbed to the sickness, I ran (errr, drove, then walked, slowly) to the corner bodega, where I picked up two purple Gatorades & two packets of NyQuil. "Feel better, sweetie," said the older Egyptian man who owns the place. "We are open until 11 if you need anything."Nothing says "You look like hell & you're buying the stomach flu starter pack" like words of kindness from the bodega guy.
I came home, chugged one full Gatorade, & took one packet of NyQuil before collapsing into bed.
Step 3: The Panic & the Guilt
Before I fell asleep, I sent my boss a panicked, pathetic email because this has been a huge week, & we were working on a huge campaign, & I felt like I couldn't take off work without people thinking I was shirking my duties (even though it's obvious I've been working really hard, & also, I had the stomach flu, dude).And then I took off work anyway, obviously, because I could barely move. (My boss was very supportive & kind, by the way, so I had no reason to panic aside from my own neuroses.
Step 4: Allll the Sleeping
Unfortunately, that first night, sick as I was, I slept pretty poorly because I couldn't stop worrying about work, & also because my body hurt too freaking bad to relax. We're talking, like, creaking joints & throbbing muscles.I tossed & turned all night, & when my alarm finally went off at 7am, I worked from my phone for, like, three minutes before falling back asleep... & sleeping soundly until I woke up at 2pm.
Step 5: Being Mothered
Mike was out of town on a work trip, so my mom offered to come up to take care of me. While I'd initially shrugged off the offer, I sent her a text early Wednesday morning begging her to come after all - in part because I just wanted my mom, & also because I had a 3pm appointment for a repairman to come fix my wifi... & I could not imagine having to interface with another human being.When I woke up on Wednesday, I was feeling a little better, & there was my mom, sitting on the living room couch, wearing a face mask. She'd taken Lysol to everything in the apartment & stocked my fridge with Gatorade, homemade matzah ball soup, & applesauce, plus a box of Saltines, steel cut oatmeal, & a carton of almond milk (for the oatmeal). She also brought tissues & a new thermometer.
And she stayed until after 5:30pm, when the repair guy finally left. Mother of the year, y'all.
Step 6: Allll the Sleeping (Redux)
When my mom left, I went right back to sleep. All told, I slept for nearly 24 hours, I think. I just keep sleeping... & sleeping... & sleeping. I think the fact that I was able to just zone out & sleep for so long is what helped me recover so quickly, but man, it was a lot of sleeping.Step 7: Entering into Recovery
Like I said, I think the immediate sleeping-of-all-the-hours was fundamental to my speedy rebound. Surprisingly, my body aches had mostly dissipated by Wednesday afternoon, & by Thursday, my headache was mild. My stomach issues are ongoing but also winding down.I have to work this weekend, a rarity for me, but I can do at my desk in my apartment, in my pajamas. I'm glad I didn't have any big plans for the weekend because I can keep taking it easy.
I still feel crummy, truth be told, but after the way I felt Tuesday night, I may never call myself "sick" again unless I'm, like, actually on my deathbed. This post spared you (& my dignity) by not going into the weeds on the semantics of the stomach flu, but suffice it to say, I haven't felt that awful since the time in college when a random girl in my dorm took me to the E.R. for vomiting so hard I couldn't stand (illness, not hangover).
Truly, the stomach flu ain't nothin' to mess with. But I'd better not get a goddamn sinus infection this spring.
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