We have been stricken, all five of us.
The flu. Has landed. It's my first time to have it. Every year when the news reports start scaring everyone into getting the vaccine I always shrug and say, "I've made it 42 years without getting it --I suspect I must have great natural immunity!" Well, the virus has come home to roost. I came up with a little chant to describe my life for the past 72 hours:
Shuffle, mumble, moan, HACK! sniffle, sniffle, whimper. Shuffle, mumble, moan, HACK! sniffle, sniffle, whimper...
Helena was the first to succumb. She seemed fine all day at school, then transformed into a lethargic rag doll during the ride home. Temperature:103.2. Saturday morning, I was fine until my temperature started climbing to 102. The big kids seemed fine until about mid morning, when I noticed they had grown strangely quiet upstairs. Because they had gotten back into their beds and had fevers over 102. Then Harper threw up (in a bowl! Merciful God!) and I suspect she may never be able to eat blueberries again. The rest of Saturday and Sunday is kind of hazy. I know that when I would shuffle, mumble, groan, HACK! sniffle, sniffle, whimper my way to the kitchen to re-medicate (a trip which necessitated several rest stops because I felt so faint) there would be kids strewn across the furniture and on the floor in a worrisome way. Basically, we were re-enacting the "Fever'n Ague" chapter from Little House on the Prairie.
The husband stayed well until last night, and Helena seems on the upswing today. I have been in bed so much my body aches with it. Last night around 3am, I woke up and started naming the specific bones that were apparently on fire inside my body: scapula (left) COMBUSTION,various skull sutures about to split apart because brain has turned to MOLTEN LAVA and is highly pressurized, left femur appears to have fire instead of marrow, left external otitis will spontaneously combust in 0.6 seconds....it was a pleasant distraction. I believe this is also around the time I discovered the husband was curled up on the floor around the toilet begging very weakly for a cracker.
The kids have watched more Netflix in the past 48 hours than I was hoping they would watch in their entire childhood. I tried to make them watch the Inauguration this morning and this made them very surly."This is grown-up t.v.!"Helena insisted. "It is not good for your body OR your brain!" Then they insisted on yet another episode of "Timmy Time"--which is, of course, great for both body and brain. Helena studied the president for a minute before noting that he is brown. She then wondered why. I told her that his dad was born in Africa, and that many, but not all, people who live in Africa have brown skin of various shades. I then noted that his mother was from Kansas and had lighter skin. She nodded and then proceeded to ask around 13 time which girl was Malia and which was Sasha. Then I finally caved and let them watch more "Timmy Time."
I am officially exhausted. I would post a picture but my camera seems to weigh around 200 pounds.
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6 comments:
Oh my, this only made me laugh because I can completely sympathize. We just got over the flu last week. I was the first to catch it (the very day after I made arrogant remarks about those that feel the flu shot is such a good idea... "flu shot, poo shot - who needs it?" well, apparently me, that's who) The flu is brutal. Hope you're all on the mend very soon. And we watched an unhealthy amount of tv (Amazon Prime in our case) at our house too. I have not heard of Timmy Time, but I broke down in a weak moment and let my kids watch Dora the Explorer. :)
how can you be funny and ill?! I hope you feel all better soon. Timmy Time is one that everyone watches in my house to0 (god only knows why...as I find it mostly annoying...same as Teletubbies and a few others). I think TV watching when ill is the best one can do....
Such good way of explaining skin colour....thanks for that I shall use the same for Zac who points out everything at the moment....like seeing a massive man in the petrol station then pointing and him and saying MUMMY LOOK AT THAT MAN HE IS SOOOOO BIG (as though it wasnt obvious enough and needed pointing out) I might have to also teach him manners more manners. Just to make you laugh...Man turned around and said "I eat children thats why I am soooooo big" if he wouldnt have smiled I would have smacked him...there there...now off to book diplomacy classes. Mx
Nooooooo! The only advantage of everyone getting sick simultaneously is that the kids feel too weak to drive you crazy. I remember being ill (migraine and nausea) and all Aiken wanted to do was play horsey on my while I tried to rest. Hopefully Helena's energy is still mellow and you can get to fighting form before they do!
Oh no! We all had it last year. You can see why people (especially those prone to get it every year), flock to the flu shot in droves! It really is nothing like a cold, or other mild illness. Also good that you all got sick at once, the worst is when you get it in waves and one person falls every few days. Then you lose two weeks of your life.
Hope you are on the mend today. I HATE tv for children, but at times like this I am so glad I'm not a pioneer woman out scrubbing soiled sheets in the creek or cooking something from scratch for every meal. Bring on the entertainment and pre-prep foods!!
We had the flu over Christmas. It was the first time since we've married that we had no family with us over Christmas. Not 1 parent wanted to be with us and I can't say I blame them. Not fun.
I hope you feel better soon. It takes a while to get your energy level back. :/
Carrie
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