« July 26, 2005 | Main | July 31, 2005 »

July 30, 2005

sick day

I had plans yesterday evening: I had invited myself to dinner with my friends D. and D. to celebrate D.'s birthday. But the day went on and it became harder and harder to concentrate on what I was doing while the muscles in my back seemed to clench tighter and tighter, and eventually I had to get up from my desk and go outside and walk just to breathe. Friday afternoon and the streets were full of people. I felt weird and other-worldly, and the smells from the open doors of the restaurants I passed made me sick to my stomach. Back in the office I felt no better. I wanted to crawl under my desk and go to sleep. In the carpool home I fell asleep, forced myself awake and made my regrets, went home. Let Jack out to pee while I sat on the front steps with my head on my knees, then let him back in and went straight to bed.

I opened my eyes almost three hours later, my back muscles clenched, my joints aching. Went downstairs for Pepto Bismol and took my temperature. Took advil for the fever, went back to bed with a cup of Earl Grey, and went back to sleep until this morning, when Spike let me know it was time for breakfast by sinking a claw into the back of my hand.

I hardly ever get sick, so I never know exactly what to do with myself when I am. I don't want to appear whiny, even to myself, so I try to tough it out. I spent the morning alternately in the bathroom and in bed reading. I watched a movie on TNT called Switchback, with Dennis Quaid as an FBI agent chasing a genial serial killer played by Danny Glover. At least I think it was Danny Glover. I talked to Herself and to The Husband, both staying at his parents' house, and T.H. got A Tone in his voice when I told him how bad I felt. "I can't believe you're sick when you have all this free time," he said aggrievedly, and I wondered if he thinks I'm sick because of all the free time. I watched a rerun of a Mad TV episode with Tenacious D, and then I called Moo and talked to him for a while, interrupting his slaughter by my sister in a game of Blood and Guts.

I took some more advil and when it finally kicked in, I got out of bed and got dressed for something to do, and came down here to write a little bit. I wish somebody was here to change my sheets for me like my mom used to do. That was pretty much her only concession when you were sick: clean sheets. Other than that, you were on your own as far as sympathy for your condition went. But oh, it was so wonderful to get in bed and stretch out on cool, unrumpled-by-fever cotton! I don't really want sympathy, I just want to feel better and to be able to eat something other than toast. Also I would like the toast to stay in me for a little bit longer than it has tended to.

Here's my horoscope for today:
It would be most comfortable for you to become absorbed into another person and function under their protection and cover. Alas, the time has come to prove what you can do on your own.

"Alas"--I love that. I get it; Mom's not here anymore and I guess this means any clean sheets on my bed are up to me.

Posted by JudyLa at 02:00 PM | Comments (0)