Five Insights for Being Sick in College

This was not that minor cold we have all grown too accustomed to.  This was the “MOMMY COME HELP ME” sickness.

As I’ve been bed-stricken for the past three days, and have moved only to place the garbage can a little closer to my bed (starting to get the picture? I was attempting to avoid TMI), I have come to some quite distinct realizations when it comes to being sick at school.

1. Mother is an angel

Not until I viewed my call log and realized the last 16 Facetimes under the span of one hour on my mac had been with my mother, let me remind you, did I realize how  utterly and completely helpless I am when sick. Yes, I did plead for her to make the 4.5-hour drive down to campus from Chicago and, yes, she did think I was joking. I wasn’t. My mother knows best how to take care of me when I’ve been sick. I also came to the conclusion that I should never, ever, become a doctor–All hail communications majors.

2. You will have the most boring time in your 20-something years

I hadn’t scheduled sickness into my weekend plans. In fact, I had attempted to remove every “no-funs” from my weekend, tackling my workload prior to the weekend. This left me with much quality time with my brother’s Netflix account; all of the “recently viewed” cheerleading movies may raise some questions. Sorry Brother, I had watched almost everything else.

3. Hosting guests is impossible 

Hosting guests and slowly dying in a confined dorm room don’t quite mix. When my roommate’s friends come, I felt the slight “pressure” to move from the cocoon I had wrapped myself in to clean up my space.  But the plentiful Ginger Ale bottles and mounds of crackers crowding my desk convinced them otherwise; they decided to chill at the lounge in our hall instead. At least I offered them some crackers.

4. Timing out medications is absolutely exhausting

The same roommate who brought friends over the other day doubled as a thief today, sneaking a plain turkey luncheon meat on white bread out of the dining hall.  When she handed me, the sickle child, the turkey sandwich wrapped in napkins, I knew I would slowly go crazy if I didn’t get well soon. Who wants to eat a plain turkey sandwich?

Managing what medicine to take when throughout the day is a skill; I’m surprised I didn’t start writing numbers down. There’s a reason I’m not enrolled in any math classes here, and this demanding medicine has only reinforced my impotence with numbers.

5. Being sick at school is absolutely horrible

The last yet most significant realization was that being sick at school is absolutely, positively, ultimately, horrible. Yes, making comforter cocoons in your cozy bed sounds quite appealing. But do you know what else is appealing? Daylight. And moving.