I don’t mean really sick, genuinely ill, that’s different. If someone is at my house and really ill they get A1 care. Bin there done that.
What I mean here is I’m-catching-a-cold, I-think-I’m-getting-the-flu, I-don’t-feel-good, I-have-the-sniffles sick. The sort of thing that you know perfectly well will be gone in a week or two.
If you live alone, it’s a sad and rotten time, fetching your own tea, dragging yourself out to buy whatever you think you can stomach.
If you’re in a relationship, it can be an even sadder and rottener time, especially if you are the one who isn’t ill.
Some people are reasonable patients, with reasonable requests courteously made. And they give their kind nurse flowers or some similar pleasant small gift after they feel better.
But. Some turn into big pathetic whiny babies when they are ill. You’d like to feel sorry for them, but really, it’s difficult, because they’re making such a fuss about it.
The fuss can take different forms.
There’s the lying-dying type, who will lie there in bed and never utter a peep (yes, this counts as a fuss). If you ask them if they’d like anything, they answer in an annoying, faint little voice, “Is there any [item you never have in the house]?” with a little suggestion in their voice of your going out and getting some, now. If their illness is the result of their witlessly having gone out in the rain without their galoshes, you might not feel too inclined to do this.
Or you ask them “would you like an aspirin?” and they answer “yes please”, which seems ok, but they’re saying it as though with their last breath, so you know they’ve been lying there for hours wanting aspirin and would it have killed them to freakin’ ask for an aspirin and not make you be nursey and suggest it? And make you feel guilty for not having suggested it earlier? If you need an aspirin, ask for it. No one likes the Early Christian Martyr Effect.
But no one likes the what-did-your-last-slave-die-of type, either. Tea, toast, fruit, cereal, aspirin, water, hankies, damp cloth for forehead… make sure your familial/marital credit is very, very good before you try this one at home.
Me, I’m a good, sensible patient. I rest and drink plenty of fluids until I’m better. If I need Tylenol I’ll fetch it myself or bang on the wall until someone shows up to fetch it for me.
I know y’all out there have stories of your heroic patience (heh) above and beyond the call of kinship or friendship when you’ve had to nurse someone through a cold or the flu. Do tell.
Lurkers: please feel welcome to join us. We love to hear a nice rant.
