Sickness in the House

Last weekend Cody began to complain that he had a sore throat, congestion, headache, bodyaches and fever. He clearly wasn't feeling well. He missed school on Monday and I prayed that I wouldn't get it. I simply do not have the luxury of cancelling classses due to sickness. We've already had to cancel two weeks of classes because of furloughs and there simply is no more room in the schedule for sickness. I made it all the way to Wednesday afternoon before I began to feel a heaviness in my upper chest. I immediately knew that "something" not good was coming my way. By Thursday morning I had bodyaches and fever and chills, but I drugged up and got myself to work. Thursdays are my shortest day as I only teach 2 classes and am done by 11:30. Happily I made it through my work day, but I was beginning to feel much worse. I took more drugs, went to bed early and prayed that the worst was over.

After a very rough night of chills and fever, headache, coughing, and body aches I knew that I wasn't going to be able to make my first two classes. I thought I might be feeling better to teach my 1 pm class. I went downstairs to call in and inform the dept. office that I needed to cancel my morning classes and was greeted by a voicemail message that the office was closed for a furlough day. Oh great! How am I going to cancel classes when no one is there to put the notice up on the classroom door? There were no instructions on the voicemail message on how to handle my circumstances. So, I sent a frantic email to my boss and thank God he has OCD tendencies just like me! He answered me within 2 minutes (he's always on line, just like me) and kindly offered to post a notification on my classroom door. The chair of the dept. is willing to do clerical duties to help one of his teachers out, simply wonderful. I couldn't ask for a better boss. He is so kind and helpful. I hope he's the chair for as long as I'm there because he simply is the best. No ego at all!

Back to bed and then I hear Dan starting to cough, that same hacking cough that I started to have 24 hours earlier and I know, he's starting down the same path. I was also very grateful that morning that Chelsea was able to drive herself and Cody to school and I didn't have to drag my virus ridden body out of bed to take them. At noon, I drugged myself up and got my virus ridden body into the car and made it to work and taught my Abnormal Psychology class. It was rough, but I couldn't cancel class as we start group work in one week and we didn't have a single class to waste in preparation.

I'm feeling better this morning. I'm still mucus filled, but the bodyaches are gone along with the chills and fever. I believe I'm well on my way to wellness, but poor Dan is where I was yesterday. He's drugged up now and soundly asleep. Chelsea thus far has made it through healthy, with no signs of viral invasion. I hope she will be able to escape this one because it is nasty.