I couldn’t have chosen a better week to be sick as a dog, because the U.S. Figure Skating Championships are this week. So fortunately, I only had to do one thing all week- watch the live stream.
There’s nothing more boring than being kinda sick. If you’ve got the full out flu, you feel like you’re going to die, but at least you sleep through most of it. Illnesses like this one– low grade fever, general lethargy–don’t even come with a loss of appetite and I always say what the hell is an illness good for if you don’t even lose any weight. Of course, I probably lost weight anyway, because my husband kept forgetting to feed me.
So here are some things to keep you from being completely stir crazy:
1. Technology
What in the world did we do when we were sick before there was broadband? In addition to figure skating, I’m pretty sure I got to the end of the internet. Also, you can still talk to people, even when you can’t talk, via chat and texting. Forget the tv– that’s so last century.
2. Rooms
As in, move from one into another. Fortunately, I just finished upgrading my kids’ rooms into guest rooms, so I spent the week moving from my bed, to the side bedroom to the front bedroom to the living room and back again. At least the scenery was different.
3. Complaining about the nursing
This is easy in my house, since they all learned their nursing skills from me (see above, re: meals), and I’m the world’s worst nurse. I am also extremely crabby when I’m sick, not that it’s all that easy to tell the difference.
4. Georgette Heyer novels
Just respectable enough to not be embarrassing to buy, but trashy enough not to require too much brain power.
5. Baths
Okay, while technically not “in bed,” you’re still prone, right? Don’t do this if you have a high fever, because it will raise your core temp, but it’s fine for a low grade fever, and again– change of scenery. Plus, sweetie, you know I love you, but after 3 days in bed, you’re a little ripe. Get your nurse, such as s/he is, to change the sheets while you’re in there.
6. Make lists
I always keep a pad of paper in the nightstand, on the theory that I can jot stuff down in the middle of the night so I don’t forget in the morning. Things like “Don’t forgetl;kajdao[kerh” So helpful. While you’re lying there semicomatose, however, you can take the opportunity to mentally walk through the house and write down all the projects that you’re not going to do when you’re better anyway.
7. Get your own damn dinner
I’m sure he meant well, but seriously, somebody fix meals for the poor patient. This is the major drawback of a whole foods (no, not Whole Foods) diet. You always have to cook, because there’s no prepared foods.
What do you do to entertain yourself when you’re sick?
Methinks that when you recover sufficiently it might be time to freeze a few “sick dinners” …jot that down on your list now!
. The more of these “we are sick” posts, the more I chug down green smoothies and plan to hermit out the winter…no visitors…no trips to town…we are going to live like hermits and stay away from “humans” lol! I guess it is inevitable that we are going to cop a dose of the flu. The last flu we had was swine flu and we couldn’t move from our chairs (slept in them in fact) for days…we couldn’t lay down because we couldn’t breathe and everything hurt…horrible! Hopefully this is just one of those flu’s that lets me actually finish a book rather than rendering me comatose 
. Glad to hear that someone else sucks as bad as I do at being sick 
I was just going to say, I eat whole foods and it’s very easy to freeze ( or can) extras or leftovers into single serving portions for those sick or busy days.
The whole point is why am I cooking when I am sick and he is not (and is home). Solving this problem with logic is simply not the answer
Oh how I giggled at your list. During my recovery I have been unable to focus on much, but my mom came and she is a great caretaker. In the past few days have been up and sitting at the computer a bit. When I am sick-sick with cold/flu I know to rely on myself and am glad for all those meals I made and froze or the beef soup I made and canned. You are right, when cooking with whole foods dinner doesn’t just magically appear, so I am glad that I always plan ahead for these times. I love making lists, but just haven’t been able to focus on those either. I always keep pen and paper at the bedside and many a time have I read exactly what you did “Don’t forgetl;kajdao[kerh” Sometimes I can figure it out, mostly not. Thanks for the great giggle!!