How do you do sick?Okay, so Tommy's been whining about being sick over at his site. He's usually not a whiner so this is highly unusual for him. He is a prior military pilot and current private sector pilot, so for him to actually admit that he's sick is a very, very BIG deal. And for him to go to the doctor is an even bigger deal. Trust me. I've known several pilots all the way up to the Colonel level in the Air Force who live with chronic pain and rarely see doctors, claiming they are not "sick".
And I can truly say that he is, without a doubt, sick. I saw the patient form....it said "Influenza". They even gave him that special new influenza mediation that kills the virus instead of masking the symptoms...so we now just have to wait for it to kill the virus.
He's been sick since Monday and finally went to the doctor today (Thursday) after only getting worse instead of better. So for the past few days I've been thinking about how we "do sick" differently. Following is a comparison of how we each react to being sick:
Him: "I'm sick. Leave me alone. If I need something I'll let you know."
Me: "I'm sick...I need everything. Anything you can think of, I need."
Him (after four or five days of being sick): "I guess I should go to the doctor."
Me (on day one or two): "I feel like shit. I'm going to the doctor."
Okay, so now we've covered generalities on how we each treat being sick. Further generalities on him include staying by himself where nobody will bother him, drinking large quantities of Diet Coke, and eating what's been put before him as long as it's not too healthy. Junk food and favorite foods rule the day when Tommy's sick. I'm sure that's the same for most of us.
Now, for me here is a detailed list of what I need when I am sick:
1. An immediate trip to the doctor and lots of prescription medication...lots and often.
2. A couch all to myself in front of the T.V. with my favorite blanket.
3. Peace and quiet so I can take naps frequently. I hate for it to be loud when I'm sick. Could we all please just walk around silently in reverence of my sickness? Please?
4. I like to be checked on often in case I need anything...like some water or some tea or maybe some toast.
5. A cold hand or a cold compress for my feverish forehead. I like cold compresses. They're nice.
6. My cat. Purring. Close to me. That's always good when I feel bad.
7. TiVo. In case I fall asleep during the show I can rewind.
8. McDonald's at least once a day. What is it about McDonald's that always makes me feel better?
9. A warm (not hot because it will make me too nauseous) bath at least once a day. I hate feeling "icky" from laying around all day on the couch.
10. Someone ELSE to decide what I'm going to eat...I'm too sick to decide. Besides, I always have to decide and it's my only chance to have someone else decide...except when I want McDonald's. Then I want that and nothing else. That's the only exception to the whole me not deciding what's for dinner thing.
11. Lots and lots of sympathy. Everyone should recognize how horrible it is that I'm sick and tell me how much they wish I felt better.
12. Hugs from my son. This should really be no. 1, but he's in school now so it has to move to the end of the list unfortunately.
Okay, so as you can see I really don't need very much when I'm sick. Just the normal stuff anybody needs when they're sick. I really don't understand the whole "I'm sick. Leave me alone" thing. I guess in the area of how we treat being sick, you can really say in our case opposites attract.
So...share....how do you do sick?
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Comments
1. Loads of pills and Rx's.
2. Pillows and blankies.
3. Hot tea with milk and sugar for when I'm shivery.
4. Minute Maid mango lite drink for when I'm warm (with ice if I'm hot).
5. Graham crackers when I need a little munchie.
6. Cinnamon toast when I need more munchie.
7. Grilled cheese when I'm starving to death.
8. Pile of magazines.
9. Romance novel.
10. Book of word games, pencils and eraser.
11. Laptop.
12. Kitties.
13. NO PHONE!!!
P.S. Happy Delurker Day and hope Tommy feels better soon!
Posted by: Paula on September 23, 2005 01:15 PM
I'm the "read my mind. You should know what I need you freakin' idiot" type of gal.
But we women, we're practical. Men try to be all manly about it. Poor things. They really have no clue, do they?
Posted by: Kris on September 23, 2005 11:40 AM
