Hello, it's me. That girl in the back of your class that can't stop coughing. Or sneezing. Or dying.
I am constantly sick for reasons that escape me. I eat healthy, I sleep eight hours a night and — not to brag — but I pride myself on my hygiene. Yet my entire life I have consistently found myself sick more than anyone else I know. I'm talking about all the basic kinds of sickness: colds, flus, bronchitis, viral infections, strep throat, skin rashes, etc. The chances of me being sick during any given week is almost as much as the chances of flipping a coin and getting heads or tails.
This is a desperate plea that maybe somewhere out there are others like me, and that if you are reading this, brother or sister of sickness, that you understand the following struggles of frequently being sick.
1. People don't believe you when you say you're sick
"Again?" People ask me with a raise of the eyebrows and a hint of doubt in their voice. Yes, again. I should just start making copies of my doctors' notes so that I can hand them out to all of my non-believers.
2. You are constantly faced with the decision of cancelling plans or attending them in your state of sickness.
If I cancel, then I'll let my friend down, who I have probably cancelled plans with before because I was sick. If I go, then I risk not having a good time and possibly getting even more sick. I usually make the more irresponsible decision, especially if it's karaoke night. Don't be like me.
3. You keep cough drops/tissues/some sort of medical aid on you at all times.
I keep a bag of cough drops in my book bag at all times and I inhale those tiny wrapped miracles like I'm getting paid to do it. I might not be one of those cool kids in class that has gum, but I have the next best thing: cherry-flavored life support.
4. You have a sixth sense for when you're about to get sick and what it is going to be.
My sick senses start tingling and I know exactly what I need to do in order to prepare for the war my immune system is about to rage on me.
5. When people say they "never get sick," you look at them like they are an alien or some sort of God/Goddess of Health.
What I wouldn't give to trade immune systems with this kind of person for a day. Or a week. Or maybe forever, because I have some really big plans coming up and I would like to not have to bring three different kinds of medication with me to all of them.
6. When it comes to class or work, you've learned how to suck it up on most days.
To all my teachers who have strict attendance policies: I won't cough on you, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't tempted.
7. You're sick of being sick.
I had to do it. But seriously. I've spent more money on prescriptions in the past week than I have on Starbucks, and that's not OK with me or my wallet.
Get well soon, my friends. Just remember to sleep, drink lots of fluids and rule the world, one sniffle at a time.
Note: This article is in no way meant to belittle the struggles of those individuals with more serious and/or life-threatening illnesses. It should be well-understood that the so-called "struggles" the following type of "sick" this article discusses are nothing compared to the battles that others face.
