No one likes to be sick. It's a fact and you can't dispute it.
I woke up thinking, "Damn, was I hit by a train in my sleep or what?" The flu, for some strange reason, has been traveling around the school late in the spring, and I was its latest victim. Most every student who has been unlucky enough to come in contact with this virus has gone home and quarantined themselves there. Not me. I'm an out-of-state student who lives approximately 1502 miles, 21.5 hours, and half a continent away from home.
It started with the chills and a headache. Then I took a cold, fatigue-ridden walk from my Romantic Era Literature class to the college nurse's office. "102 degree temperature, and a doctor's appointment," she said. I called the doctor and scheduled an appointment. One problem: I don't have a car. At a small school a car isn't necessary, but at times like these it would be helpful. Lord knows I'm not walking.
Now back in the day, my lovely mother would drive me to the doctor's office, help me with the paperwork, and provide her sick son company in the bland, mind-numbing hospital room. She would take me home and cook me chicken noodle soup while I nestled into the couch with my double-layered, baseball-themed blanket. She would call in my prescriptions, and pick them up. She nursed me back to health until the flu was gone.
An out-of-state college student can only dream of those days.
When your mom is not around, you gotta trust your friends to help you. Luckily they did, getting me place to place. But staying in the doctor's office? No way. I didn't want to get them sick. They have school. They have sports. They could get more people sick. So, I sat by myself, going through the paperwork, trying to remember important dates, birthdays, numbers, etc. It's surprising how much you tend to forget or don't know about yourself. The doctor's appointment consisted of more watch checking than I think I have done in my life, but eventually the doc came in and diagnosed me: "Influenza."
"Damn." I went on my way with a prescription in hand.
My buddy drove me to the pharmacy and we picked up my meds, then continued on our way back to the quads where I would be quarantined until the virus died.
When you are quarantined at home, it's quiet. Your family is under strict control of the mother bird, who is trying to make her baby boy better. You are the center of attention and everything being conducted around the house is to ensure that you get healthy as fast as possible. Well, in college, it's a little different.
I happened to get sick during our school's Stop Day. Stop Day is a day of no classes or any other responsibilities, and is gifted to the student body by Doane College's administration. As you can imagine, this day is full of "extracurricular activities". While I may have been sick beyond belief, my roommates were deliberately getting sicker in another way. I had to go full independent to get better. For the first time in my college career, I used my calendar. Meds schedule, meal schedule, and Major League Baseball game schedule. Maybe getting sick wasn't the worst thing in the world. It did finally push me to be independent.
All I can say is "Thanks, Mom" for getting me prepared for this day. Love you.
