Sick Day

I am feeling sick today.
I keep hoping I am just tired.
Three night shifts in a row will do that to you.
I hate feeling sick.
I am a big baby about it.
Do you notice how many "I" statements there are?
I am selfish when I don't feel good.
I need a bell to ring so someone takes care of me.

I.
Me.
Myself.

But is it really all about me?
No.
I just think it is sometimes, or I make it that way.

To get my mind off feeling yucky, I need to think about others, do something for someone else, or just do something to get my mind off of how I feel.

When the kids were all much smaller, we had a "sick box". Full of Happy Meal toys, small coloring books, a Silly Willie magnet game, magic markers, stickers, string, fabric, scissors, and miscellaneous animals (plastic, of course), I would pull this out when someone was sick. The idea was to get their mind of how they felt by focusing on something else. A good video worked too and the sick little one and I would watch "Mother Goose", "The Donut Man", "101 Dalmations", and "Little Bear" over and over in the middle of the night.

Distraction was good. I liked to somehow make not feeling well, a fun-ish time. I knew I couldn't make the sickness go away, but I could help them make the best of it. This is what they say about the memories:

Adrienne: "I remember laying in the living room watching recorded Disney movies and Little House on The Prairie. You would go on late night runs to Garlitz Groceries for popsicles, sherbet and ginger ale. You would sing and pray while we were throwing up and give us a cool cloth for our face. Sometimes you would read to us or we'd listen to Adventures in Odyssey. At Thomas Drug Store, I liked being able to pick out something that would maybe make me feel better."

Note by Dianne: Not that my singing was that amazing or anything, but when my kids were throwing up, I needed a distraction and singing aloud always helped me as much as them.

Aaron: "Gingerale, singing to us, back rubs, towels on pillows, having to take small sips instead of taking big gulps, sleeping downstairs, staying home from school, going to the doctor and then the drugstore for medicine and a treat. I knew whatever medicine you would give me would make me feel better and I liked when you asked me what I needed."  

Amy: "I remember you making me lay on the couch with a towel over the pillow, and a bucket nearby. (Yuck). We always got to drink pop, and if you were at work, you'd always stop and get us a treat of some kind. Movies were always good. "

Heather: "You would braid my hair, and we'd get popsicles. Sleeping in the living room was special, because you could've slept in your own comfortable bed, but didn't. "

Ryan: "You give me medicine...umm...I can lay around and watch TV. You pray with me. And I get to stay home from school."

I think one reason I wanted to be a nurse was that I liked taking a negative experience, and turning it into something positive. I like making it an experience that you can look back on with favorable feelings and know that while the experience wasn't fun, it maybe made you into a better person. I do not like when my husband or children are sick, but I do like that I can take care of them, and bring a bit of joy into an unpleasant time.

As I lay here, I realize that I don't feel quite as yucky as when I started writing. I am thankful, but I may still just go find a bell to ring, just for the fun of it.

Love,
Dianne