Every Little Thing by April Jeppson

 

The day after Thanksgiving I was so tired. I hung out with family for a bit in the morning, and then by noon was snuggled at home with my kids. I spent pretty much the entire day either in my bed or on the couch with my kids. I’m an extrovert, but sometimes after a big event or something that requires me to really be extra extrovert-y, I need a day to recover — a day to be alone and recharge. I thought since I did all the cooking and hosting at Thanksgiving that this was one of those times where I just needed some “me” time. I was very thankful that I didn’t have to go into work that day.

I woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom (thank you three children for blessing me with the ability to never sleep through the night again without using the bathroom). The moment I got up I knew I was sick. In fact, by the time I walked into the bathroom I was almost positive I had strep. I proceeded to take some Ibuprofen for the pain and crawl back into bed.

When I got up Saturday, I immediately told my husband that I had strep and would need to go to the doctor at some point that morning. He kind of gave me a look and said, “How do you know?” I’ve dealt with strep throat my whole life but my husband has never had it. We joke that he’s a carrier and brings it into our home unknowingly. I mean we joke, but I’m not laughing. I explain the white patches in my throat, how it feels like I’m swallowing knives and the distinct smell/taste. Growing up, my parents would always smell my breath when they thought I had strep, I now do the same to my kids.

So I head into the doctor. Fun fact. Strep is not that common in adults. Every time I go in for strep (once every/every other year) I’m told this, followed up by, “most people think they have strep, but it’s just a sore throat.” I smile, remain polite and don’t argue with them. Even after I tell them I get it almost every year, they still feel the need to prepare me for my test to come back negative.

When my nurse asked me how sure I was, I said 100%. She looked up from her computer. I couldn’t tell if she wanted to give me that random fact about how most strep tests come back negative, or if she actually believed me. She informed me that they’ve been doing more tests than normal lately, and a lot of them are coming back positive. Finally, I didn’t get a lecture on how I was probably wrong. Someone might actually believe me.

My test came back positive, and I was told to hang low for 24 to 48 hours. I’m not going to lie. As a parent of three and someone who likes to stay fairly busy, there is always a moment of relief that comes from being sick — a realization that I don’t need to tough it out. That I can, in fact, stay home, stay in bed and press pause on my usual responsibilities. Do I enjoy getting sick? No. Do I enjoy having a doctor’s note excuse to take a day off? Yes, indeed. How messed up is our society that we can’t simply say “I need a day off” without having concrete proof that you need it? I believe that’s an article for another day.

Albert Lean April Jeppson is a wife, mom, coach and encourager of dreams.