Exam jitters

I had to miss class one day last week. I had caught a stomach bug (two faculty have had it, one of my classmate's daughters). It happened to be a test day. I was feeling only somewhat prepared for the test, so part of me wasn't unhappy about having to stay home.

Now, though, I have to make up the test, within a week. And There are two tests this coming week already, so now I will have three. Adding to my nervousness, without sharing any details of the exam (which I wouldn't want to hear), my classmates have said that it was, "really hard," and, "make sure to read the chapters, not just learn the powerpoints." 

I have been feeling low energy since the day I was sick, though most of the vomiting etc was done within 24 hours, and I have sort of gotten behind on everything. I don't have clinical this week (but do have my internship one day) so it will provide me a little more time to catch up, which I desperately need to use wisely. Instead I am just sitting here being sort of anxious and jumpy, while at the same time my head feels foggy.

I think if I just make myself get started, I will be on a roll. I can intersperse cleaning chores in between to get me up and moving now and then, and stop me from being in a study stupor. Yeah...now...GO.   I said GO!

Brain not cooperating ;-)

Better get to it.

Sick day...

On Friday, I came into work feeling a little queasy; had thrown up several times that morning, but took a few tums. Was hoping I could come into work early, talk to my boss about my insurance situation (lack thereof) and have a mellow day.

My boss wasn't there... Friday is her day off right now, I guess I'd forgotten.

I started feeling worse and worse. My coworker left for her lunch break and I was at the desk alone. Tweny-five minutes into my shift, mid-interaction with a resident, I had to excuse myself quickly to go throw up in the bathroom. Repeatedly. And then, with the heaves of my stomach, the runs came out the backside too, without warning.

There I am, in the restroom, puking my guts out and trying to make my way to the toilet and finagle my soiled underpants off without soiling my office clothes as well, dripping various bodily fluids on the clean tile, still someone waiting to finish a transaction at the front desk....

People ask sometimes, "What has been your most humiliating moment so far?"

I want to say this is close to the top.

I had to send a runner up to the dining room to tell my coworker I needed help, have the bus driver cover the desk in the mean time, and attempt to clean myself up and wipe up the sh*t on the floor with paper towels.

I was clocked out about 10 minutes later, told my coworker to wipe *everything* down with disinfectant, and she called the housekeeping to sterilize the bathroom.

The rest of that day, I spent in bed, and well into today. I had a fever that made me so dizzy and week I felt like I couldn't even roll over in bed. Sometime in the night, my fever broke, and I started feeling a little better.

Today my throat is sore, I'm congested. I pooped my pants again, without warning. But no vomiting anymore. Ugh.

I was supposed to work the 7:30-4 shift today, which my coworker is now covering. I'm sure she's not happy about that, but I know the residents where I work don't need to catch this stuff. A friend of mine who used to work eldercare told me that under similar circumstances, her company made their caregivers come in anyway, and wear adult diapers. Yuck.

I feel like I really shouldn't go in tomorrow, either. I am going to wait and see how I feel in the morning.

Now that my fever has passed, I feel strong enough to get out of bed and get some low-key house chores done, so I've been doing laundry, washing dishes, watering plants. Cleaning the algae covered walls on my aquaria. Things I haven't had time for recently. I've only been up out of bed for 4 hours and I feel like it's probably time for a nap again. Whew.