Taking care of me today

Runny nose, sneezing, itchy eyes, earache - eventually I put it all together and had to admit that this was not an allergy attack, but an actual full-blown cold. So, of course, I went to bed. At this time of year I don't need much coaxing to get under the blankets, but I really did not need this cold now (when does one ever need a cold???).

It's vacation time, holidays, parties, drinks out, lunches in little bistros with my husband and visiting son, seeing friends and catching up with museum exhibitions I've been putting off for months.  All of this on hold for a few days.  I have given this cold a deadline of tomorrow midday. After that we have plans to go out for an early supper and then theatre to celebrate Ralph's New Years Eve birthday. So I am dosing up with pills,  amusingly called Day Nurse and Night Nurse and would now like something called 'afternoon nurse' to bridge the gap between the two.

Last night was pretty rotten. I fell asleep watching the harrowing bits of the movie 'The Pianist' just as the main character was nearly dead from starvation in the ghetto (I know, I know...)  and awoke at 3am to the sound of the phone ringing and a wrong number. The woman calling and asking for Jen, then proceeded to call 5 (!!!) more times between 3 and
5 am, ensuring that I didn't sleep and then I got enraged. Finally the wrong number dialler stopped calling when I screamed at her to 'stop being so stupid and realise that this was NOT THE RIGHT NUMBER!'  So at 5 am, when I had only had 3 hours of sleep, what to do?  Unfortunately there is no medication called Psychiatric Nurse and I was on the cusp between the Night Nurse and Day Nurse dosages. I opted for staying up for another few hours and finally dozing off at 9 am. Being sick is a drag.

Ralph is a great carer. He is loving and attentive and constantly wants to make me hot drinks. I am not a lover of  hot drinks and usually have to be coaxed into drinking anything at all, so I have a little row of cooling cups of tea next to my bed.  When I'm not well I just want to be left alone until I get better, if I need something I will ask, or better still, get it myself. My way of being ill makes me a lousy nurse. I assume everyone just wants to be left alone until they're better, so in my house you could almost die of thirst! I see that nursing is not my best talent and could stand to be improved.

As the day passes I am feeling a bit better, bored with bad TV and have no  patience for reading, so I think it might just be time for a short nap. Then I can take my dose of Night Nurse and sleep some more.

Wishing everyone good health. x