Saturday, December 31, 2016

Recuperating from 4 days of being sick since December 27,2016

Recuperating from 4 days of being sick since December 27,2016

tuesday december 27, 2016
after 8 pm leaving son's house after babysitting grandson
age 2 years 8 months
daughter-in-law who is a registered nurse
sees me and asks
are you okay
no. i was throwing up this morning, i said.
then why did you come over then? she asked

i didn't answer, couldn't, was too sick.
got home, thought about it later
i came over because i said i would
and i don't get p.t.o. (paid time off)
i only get paid when i do something
i don't work for the government
i don't have a "regular job" so i don't have "sick leave",
time off, paid vacations, health insurance, perks, retirement
savings, investments, social security or any other benefits that
some people get when they work for the federal government or
large corporations that include such things as part of their employee
benefit program
i can only earn money when i am well enough to perform the job
if i can't work i get nothing

that day i managed to have one small can of ginger ale and
half a can of campbell's chicken noodle soup and
5 saltine crackers

got home from babysitting husband said i looked terrible
he said i looked green. he asked
is there anything i can do for you
suggesting aspirin i said no aspirin
for anyone who has stomach problems
he said you shouldn't sleep in a cold room
my room is cold like the house
he turns heater on very low in my room
not too high
don't want to run up the electric bill

he burns wood in wood stove to heat house to
comfy 55 maybe 60 degrees
with large drafty windows above my bed and on the
west side of the room

i said i can get in bed with heating pad under my broken back
wear a hat (a beret) and cover up my head with a blanket
wear 3 layers of clothes, 2 pairs of socks and slippers on my feet,
a sweater over my arms, shoulders and chest
then i might be warm enough

following the nausea and puking came constant runny dripping nose,
sneezing, sore throat, fever, slept most of the time during days
since tuesday,
4 days ago,
ate very little.
felt so bad thought death was imminent

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