Well, it's been almost a year since I had to be out from work, so I suppose two days at home with the flu is not all that bad in the grand scheme of things. And considering that I work in a hospital which is crawling with all manner of germs, it's a miracle I haven't been out sooner, or more often. So, now that I am stuck with this malady, it is important to have coping strategies to make it through.
First, it is important to have lots of medicine on hand. Obviously there is the standard list of benadryl, ibuprofen, sudafed (the real stuff you use to make meth, as I mentioned yesterday, and not the crap they sell on the shelves now), nasal spray, etc. There is also Emergen-C, which Buster so kindly bought me, which tastes and smells horrendous, and is like drinking medicated Crystal Lite, but really gives your immune system a kick in the pants and seems to help. There is also coffee, which isn't really medicine, but is useful in chasing away the flavor of the Emergen-C, as well as preventing the caffeine withdrawal headache I will get if I don't drink it. Cough drops are great too, especially if you get that kind that had the weird commercial of the swiss alps and some big horn being blown....you know what I'm talking about...
Ok, medicine, check. Next, you need something to entertain yourself with. Being stuck at home for two days can become VERY boring, even if you don't have enough energy to stand at the bathroom sink for longer than it takes to wash your hands. So if you are me, you do the following. Start a blog, check. Play on facebook, check your email, read all the blogs you follow religiously every day: you know, pretty much the same thing I would be doing if I was at work. Read a book. I am finally reading something I have been meaning to read for MANY years, "Don't Shoot the Dog" by Karen Pryor. Love it. Since it is about 25yrs old, I am already pretty familiar with everything she's talking about, but it is nice hearing it directly from the source, and her writing style is fantastic. Very engaging and entertaining. Check. Watch tv. Since we don't have cable, my choices are limited to bad daytime tv and pbs. Curious George and Clifford the Big Red Dog are very good cartoons. There's also my COMPLETE collection of Twilight Zone dvds that my uncle gave me for Christmas. Rod Serling for the win. Check.
Finally, you need some dogs. Luckily I have three. They made me get up this morning, albiet only long enough to feed and walk them before falling back in bed. At that point, they provided such valuable services as toe licking, pawing me in the face, and snuggling in between my legs so as to prevent needless shifting of postions. After several more hours of sleeping, they made sure I made it safely from the bed to the bathroom (I was carefully monitored during all such activities), and then from there to the couch. Once on the couch, they have a well planned shift roster which dictates which of them has to lay on top of me during each hour of the day. It is a difficult job I am sure, but they are diligent workers. I must also remind you that on normal days they are herding breeds/agility enthusiasts/frisbee chasers, and all-around-balls-of-energy. So to maintain a subdued nature for two straight days is quite a chore. I definitely owe them some excitement as soon as I can muster up the strength to put on actual clothes again some day. Real clothes would be nice too, because the ones I am wearing are covered in corgi hair. A fringe benefit of being covered in dogs all day means I am covered in a warm blanket of their never-ending supply of shedding fur. I also vow to brush them. Soon. Maybe tomorrow. If I feel better.....Check.
Oh, and I can't forget how important it is to have a caring and supportive boyfriend who is sympathetic of your plight and tells you to "walk it off, you're tough" at 6am when you have a fever. He did make me dinner last night and wash the dishes though, and he calls every couple of hours to make sure I haven't died, so I am very fortunate.
I hope you all manage to avoid the flu this year, or maybe you got the flu shot instead of defiantly insisting that "I never get sick", but in case you do end up in my situation, perhaps these strategies will help!
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