In Sickness & In Health

For the past week, my husband has been sick. Not man-cold sick (though I thought so at first) but genuinely sick with a nasty tick-born disease – erlichiosis (look it up!) Poor guy has been wiped out for over a week now and it’s been tough to watch him suffer. And while I know this is not life-threatening, and hasn’t required hospitalization (thank heavens,) it’s been stressful for the whole family.

Fortunately, after nine days, the drugs have finally kicked in and he’s turned a corner. Such a relief! I have my husband back.

It was a rough period, during which I realized that:

• I am not cut out to be a nurse
• I don’t want to eat dinner if he a) has not prepared it or b) is not with me to enjoy it
• It’s awful to feel helpless
• Some doctors are useless; others are fantastic
• A parent’s sickness can super scary for kids, except for when they are oblivious to it – which is most of the time
• Household management is a two-person job (read: I do not want to take the trash out)
• Solo parenting is exhausting
• Tending to a sick partner & 2 kids is a full-body workout (I’ve lost 4 lbs!)
• Sleep is precious
• It’s OK to ask for and accept help from family and friends (especially if sangria is offered)
• I worry this is a slice of what life will be like in 20-30 years time as we both age

The good news is that, with the exception of this blip, we have our health. We have our humor. Sickness can test the limits of a relationship and we made it through this episode. I thought I was a bitch most of the time, but my husband seems to think I was an angel.

I’m welcoming the return to normality with arms wide open ….

Posted by samanthamcgarry on August 9, 2012

https://samanthamcgarry.wordpress.com/2012/08/09/in-sickness-in-health/