Calling In Sick

— Dana

It’s been a LONG time since I’ve had a cold. Now I know why people complain when they get sick!!! When my body isn’t aching to the bone, my face hurts because my sinuses are filled to capacity…and when my throat isn’t hurting, my ears are aching and I wish they didn’t exist on my head. Sometimes, in days past, I have wondered if my doctor is even doing his job…but today I think he deserves a purple heart.

I was shopping at Costco (because that is what I do when I don’t think I’m sick), and when I got back in the car I decided to look in my mouth to see if there was anything worth noting. To be quite honest, I didn’t expect to see anything. However, the disgusting white puss balls that lived on my tonsils and the back of my throat took me by surprise. It was obvious that I had strep throat and that I needed antibiotics ASAP.

Without finishing the rest of my errands, I immediately drove to my doctor’s office and walked right in the door…to blissfully find that their waiting room was completely empty. The nurses and doctors had just started their lunch break and were gracious enough to let me in so they could take a look at my head (insert funny joke about not finding anything in there). I thankfully brought Naomi with me (and that statement doesn’t come out of my mouth very often)…I think that helped win the favor of the receptions and nurses to expedite my request. Between feeling sorry for a mother of a toddler and the fact that my daughter knows how to pour on the cuteness in public settings, we got in and out with a prescription in less than 15 minutes.

It has been at least 2 (maybe 3) years since I’ve been on any sort of antibiotics. They tell me that I should not be contagious after taking my “z-pack” for 24 hours. I hope the people at Starbucks don’t mind that I’m spreading my disease while I wait for my prescription to be filled at the drug store. I promised them I wouldn’t lick their peppermint mocha…more than once.

Then there’s my toddler.

I wish I could go home and convince Naomi that taking a nap all day is just like going to Disneyland…only you don’t move as much…and your eyes stay closed a lot longer. Maybe I can tempt her with watching 5 movies today. Oh, the joys of being a mom while having the plague. Does anyone know who I would call if I needed to call in sick? Who is the HR person at the Kangas Commune?