Being sick sucks. Being a sick mommy really sucks. You can't call your bosses and tell them you're too sick to come to work, and they wouldn't really care anyway. They are merciless slave drivers, these guys are. And forget being able to go home and get some sleep to feel better. The CEO and COO and Tristan and Finley Inc. don't allow that either.
I can't ever remember being so sick since having kids that I couldn't do my job. Not until this week anyway. I caught some sort of horrible stomach bug that rendered me pretty useless for a few days and ultimately in the hospital for an afternoon to get some IV fluids. At least the doctor figured that's probably what it was, I was thinking maybe it was food poisoning (from my own cooking to boot!). Either way, it's been a horrible experience.
I started feeling awful on Wednesday morning. T had actually vomited once that morning but I had given him some gravol and he has been fine ever since. I however continued to feel crappy for the following days. On Friday afternoon after I put the boys down for their naps, all of a sudden I started feeling really cold. Like freezing cold. I settled onto the couch with some blankets but I started shaking uncontrollably and my hands and feet went numb. I think I was actually convulsing. It was very scary, and I panicked. I thought something was seriously wrong. I called Tyler to come home but was still so scared that I called an ambulance as well, because I felt I needed to go to the hospital but wanted Tyler to be able to stay with the boys.
After the paramedics arrived I started feeling a little better. Still very cold but I stopped shaking so much and the feeling started to return to my hands and feet. I opted to go get checked out anyway.
I waited at the hospital for quite awhile (obviously not being an urgent emergency patient), but I still did not feel good. I had a terrible headache and knew I must be dehydrated from having been so sick for days. Eventually the doctor confirmed this, speculating that I likely caught some sort of stomach bug. They hooked me up to an IV with some fluids and gravol, and I did feel better soon after that. Tyler picked me up once the IV was done, the gravol had made me very groggy.
That was yesterday and today I am feeling better, though still obviously suffering the wrath of this bug. I think it will take me a few days yet to fully recover.
It has really sucked being this sick and having kids to take care of, and it gives me a new appreciation for ladies I know who have gone through much worse and longer illnesses and still have had to take care of their families. I felt so guilty not being able to cook them meals or take them out to play. They basically had to amuse themselves while I laid on the couch keeping an eye on them. I also usually try to stay on top of housework, but I couldn't do that either and the house was messier than I would have liked.
When Tyler has gotten sick in the past, he has had the option to take days off to rest. He also gets to go to bed at night knowing he can hopefully sleep and feel better. I have not had these options. The past few nights while I have been ill, both boys have been waking more often than usual (2x night, each!), and F has been waking early in the morning as well. It has been tough, trying to recover with so little sleep.
Tyler was really helpful of course. He couldn't take as much time off work as I would have hoped, but he tried to come home early to help with the kids and dinner, and he has been great at tidying up. He has been trying to keep the kids out of my hair so I can rest.
Still, it's hard. A mom's job is never really done, even when she's really sick. Even with help, I still felt overwhelmed with my responsibilities and at times wished I could just crawl away and rest, away from it all, and leave Tyler to deal with everything.
Fingers crossed that I feel even better tomorrow, and hopefully fully recovered by Monday.
No comments:
Post a Comment