Guhh...

[ladysprite]

You know, in fantasy novels the hero and heroine can withstand almost anything. Hack one arm off, and they'll keep attacking with the other. They'll battle on with arrows sticking out of their back, none the worse for wear - injuries only make them look more noble. They never get sick, never fall prey to microscopic foes. You never read about them sneezing so hard they lose their grip on their sword, or feeling too lousy to save the world.

I am, quite obviously, not a fantasy heroine. I am also, equally obviously, quite sick. I have no voice, my head is pounding in time with my pulse, and my joints have all been filled with lava. Last night was especially fun - this is apparently one of those colds where you start out freezing, and wrap yourself in flannel and pile every blanket in the house on yourself, and then wake up two hours later stifling hot and drowning in your own sweat. So you strip, and kick off all the blankets, only to freeze half an hour later.

This morning I woke up half dead. But I pumped myself full of over the counter cold remedies and tea with honey, choked down a bite or two of breakfast, and once I was sure it would stay down, crawled off to work. They'll have to let me go home, I figured.

Ha.

I explained to my boss, via pantomime and gurgling whisper, that I was sick and not very useful. She explained in no uncertain terms that as long as I could sort of whisper, I could still see appointments. Joy.

When I nearly hacked up a lung on a patient, I decided that I needed to go home, and I must have looked pretty pathetic, because she stopped arguing. So here I am, home alone to try to rest up so I can go back to work again tomorrow. Time to go camp out on the sofa with a pot of tea and sappy holiday feel-good movies....

People in movies never get sick, either. Drat this real life.

Comments

[wcg.livejournal.com]

I almost called you when I read this, and stopped when I realized you'd have to croak into the phone. Anyhow, I hope you get feeling better soon. I know it has to be miserable.

BTW, if you want to read adventure stories where the hero and heroine *do* get sick, and sometimes even die from it, you may wish to check out some of Louis L'amour's books. Yeah, I know, his name looks like a cliche for a lipstick western. But he wrote surprisingly well, and more realisticly than a lot of authors. _The Walking Drum_ is a good story that he wrote around a mideval theme.

[autographedcat.livejournal.com]

*many warm hugs*

You get to feeling better, hon. I still owe you that phone call.

Love,
-R

[johnpalmer.livejournal.com]

Erm. Actually, what you're describing sounds much more like "the flu" than "a cold". However, as one with a bacterial infection who ignored it too-damn-long, also consider that.

Rest, and try to get better. And... this might sound funny, but you're usually better off calling in sick, and never showing up, than asking to go home once you're there. (I don't know if things are different at veterinary places for some reason, but at normal work places, what you saw was the standard. Once you get up and get out of bed, people assume you're "just" uncomfortable, not exhausted and in dire need of rest.

[ladysprite.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the well-wishes... don't worry, it's not the flu. I get the same thing every year; whatever's going around always turns into nasty bronchitis when I get it. And it's getting better - I got my voice back today, and I managed to sleep pretty well last night.

I *wish* I could call in sick, but I don't have that luxury. I don't get any sick days. And things are especially bad right now, when 5 of our 7 doctors are on vacation - there were only two of us on yesterday, double-booked all morning. If I hadn't come in, the owner would likely have sent armed goons to my house.

*sigh* At least I'm only on call today... her original suggestion was that I keep the entire hospital open and running 8-8, staffed by just myself...

...unless they're sick to begin with.

[trinker.livejournal.com]

(erm, that's meant to be about people sick in movies. Y'know, the "oh, dear, gonna die of a mysterious wasting disease that leaves one beautiful up until the very end, but with a known demise-date, so that everyone can get all teary and lovey" sort.)

Anyway. I'm glad to hear you're getting better rather than worse, and I leave you with a magical talisman -- Dayquil capsules. You may be of the sort for whom this doesn't work, but for me, Dayquil caps are a magic bullet, albeit a dangerous one. I end up feeling like Superman and wearing myself out, but Dayquil makes me feel not only better/well but superhuman.

Re: ...unless they're sick to begin with.

[ladysprite.livejournal.com]

Heya! Good to see you...

I'm actually thinking of *gasp* going to a doctor if I don't get all better Real Soon Now - as a friend recently pointed out, I've been more or less sick for almost 2 weeks now. It gets a little better, then plateaus, then gets worse.

Dayquil is good stuff, I agree. Right now I'm surviving on Advil Cold and Sinus, because a friend works for a drug rep and can get it cheap, and it's almost as good. And I'll probably be fine in a few days. I'm taking vitamins, avoiding caffiene, and doing all the right stuff. This is probably just my punishment for having things go too smoothly all year. :)