Betty Blogger

In Sickness and in Health

In my house, colds and flu are not minding their seasons

-Candace Cavanaugh Buehner

When I'm feeling fine, it's really hard for me to remember what it's like to be sick. I plow through my daily life tired but undaunted by the vagaries of wrestling children, folding laundry, running to Target, cooking, cleaning--and oh, yes, eight or so hours of actual work that pays me a salary, a 401(k), and health benefits that I use a lot for my young sons but that I myself typically tap into only when it's time for that Special Yearly Visit to my ob/gyn.

This year, however, it has been different. Flu shot last November notwithstanding, I have had within the span of six weeks: walking pneumonia, a sinus infection, (revoltingly oozy) pinkeye, and now, my current affliction, which the nice ER doctor last week confirmed blessedly was NOT swine flu, but was still Something Very Virus-y, with yet another sinus infection on top to make it an especially fun time. Four days of antibiotics, fluids, and as much weekend rest as I could get with two rambunctious boys to tend to, I'm feeling better, but not great.

It's always a reality check when you realize the truth of that cliché "I've still got my health!" Without it, things like, oh, moving around and taking a shower suddenly become chores that you wistfully remember your formerly healthy self doing without even a second thought. Being sick gives you a whole new appreciation for what you take for granted in life. My top five Things I Am Thankful For at this particular feverish moment?

1. I'm grateful that I HAVE health insurance---and an employer that actually had the foresight to require its employees to take paid time off when they're sick.

2. I'm grateful that my maladies have been nothing more than pesky inconveniences that time and ibuprofen will make go away. Doesn't quite compare with the news that a close friend received two weeks ago, when he learned that what he thought was back pain caused by a hernia was, in fact, a 10-cm cancerous tumor. Although the cancer "is a kind that responds well to treatment", that treatment has required immediate surgery and intense chemotherapy, set to begin next week. Hearing what my friend and his family are going through (bravely and with amazing grace) has made my few days in bed seem like a trip to Club Med.

3. I'm grateful that I have a spouse who is able and willing to step up to the plate, including but not limited to listening to me whine.

4. I'm grateful for my children, who may be mobile Petri dishes for the germs they bring home (largely courtesy of licking things they shouldn't), but whose hugs and sweet inquiries of "You feeling better, Mama?" always make me feel better.

5. I'm grateful for the fact that I can actually REST while my boys are at preschool/daycare during the week--and I'm in awe of stay-at-home moms who feel this crappy AND don't get a break.

My advice? Use Purell (although the vat-like quantities I use religiously didn't help me), wash your hands for 20 seconds after you use the bathroom (SO many people don't--and I no longer eat their donations to potluck lunches) and cough and/or sneeze into your elbow so that people don't look askance at your disease-ridden self should you be forced to venture out into the public. And if you're lucky enough to have a health-insurance card in your wallet, know that it's worth every bit as much as a Platinum Master Card.

Candace Cavanaugh Buehner lives and works outside of Detroit, Michigan, where she is no longer contagious (this week, at least).

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