Easter Flu

When we last spoke I was shivering and boiling on the couch waiting to die. Not a lot has changed.

Through some sort of stubborn, delirious, utterly unhinged optimism I still thought I'd teach my Saturday barre class, but after waking up for the 3rd time in the night to change my clothes and our sheets (or, by 5 a.m., just stick a new towel under me) because I'd sweated through everything in yet another fever-breaking night sweat, I texted all my teachers begging for a sub. James had scheduled makeup swim lessons for Saturday morning, so he left before I was awake, and sometime around 10 I blearily emerged from our room to find the kids playing nicely in the playroom where they filled me in on the happenings on the family while I'd been out. Thank god for increasingly older kids who can responsibly run the house without me.

James raced home at 11, thinking I was still teaching, only to find me dying on the couch instead. I knew I needed to go to the doctor but couldn't work up the energy, so he took the big kids to the Y, grocery store, and Costco and put Cora to bed so I could nap in peace. When they returned I decided I really needed to go to the doctor, but unfortunately now it was time for them to go the children's play we'd been anticipating and our babysitter couldn't make it over to watch Cora, so she and I got to go spend 2 hours of quality time in Urgent Care together.

My flu test came back positive, of course. I had another intense fever that resulted in me sweating through all my clothes AGAIN and ugh I've never felt so gross and awful. Cora sat on the table and took careful notes on my plan of care because after about an hour I was just curled up in a ball in the chair moaning.

I begged for a steroid shot because the most intense pain I had was in my ears and cheek bones, got a prescription for Tamiflu and a decongestant (I went through an entire box of kleenex in her office), and then finally got home at 6 where I curled up on the couch and didn't move again for 4 hours. No Easter decorating, no baking, no filling eggs and thinking of the best places to hide the kids' Easter baskets in the morning. Just me, hacking and coughing and sweating and weakly telling anyone who got near me to please just go away. Happy Easter everyone!

James did a great job doing everything and keeping the kids as far away from me as possible, but it just takes two people to make a house run properly with three kids and I HATE blearily watching it all from the couch wishing I could help while meakly calling out more things for him to do. I did manage to fill the Easter baskets and then he hid them and all the eggs while I watched.

Doing all the things

Three night sweats later, I woke up to Landon tearfully telling me that Claire had already found his basket and told him where it was despite our strict instructions that no one was to go into the living room without coming to us first. It took me about 5 minutes to figure out what he was talking about and then I pushed James out of bed to deal with it only to fall asleep again. When I woke up again I found that James was holding everyone and upon seeing me, the kids were unleashed to the living room where Landon got to look for Claire's basket while she waited on the couch and then everyone helped Cora and found their eggs.

The traditional Easter swimsuits were unfurled, coordinating flip flops were donned, and notes were taken.

James made brunch. I wished I wanted a mimosa, but fell asleep on the couch again instead.

not homemade

I woke up to a text from James saying he'd taken the kids to the park. They got home and then he took them out to dinner.

So it was as successful of an Easter as it could be with me spending half the day asleep on the couch. The kids had fun and were kept as far away from me as possible. Yay?

Next year better involve a healthy me making homemade cinnamon rolls and carrot cake and forcing everyone to take adorable pictures of everyone dressed up for church because I am NOT missing another holiday from the couch again. I'm tired and weak and clammy and at least 5 shades paler than the pale side of porcelain that I was before. I'm pretty sure my muscles are atrophying and I have no idea what is happening in the world beyond my couch. I've fallen asleep twice today and woken up more disoriented with each nap. I need to start writing myself notes so I can come to faster- the kids are at school, James is at the pool, you have the flu, it's all going to be okay. Maybe just a few more days?