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June 27, 2009
Strep Throat or Swine Flu or Maybe Mono
I have been a children's librarian for about a decade now. When I tell people who don't know much about kids that I am a children's librarian, most of them respond with an "Oh, that's nice" in a tone most commonly reserved for children, as if my life is full of sunshine and puppies and it would not do to converse with me with too much attention or conviction.
When I went to the doctor with a very sore throat the other day, though, and when he asked if I'd been around any kids lately, I said, "Well, yeah, about three or four hundred this week. I'm a children's librarian."
Then the doctor said, "Oh, God. You could have anything."
Thanks to my years of working with kids, I hardly ever get sick--certainly nothing that sends me to the doctor begging for help the way I did the other day. It was he who had to tell me that the aching in all my joints was probably caused by the fever I didn't realize I had. (Him: "Didn't you take your temperature before you decided to come in?" Me: "No.") I knew I might be in trouble when I woke up Thursday morning and my throat hurt so badly that I didn't want to make coffee. I knew I'd regret not having caffeine, so I got a frozen coffee, which I could manage. It wasn't until about noon that I felt like lying down on the floor in the Children's Room and going to sleep.
Still, I thought I probably had a sinus infection and was just being a wimp. The doctor said no, it's strep or the swine flu or maybe mono. He prescribed an antibiotic, ran some tests, and told me to come back Monday if I wasn't better.
So I've been doing this "sick" thing I've heard so much about. It's kind of a drag. Mostly, I sleep. My throat and aches started feeling better pretty quickly once I started the antibiotic, but the least little thing tires me out. This means I have to reserve my energy for the basics: showering, eating, maybe reading a magazine or doing a crossword puzzle. I don't have the attention span for a novel (or even to complete a crossword puzzle--in the last two days, I've started about five of them, but I abandon them as soon as I come across a section I can't solve). I see why people avoid and complain about this so.
On the bright side, I've let myself eat as much ice cream as I want, and I've still somehow dropped a pound. A weak huzzah to that.
Posted by adrienne at June 27, 2009 12:22 PM
Comments
Sounds wretched. I hope you feel better soon. Meanwhile, enjoy the ice cream. For me, when I'm really worn down, TV is a little easier than books (though only certain kinds of TV). Sending good thoughts!
Posted by: Jen Robinson at June 27, 2009 01:01 PM
Even though it's not funny, I laughed out loud with what the doctor said. I can't count how many times as a children's librarian some adorable booger nosed kid came up to hug me :) Hope you feel better soon!
Posted by: Cheryl at June 27, 2009 01:42 PM
Feel better soon, Adrienne!
Posted by: Abby at June 27, 2009 01:58 PM
Jen, Yes, I have successfully watched some lighter/shorter movies. So that's been good.
Cheryl, It's okay--it's funny. I have to laugh at these things, otherwise I would just walk around being grumpy all the time, and that is no fun.
Abby, Thanks!
Posted by: adrienne at June 27, 2009 03:42 PM
I hope you fee better soon. Summer colds are the worst, and summer is the worst time to be away from the library.
I saw one colleague actually run away from a snotty-nosed, eye-oozing child who wanted to hug her and thank her for story time. At the time I was horrified by her reaction, but she didn't get sick.
Posted by: Sharon at June 28, 2009 10:14 AM
Oh, dear. My mother -- who is the director of an Early Childhood Development Center -- had the same thing. Hers lasted two weeks; here's hoping yours breezes away.
Sleep and ice cream will cure what ails ya.
Mainly the ice cream...
I feel ya on the inability to concentrate long enough to read... that's when I know I'm REALLY sick. Bah. Oh, well. That's why God made TV...
Feel better!
Posted by: tanita at June 28, 2009 11:16 AM
I'm sending prayers and good thoughts your way!
Sometimes, at the end of gigs, I'll let children come up and strum my guitar. I regretted it one time when a mom came up with her toddler. She said cheerily, "His fingers are a little wet," just as the child strummed my guitar with a hand that had recently been lodged in his mouth. I looked on in amazement as the strings glistened with drops of toddler saliva.
I always wipe the strings off anyway, but after that, I didn't invite the strumming so much. When I did, I asked the children to have dry, "relatively clean" hands.
--Farida
Posted by: Saints and Spinners at June 28, 2009 11:55 AM
Love your Dr.'s response! For the last two years I have twice been written out sick from school(yes, they do that here) for a week at a time. It was clearly some "kinder" disease, but it put me on the couch for a good three days. Do not underestimate the power of children's germs!
Posted by: Heidi at June 28, 2009 12:49 PM
Thanks, all--I am feeling better. Still tired, but not uncomfortable anymore.
Sharon, Sometimes I worry that I am becoming a bit OCD with my hand-washing, but it seems more sensible when one is actively sick.
Tanita, It usually takes something strong to get those of us who work with the kiddos sick, outside of the first couple years, when you get everything.
Farida, Oh, saliva, ew! What was that mother thinking? Jason does not let the kids touch his guitar, and I can't say as I blame him. It would make me nervous--but I can see that they'd love it, too.
Heidi, After the first couple years, you get fewer of the things that go around.
Posted by: adrienne at June 28, 2009 05:20 PM
Hope you feel better real soon Adrienne, Tom told me you were sick,thank goodness you went to see your Dr., and what he said was quite comical. Don and I are sending healing wishes your way, but only rest and lots of sleep(not to mention antibiotics)will help.Love ya...........
Posted by: Bri's Mom at June 28, 2009 07:27 PM
Adrienne, I hope you feel better soon. I had the cold from he--l recently, and I figure it might have been the swine flu. No fun.
Posted by: Susan at June 28, 2009 11:17 PM
Adrienne, I thought you were impervious to kid germs! You are still my heroine, despite your frailty. Feel better soon, summer colds are especially awful.
Posted by: Xandi at June 29, 2009 12:44 PM
Again, I say: Boo to you being sick. Hope you feel better really soon.
Posted by: Jules at June 29, 2009 08:27 PM
Thank you all for the well-wishes. I'm feeling really a lot better the last few hours, much more like myself. I'm looking forward to getting back to work and routine tomorrow (well, as much routine as I tolerate--not much).
Posted by: adrienne at June 29, 2009 11:08 PM