Feb 8, 2013

I don’t understand. You should feel better by now.

Last Saturday morning I woke up feeling horrible. I’d been fighting something off for days, but this was worse: just keeping my eyes open felt like work.

ME: (to my husband): I’m really sick. REALLY sick.

You have to speak up in our house for people (especially me) to even notice that you’re ailing.  Even so, I got zero reaction. Moms don’t get sick. We’re not allowed.

My husband did raise an eyebrow when I took myself to the urgent care clinic.

ME: (to the doctor) I’m really sick.

The slightly-more-sympathetic doctor told me I had bronchitis and gave me a five-day
“Z-pack” of antibiotics.

Upon my return home:

ME:  (somewhat triumphantly) I have bronchitis. I’m sick.

DAVID: (even more triumphantly) You have a Z-pack. You’ll be fine by tomorrow.

24 hours later. The Superbowl was on. David was lying on the couch. I was in tears.

ME: I am SICK.

DAVID: The Z-pack should have kicked in by now.

ME: Well, it HASN’T.

This apparently did not compute, since he was still lying down and I was still standing up, with three kids up too late running and yelling behind me.

ME: Look at me. I’m not kidding. This is me top three sick ever since you’ve known me.

DAVID: What was worse?

ME: Childbirth? No, wait. THIS IS WORSE.

And so he begrudgingly left his spot on our couch watching the most incredible football game of his lifetime (until next year) to put the kids to bed because I had already gone to bed at 7:45 pm without even watching the Beyoncé halftime show because I was THAT SICK.

Monday morning. Time to get the kids to school. Me under the covers with two sweaters on.

DAVID: You should feel better by now.

ME: Yes. You’ve mentioned that.

After taking the kids to school, and walking the puffball of need that seemed like such a cute idea a few weeks ago, I hauled myself back to the urgent care.

NEW DOCTOR: You’ve taken three days of antibiotics?

ME: Yes.

NEW DOCTOR: And you don’t feel better?

ME: I feel much, much worse.

NEW DOCTOR: I don’t understand. You should feel better by now.

screenshot

I just do that.

NEW DOCTOR: Maybe we should give you a flu test.

Five minutes later:

NEW DOCTOR: Wow! I’ve actually never seen a flu test result THAT positive. That’s… that’s amazing. (opens door to hallway) Hey, come look at this!

It was no small satisfaction that I texted same to my husband at work. I could feel his perception of me rapidly shifting right through my smartphone. I took to my bed and stayed there for three days.

Get the flu shot if you haven’t yet, I had no good reason for having skipped it myself. I’m on Day 5 of Tamiflu and still can’t take a deep breath. Not sure the three days of watching movies in my pajamas was worth what it took to get there.

Does your family have a hard time accepting it when you’re sick?

 

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2013
  • 11 Comments
  • http://twitter.com/JenO_Eh Jen O.

    I’m the mom, so I’m not “allowed” to be sick. Well, more like you, it’s a wide-spread belief that my sick is more of a “working sick”, whereas the rest of the household’s sick is a “wheezing from their death bed” kind of sick.

  • alexandra

    Sick ?? S.I.C.K.?

    What’s that?

    I don’t think I get that pass.

    xo

    FEEL BETTER SOON.

  • mommyonthespot

    Oh no! So sorry to hear that! Yes, my family has a hard time accepting when I’m sick. But I have a hard time accepting that I’m sick. I try to deny it, until I am huddled in a ball crying mercy.

    Hope that you feel better soon!

  • J. L.

    Oh, goodness, not the flu. I’m so sorry you’re sick. I pray you feel better soon!

  • sharisim

    Oh, honey! I’m so sorry I laughed all the way through that. Feel better, TammyFlu.

  • http://genieinablog.com. Leigh Ann

    Oh no! I hate doctors sometimes. What often happens at my house is that my husband stays home to help me care for the kids when they’re sick, so when I get it, he has to go back to work. I need to remember that.

  • Courtney

    We all got the flu shot, so haven’t had that but we’ve had – strep throat, stomach viruses, really bad colds and allergies, all in the past 3 months. This winter has been wicked for sickness! The sickest I can remember ever being was last May, as I was trying to take care of my newborn and my 3 year old, I came down with a double ear infection and strep throat. It DID hurt more than childbirth, and my antibiotics did also not kick in and start working for like 4 days. I laid in bed in a coma-like existence for 4 days – I couldn’t work, eat, talk, take care of children, nothing. I just laid there, in pain. Usually I can power through, but not that time!

    • amywlsn

      I think our bodies have to get extra-sick to give us the message…

  • http://www.everydayunderwear.com/ Cindy Brown

    Ha! I totally relate to this post! I have the flu trumped. I got a late stage rare disease and my kids and husband still just waited to see what I could do instead of offering to do things for me or with me. Ugh. I was hoping to be treated like a queen. That rarely happens, I suppose… in real moms of earth world… thank God I’m in remission.

    • amywlsn

      Cindy! Thank God you’re in remission is right. Glad to hear it. I would have thought “late stage rare disease” would get anyone’s attention!

      • http://www.everydayunderwear.com/ Cindy Brown

        Unfortunately, it’s the nature of the disease. You just don’t know much about Lyme disease unless you have it and even our doctors around here are very ignorant on treatment. It’s a weird and unseen disease (for the most part, except for when I get the rashes and hives) much like fibromyalgia or lupus. People just don’t understand how sick you are. I have a large sense of humor. That helps immensely :0)