No one likes to get sick, and getting sick while away at school is even worse. You miss your mom's homemade soup and having 12 different flavors of cough drops to choose from. You miss cutting class and lounging on the sofa for hours, but this is college and there is no time for being sick when you need to study, study, study.
1. You can run, but you can't hide from the infection.
You thought you were safe, but no one truly
is. Communal bathrooms, the dining hall and all those dirty desks are home to
all the germs you need to start with that cough. There is no way to run away
from that runny nose.
2. I’m OK...
You won’t want to admit it. You won’t want to think that you actually caught what 99 percent of the school already has. You washed your hands twice yesterday and used a water bottle instead of a reusable cup when you had lunch on Tuesday. But was that really enough to protect you from the college cold?
3. Going to class has officially become a struggle
You thought waking up for that 8 a.m. was hard before you got infected with cooties, but now it is unbearable. Your nose is stuffed and your eyes are puffed. You just cross your fingers that you don’t get called on because if and when you do, you’ll have no choice but to respond in your also nonexistent froggy voice.
4. Your friends are suddenly doctors.
Maybe some of your friends are nursing majors, but they are not doctors. Before you know it, they will have you drinking six cups of orange juice and having you pinch your nose as hard as you can to “ease” the sinus pressure. Make sure they realize Advil is not the cure for everything and taking the max daily dose is not the best idea.
5. Making the trip to health services.
You gave in. You admitted it. You are sick, and there is no getting around that. With classes to attend, papers to write, tests to study for and professors that don’t really care that you’re sick, this was your last option. Sitting in the waiting room filled with sick students really made you realize that avoiding the college cold is basically impossible.
6. Cough drops, salt and tea?
Now this has to be a joke. You just sat in a room infected by half of your campus and the “doctor” gave you a paper bag with salt in it? Seriously? Where is the bubble gum flavored medicine? Where’s the cough syrup? The doctor didn’t think you were sick enough for a proscription and sent you on your way back to the dorms with a handful of cough drops and a few tea bag, how helpful.
7. Sleep, sleep, sleep.
Since the doc didn’t do much it’s up to your body to fight the college cooties. Sleep is a foreign word on most college campuses, but you need to find time to rest up. Staying up until 3 a.m. to party or even to study is not such a good idea. Sleep is what your body needs when it is run down so here is your excuse. Take a nap!
8. It’s a miracle.
Well, who knows what really fought off this case of the sniffles but it battled the cough, too! Now it’s time to hit the books and the dance floor harder than before. Now that you're cured, make sure you stay on top of your health. Get plenty of rest, eat healthy and wash your hands… Who am I kidding? I’m not your mom. I’m the kid you sat next to in health services. Way to say bless you when I sneezed…
