Gone Home Sick

My mother looked at me across the kitchen counter in her home in Oklahoma. “You are flying home tomorrow, don’t forget,” she said in mock serious tones.

“Oh right, I can’t wait to see you,” I replied with similar gravity. “There is one hitch,” I continued with our ruse, “how am I supposed to fly home when I am already here?”

I was supposed to be packing my bags right now to leave for Thanksgiving Break tomorrow afternoon. However, life had different plans. About a month ago, I got sick…very sick. I have somehow royally angered the sickness gods, because I have still not recovered, or shown many signs of progress. To top it all off, we have no idea what is wrong with me, and no clue as to when I will get better. So, I returned home a week ago to recover (hence the delay in posts; sorry about that).

This is one of those situations that my “how to survive college” books and orientations meetings (yes, I actually paid attention to those—I know I am a nerd) did not guide me through. Like all real-life situations, I have been forced to learn a few things.

1) Email your professors—incessantly. From the moment you first wake up feeling like you have been hit by a train to the time when the last traces of the sniffles are a distant memory, give them updates on your status and limitations. I am not exaggerating when I say that you should tell them about every cough, doctor’s appointment, and missed lecture. They need you to document your condition so they can help you recover your semester when you recover your health. If you mysteriously disappear in the middle of semester without any communications, they will either assume that you have become a practitioner of “skis and c’s” or will file a missing person’s report on you. Either will leave a large, persistent headache waiting to welcome you back with open arms.

2) Get doctors to sign off on everything. It is hard to argue with a doctor’s note saying you are too sick to go to class. And this could come in handy if you are forced to withdraw for a semester, or if you are sick for long enough to need extra help catching up in your classes.

3) Don’t be a hermit. For the first two-and-a-half weeks, I tried to tough out my illness on my own. This was probably the single stupidest thing I have ever done. Once my parent’s found out that I had told no one of my condition and berated me for my foolishness, I decided that instead spending the next seventeen days spent locked in my closet sized dorm room eating only canned soup and toast, I would start to ask for help. On the bright side, eating only canned soup nipped that freshman fifteen problem right in the butt. But, losing fifteen pounds because you are too weak to get out of bed and feed yourself and are too stubborn to ask for help is not what I would call ideal. Once I told people that I was ill, I have received a rather overwhelming number of offers of help and concern. The day when my friend Bianca charged into my room, breaking a three day streak of almost complete isolation, and announced that she was going to hang out with me for a few hours and would not be catching what I have (The only explanation of that assurance was her bark of “mind over matter.”) may well have been the happiest moment of my life.

After I saw sense and started communicating with others about my situation, my standard of living has dramatically improved. My professors have all assured me that they are more than willing to help me in any way they can to recover my semester. Both of my bosses pardoned any work or deadline I had to meet. My mom came and took care of me for a few days, then took me home to my nice big bed, kitchen, and puppy dog! Even my doctor at Wardenburg has been wonderfully helpful, writing notes to my teachers, copying my lab results for me, and even calling every day to check in on how I am doing.

I don't know when I will get better (I admit I was a very disappointed that I did not recover immediately upon returning home; I had secretly hoped it was just an acute case of homesickness). For now, all I can do is try my best to enjoy my forced vacation, and try not to stress about the semesters to come. As all of my teacher and friends have told me, right now I need to “focus on getting better.”