If you’re like me then you haven’t been this sick since you were a kid and you had your mom and dad there to take care of you, so now here we are at school having to take care of ourselves.
1. Should I go to student health?
Yes, you should probably go to student health no matter how much you don’t want to go. No one likes going, but they can give you the medicine that you need. Yes you might have to wait an hour or two and then you’ll be tested for everything under the sun, but in the end it’s worth it.
2. Okay, I really don’t feel good.
Time for bed for as long as possible. If you’re like me and student health diagnoses you with contagious tonsillitis and still doesn’t excuse you from your classes, you’re going to have to do some convincing with your professors. It usually goes pretty well when you start off with the word ‘contagious’. You’re going to want to sleep a lot and lay down forever and probably binge-watch a lot of Netflix.
3. I just need sleep, I'll be fine in the morning.
You’re probably wrong about that one. You’re not going to recover overnight despite the fact that it would be much more pleasant if that’s how it worked.
4. Can my roommate sleep somewhere else for a few days?
Anyone can agree, sharing a room while you’re sick is so difficult because you feel bad coughing and heavily breathing while you’re trying to sleep, but you just can’t help it. Hence why I said, you’re going to want to try to nap during the day as much as you possibly can. It’s a known fact that when you’re sick you get worse at night so it’ll be way harder to get sleep when you’re actually supposed to be sleeping.
5. Since when is my room so small?
Seriously though, why does this dorm room feel more like a box than ever before. Why does it feel so messy in here despite the fact that I clean nearly every day? This is weird and I don’t like it, mostly because I’m sick and I miss my bed at home where I could so easily stretch out in my bed or lay on the couch and watch TV.
6. Where's my mom?
My mom’s the one that makes me soup and watches TV with me until I fall asleep on the couch. She’ll check and see if I have a fever and she checks in on me every half hour or so. I could really use her here right now, I’ve never had to be sick alone before and I’m not a fan of it.
7. Where's my dad?
My dad’s the one that reminds me to take my medicine, makes me laugh, buys me candy, and helps me upstairs after a long day of napping on the couch. He’ll always come to check on me and rub my back when I can’t sleep and that’s something that I’ll just never have while I’m away at school which is super sad.
8. Why is everything so far away?
The walk to the bathroom feels like miles, which is unfortunate with the amount of water I have to drink to keep my throat from being too dry. The dining hall, which hasn’t even had chicken noodle soup in 3 days anyways, feels like lightyears away. Spending so much time in bed and being this sick has made my body feel so weak that walking to all these places around campus just isn’t all that easy while you’re sick.
9. Do I really have to go back to class tomorrow?
I mean, you probably should. You do pay to go here and all, but if you still feel like absolute misery then email your professors and they’ll be very understanding. They don’t want you there if you’re just going to be focused on how sick you are anyways.
10. Can I go home?
You’re going to miss your parents, you’re going to miss your bed, and you’re going to miss when you were younger and your parents were there to take care of you. FaceTime is a great invention but it could never compare to a hug or a hand hold from your parents.
The good news is that technology does let you communicate with your loved ones really easily and that makes being sick just a little bit easier. Hopefully since it’s April you’ll be done getting this sick for the rest of the semester.
