I don't know how medical personnel do it. After taking care of a sick roomie for a day or two, every physical sensation I get is filtered through the light of her reported symptoms.
Is that twinge the onset of a sore throat? I feel a little hot, but is it because it's hot in here, or is it just me? There's a tiny bit of a headache, but is it just that I'm dehydrated first thing in the morning and haven't had caffeine yet, or am I coming down with RobertaXitis?
The smart thing to do, of course, would be to proceed with my normal weekday routine and peek in on her every so often, rather than lounging about in my pyjamas and psyching myself into being sick, too.
No, you're not imaging things. Chances are, being in such close proximity to Ms. X during her illness, your odds of catching her bug are good.
ReplyDeleteUsed to have the same thing happen on the Submarines. ONE Guy would come aboard with a Cold he picked up from his Kids and for the next couple of weeks, it was Sneeze City!
I recommend heading out today and get anything you need to purchase. Remember, Memorial Day Weekend is around the corner, and if you do come down with something, the Stores/Banks/Mail will be closed Monday.
And if nothing happens, then you're free to enjoy the Holiday.
Life. It Happens.
Ever been around someone who had lice? You spend days itching and crawling and convinced you've got them even if you never touched them or anything of theirs.
ReplyDeleteYou already have RobertaXitis: you have an inflamed RobertaX. I think what you're worried about is the chance of getting RobertaXosis.
ReplyDeleteUnless you've been wearing a surgeon's mask and wiping down all surfaces with antibacterials for the last few days, you've probably got Bobbie's cooties already.
ReplyDeletewv: sickening daJfon. I kid you not.
I am a healthcare person and rarely stress about these things, but the two things that set me off are lice and bedbugs. I leave the exam room convinced I a itching already.
ReplyDeleteAlath
Carmel IN
There is a reason why all psychologists and psychiatrists have to be in therapy.
ReplyDeleteThe toughest course I ever took was abnormal psychology.
After about 3 weeks I was ready to check myself in to the booby hatch. I saw the prof, and he explained that if I had all the symptoms, I was normal. Only if you were crazy in only one way did you have a problem.
Sounds like you're suffering from sympathy pains, which just goes to show you're a kind and caring person.
ReplyDeleteWear the sympathetic psychosomatic symptoms as a badge of honor.
Either that, or you can go the guilt trip route: "I take care of you and what kind of thanks do I get? Your flu. But don't worry about me...."
Hope Bertie starts feeling better soon.
ReplyDeletePass on my regards.
When tending a sick family member, I medicate (herbal tinctures, probiotics, vitamin C, and whatever else I have in the pantry that might stave off an illness) as if I were sick already. Then, whenever I feel a twinge, at least I know that I'm already doing everything I can to get a head start on the bug. It seems to work pretty well.
ReplyDeleteBefore his untimely death, Ed Rasimus wrote a nice post on how to tame Windows 8. Ifound it pretty helpful when I was forced to make that change.
ReplyDeleteI dated a medical student. The psychosomatic thing is real. She had all the symptoms of the diseases she studied in Infectious Diseases as she studied them, but she got Mononucleosis for real. When she studied the psychological disorders, on the other hand, everyone she knew had them. :O
ReplyDelete