One Tuesday afternoon my husband was getting ready for work as usual and I remember telling him how exhausted I felt and looked, as I was looking in the mirror. The muscles in my arms were so stiff and felt heavy. I carried on with the day of cleaning and taking care of my 4 children.
The next day I woke up and immediately felt lethargic. You know that feeling where you just feel like you’ve been hit by a bus. I felt a sting in the corner of my lips and my heart sank as I realised it was a cold sore on its way and the blisters came thick and fast. They’re so painful and really embarrassing to have on your face. I knew this was a sure sign that my body wasn’t at its best and slowly I started to gain a headache as well as the most awful pain in my lower back. It felt like someone was pushing down really hard on my hips toward my feet and I could hardly move at all.
I know my husband had to go to work as we need the money of course, but also they are a little short staffed. I honestly broke down crying in the toilet a few times because I felt so terrible and I knew I had to push on as the children weren’t going to look after themselves. They’re 7, 4, nearly 2, and my baby was 1 on Christmas day. They depend on me and I always do my best for them but I knew today was going to be a very long day.
My husband went to work and I made the kids a quick sandwich for their tea as I just didn’t have the energy to make them a cooked meal and luckily I already had some meals made up for the baby. My temperature started to rise rapidly and I had the most awful thumping headache. I had to sit down quickly as I went dizzy and felt I was about to fall. I must have looked bad because my eldest daughter came from the bathroom with a wet flannel to put over my forehead.
God bless her heart. I managed to get through to the evening though I’d not eaten a thing all day and I still didn’t want anything. I tried a bit of salami but I didn’t want it at all and then I realised it tasted like cardboard. I couldn’t smell much either.
Of course the baby decided tonight was the night he wasn’t going to sleep. I rang my hubby as I was so emotional as I laid on the bed with my baby up and down in his cot next to me. I was telling him how awful I felt and I couldn’t get my temperature down with paracetamol. He was due to finish at midnight and only had an hour left so he offered to go and pick his brother up to come and watch the kids after work so we could go straight to the hospital.
I decided to just sleep it off and see how thing were in the morning. I had such a rough night, the fever was burning, full body was shaking, hot and cold all night and the paracetamol flu capsules I decided to try were not working.
(DAY 2) I woke up the next morning and felt like I was going pass out. I woke Cen up and said “now is the time for hospital “and his brother came to look after the children. He kept his distance and kept his gloves and mask on at all times.
Read part 2 in next months edition of The Ege Eye
