Listen to your parents or guardians. Seriously. Listen, because when you're feeling under the weather, especially at a family party, well, it's no fun.

It really is no fun.

Originally, I had thought that breaks were meant to be the best time of the school year. I would get the see my family, interact with old friends, and to top it all off, I'd get to see my dog!

It seemed so wonderful that words were not something that came easily. I was just so happy to be going home. When Thanksgiving break rolled around, I was feeling anything but happy. Working in the morning of Tuesday until evening, I felt my stomach twist. I had wondered what could cause such an uncomfortable cramp near my belly button, and it bothered me to no end to not understand, and especially be stuck not doing anything about it.

Disregarding the pain, I continued working until around five, when I was able to finally go home for a few short days of family bliss. When I had arrived home, my stomach still didn't feel great, and I began to wonder if this was something serious. But, I didn't want to ruin a week with the family, so again, I ignored it.

My parents didn't, though. They had pressed that I go to sleep earlier and take pain medicine, so I did without question. When Wednesday arrived, I still didn't feel too well. My head began to hurt along with the sharp pain near my hip, and I decided to stay in for the day. I used a heating pad and watched a LOT of That 70's show, finally deciding I wanted to see my friends. I couldn't waste the trip, even IF I felt horrible.

After a long day filled with pain and misery, and a little bit of joy when I saw my friends, I crawled back into bed praying that the pain would be gone before the next day. When I told my mother and father the next day that the pain had only gotten worse, they automatically said that the following day would be spent at the doctor's. I didn't mind; I could wait a day.

I could wait a day.

I couldn't wait a day.

As family started rolling in, it was harder and harder for me to stand and greet all of them. My insides felt like they were churning, it felt like there was something stabbing stabbing me in the gut, and I shuddered at the idea that this could be anything serious. I had never been to the hospital; what would happen?

I hated needles. That was for sure. They couldn't give me needles.

It was Thanksgiving! I thought it would be wrong to make my family suffer at my own expense.

By the evening, I had spent the majority of the day holed up in my room. I stopped greeting guests, I stopped pretending to be okay. I was not okay, this was obvious. I was in an immense amount of pain. I had thought that I could make it to dinner and then lay back down right after, and when I tried, I had failed.

When everyone began to eat their meals, I tried to as well. After taking one spoon full of mashed potatoes and corn, I felt like I was going to smack my head against the table and fall into a long sleep. Looking towards my cousin, I recalled telling her that I wanted my food wrapped, and tears were strolling down my face. I ran up the stairs, fell back on my bed, and cried until there were no tears left.

A few minutes passed, and my mom came in to tell me we were going to the hospital. I sobbed and told her I didn't want to, and she had questioned why. In my mind, two reasons rose instantly:

1) I was not going to cry in front of my family and make a scene.

2) I hated hospitals.

That wasn't enough for my mom.

They gave me needles. They gave me medication, they took my blood and did several tests. When I had a really high fever, and my heart rate was accelerating, they knew something was wrong, and I feared for it.

When I found out I had a kidney infection, I was almost relieved to know it wasn't anything more than that. I had to relax, sleep, and keep myself locked in my house for the remainder of break, hoping that my sickness would fade while taking antibiotics. It wasn't fun, it wasn't even slightly enjoyable, but I had my family, who from the start were the people to push me to get better. If I listened sooner, maybe I wouldn't have had the infection.

I guess I learned that family will always be there for you, and I was thankful mine was and always will be, too.