Friday, February 17, 2012

When Mommy Gets Sick

Over this past week and a half, I have been taking care of sick kids. My oldest had a high fever, my second oldest was vomiting. They got better in a day. Then, I caught it.

When I get sick, it goes to my sinuses and my chest, always. I also caught the fever that had plagued my boys. The first day, I was alright, just a little stuffy. I thought it would be over the next day. Ha, was I wrong. I woke up and I could barely get up. I moved to the couch after feeding the kids breakfast. I think I may have dozed a few times. I actually had to have my oldest bring lunch fixings into the living room so I could make lunch from the couch. I felt so pathetic as a mom.

So, my husband comes home from work and I fall asleep. He takes care of dinner and the kids, putting them to bed. I am a ball under a blanket on the couch. My eyes begin to burn which is a sure sign that I have a fever. The kids all kissed me goodnight and went to bed. I informed my husband that I needed him to stay home the next day because I felt so awful. I never ask him to take a day off, unless it is absolutely needed, such as a doctor appointment. At first he was reluctant because he had so much to do but as I progressed in being more pathetic, he realized that I needed him.

That night, I had the worst time getting to sleep. My fever was aggravating me, giving me chills and then sweats. I couldn't breathe through my nose. I flipped and flopped all night until about 5 AM, where I fell into a coma. I got up with him and the kids and again, camped out on the couch. I fell asleep until 2 PM. Thankfully, my husband was there to herd the kids through the day.

Today, I am doing better. I could actually function and do the things I needed to do as a mom. However, my energy gets sapped quickly so I cannot do all that I need to around the house. And as helpful as my husband is during times like this, there are always things missed.

The biggest thing that I need to remember when I get sick, is that I have to allow myself time to heal. If I don't, I suffer and so do my kids.  I cannot expect my body to bounce back like theirs do(even though I am insanely jealous). I will do the things that matter, and that will have to be good enough.

Do you allow yourself time to heal? Or do you act like me, the second you get a little energy, you try to do it all?

3 comments:

  1. I too try to do it all. I think its a mama thing. When dad's sick I take care of him. When the kids are sick I take care of them. But when I'm sick no one wants me to be around them. After about 3 days my husband finally believes me that im sick. He does cook and take care of the kids. It just takes him a while to believe me.
    To be fair I have allergies really bad so he never knows it its the allergies or me sick.

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  2. Allergies can be debilitating, I have bad allergies to pollen and grass. Taking medication for them is a no go because all of it makes me drowsy, even the daytime stuff. I feel for you hun!

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  3. I do too much too quickly & take twice as long to heal. Just like a mom. I don't get sick often, but the only illnesses that keep me down in a bad way are the tummy things. Biggest. Wimp. Ever. I get delirious around 102.5* and at that point, all bets are off. :) Glad you're feeling better!

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