Sick Days

One of the worst things in the world is having a B-A-D cold on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. And that’s exactly what Jojo and I have. We’re both suffering from stuffy noses, bad coughs, sore throats, and aching joints. The worst part about having a cold is there is absolutely nothing you can do to get rid of it fast enough. We’ve been drinking lots of liquids, getting rest, taking it easy, eating healthy, taking cold medicines to alleviate the symptoms, and gulping extra doses of Vitamin C. But other than that, all we can do is wait it out. It looks like most of our weekend is pretty shot trying to get over this cold!

When I was much younger, I didn’t really hate getting sick. To be honest, (and this may sound strange), I actually looked forward to it. Let me explain. Getting sick meant staying home from school but more than that, in my home, it meant getting extra TLC. My mom would always hover around me making sure I wasn’t too warm or too cold, she would remind me to take my medicine and would make sure I had apple juice and sweetened hot tea round the clock, my meals would be served in bed and I could eat when I felt like it, I could watch tv all day, read to my heart’s content, and get to snuggle in my parents’ King-sized bed. Most times my mom would keep me company and we would watch Lifetime movies and cooking shows on tv. When my dad would get home from work, he would always make sure to ask me how I was and spend a few minutes chatting to make sure I was ok. Manang Mercy would make me salabat (a hot drink laced with ginger and honey) every night to soothe my throat. Manong Danilo would drive me to the doctor and bring me home while my mom would send Mary Jane to Mercury Drugstore to pick up my medicine. My sisters (especially Atsi) would brush my hair and lightly scratch my arms till I fell asleep. I would get first dibs on what tv show to watch in the giant tv in my folks' room. And I would get phonecalls and even visits from classmates, co-workers and friends urging me to get better.

Today, getting sick isn’t as much fun as it used to be. Today, getting sick means making my own meals, getting my own drinks, remembering my own medicines, changing my own sheets, even when I am in the midst of sneeze attack or suffering a migraine. It means driving to the pharmacy in ratty sweatpants to buy nasal sprays and cough drops. It means making quick stops to the supermarket to buy ginger, honey, chicken stock and standing over the stove to heat myself some soup or salabat. Today, getting sick means making my own doctor’s appointment and driving myself to the doctor’s office and waiting in line to get my prescription filled at Walgreens. Today getting sick means staying at home but still working since I still get emails and calls from co-workers and bosses asking me to do stuff for work. Getting sick does not excuse one from paying bills, cleaning the house, taking out the trash, washing the dishes, and doing laundry. Life goes on and getting sick only slows you down while the world still moves on ahead.

I miss the good old days. The only bright side is my hubby and I are in this together. And as they say “misery loves company” =)