I recently fell prey to a nasty sinus infection. It robbed, not only of two weekend days and nights, but stripped me of my dignity.
If you don’t want to hear the very syrupy sweet true love story I’m about to tell, feel free to scroll down to the bottom of the post for the for the freebie TABATA workout!
Winter time can be brutal and this year has been no exception. The flu strains and other various infections are running rampant. It’s barreling through schools, families and office buildings like an angry tornado. Leaving behind a trail of bed ridden, snot blowing, coughing, weak, dizzy individuals.
One super special caveat of sickness is its ability to shine a beacon of light on the old marriage vows, particularary “in sickness and in health”. It’s in my opinion the ONLY reason that couples begrudgingly mutter through a few long days of caregiver to their ailing partner. Because the truth of the matter is, taking care of a sick puny adult spouse during a seasonal sickness or stomach bug is 100 percent different from caring for a harmless child. Children and teenagers, even at their fevery worst, are a cake walk compared to caring for a sick spouse.
In our house, a home-built on biblical principles of love, patience and kindness seem to slip out the back door when one of the adults gets sick. Enter in eye rolling, disgust and usually short tempered intolerance.
If I say, “I don’t feel good,” it means I just don’t feel good. But if I have not moved from the bed or couch and I’m moaning, it’s the BAT signal that something is terribly WRONG! As the primary nurse of our humble abode, it seems I have Pidgeon holed myself into being the only person who could even acknowledge where the medicine cabinet is located. ?!?!?! Oh boy…it’s going to be a long one folks.
Early Saturday morning, 7:30am, I woke up to a vengeful headache and sore throat. I made it to the kitchen for Musinex, Tylenol and Gatorade. I didn’t have the energy to walk all the way back to the bed room so I found my way to the couch and called the squat. I was incredibly dizzy. I waited in agony for the medicine to kick in and or someone in my house to wake up and take care of me!!!!
Yall, I felt real bad. So bad that come to think of it I don’t even know if I brushed my teeth on Saturday?? I’m regulary a 5 time a day or more brusher. I couldn’t even muster a cup of coffee from the Keurig! Folks, if I don’t want coffee the very second my eye lids open, something very serious is UP!
Alas, around 10am I heard the teen queen stirring about. The gift and charm of having a daughter is that she is in tune with me! “Mom, what are you doing on the couch? Are you feeling ok?.” Nodding my head no, she softly said the five most precious words a human could utter, “Can I get you anything?”
Looking up into the face of an angel on earth, I say, ” YES!” I’m thinking, thank you my darling, sweet, cup cake of a child, birthed from my very loins, you most certainly can. The weight of the world dropped off of my chest and I could rest! She had come to my rescue. Just knowing that someone is within ear shot of assistance is comforting.
At approximately 10:15 am I was slurping down a bowl of chicken noodle soup. The teen queen was so perplexed that I would ask for soup for breakfast. It would be one of three bowls I would have that day. It took all the energy I had just to sit up, hold the bowl and my head at the same time.
I guess Mr. Chicken Fry soon got word that I was incapacitated and not in the gym training. With a worried look in his eye, he rushed to my side. “Oh babe, I’m so sorry you aren’t feeling good,” (key wording that he isn’t aware of the BAT signal) “Did you cancel your training sessions?” “Ok well, hopefully you can rest for several hours and take it easy all day and get your energy back up for the Stars game tonight.”
HUH? I shot him back “THE LOOK.” The look like “have you lost your mind?” I’m thinking silentely to myself, does this look like a few hours of recovery mode to you? Does the fact that I cancelled my clients, I’m on the couch, with Gatorade, empty medicine packets, Kleenex, soup, coughing my head off and I’m swaddled under every blanket in the house, not alarm you that something bigger is going on????
“Ummmm, no, bu you should totally go, but I’m a firm, no way Jose. Please tell them that I’m sorry.” Chicken Fry, sat down beside me, felt my forehead with his and kissed me. He kindly offered to help move me into the bedroom where I could get more comfortable. I denied his sweet gesture. I didnt’ want to move a muscle.
In and out of consciousness, I recall Mr. Chicken Fry, coming in and checking on me. By 3pm, he announced that he cancelled our invitation to suite tickets to Dallas Stars hockey game. For Better or Worse, in Sickness and in Health.
I didn’t depart from the couch until later that evening, Mr. Chicken Fry practically carried me to the bedroom. NyQuil is a beautiful thing. There is absolutley no telling what I must have looked or smelled like but I can assure you it wasn’t pretty. On Sunday morning, I was no better but no worse. He drew me a warm bath, almost as a hint that I should move and make some progress. I think this was wishful thinking on his part.
Because what you all might not know is that this morning….of all mornings was SUPER BOWL SUNDAY! The sunday of all Sunday’s in my man’s book. This is the day that my husband LIVES for! Period! On Mr. Chicken Fry’s scale of days, the Super Bowl is a twelve on a 1-10 scale. He could care less about birthday or holidays…it’s the Superbowl, then Christmas and it goes down from there.
After my soak, Mr. Chicken Fry said, “honey, I cancelled our super bowl plans.” He didn’t even look pitiful. He said, I just told them you were really sick and that I was just going to hang out and watch it with you. Yall, I started to worry. He must be having a stroke or perhaps running a HIGH fever. This is soooo unlike the man I married almost 19 years ago.
The truth was, he was being kind, thoughtful and patient. What a man, what a man, what a mighty good man! He knew I was at sick’s f ront door and took one for the team! This alone is super sexy and beyond romantic. It was true love for better or worse, for sickness and in health (even on the Super Bowl)
Bless him. Bless him.
If you find yourself bed ridden or the caregiver to your grumpy needy spouse, here is a list of all of the Abercrombie and FITness approved sick list items. These things will help you bounce back and recover with grace.
Rest
Gatorade – Electrolytes are key
Coconut water
Popcycles
Icecream
Baked Potato
Toast with honey
Chicken soup
Pho – with jalapeno and sprouts
Girl Scout Cookies??? Why not!
Hot tea – Ginger lemon honey
Tuna fish sandwich and chicken soup
When you are sick, the body needs to fight off the virus or infection. EAT! By all means eat if it makes you feel better. You body is working overtime and believe it or not burning calroies just fighitng the sickness. It’s imperative to feed it and let it rejoice with a little sweet sugary treat every once in a while. It needs your help. Just be still. Rest, give in and taking a load off. My brain was so full of mucus I couldn’t even look at a phone or Ipad. I unplugged from everything but my pillow and spurts of NetFlix.
Medicine
Oscoccilloiccum -to stave off flu-like symptoms! (this is my A, number one GO TO)
Black Elderberry – for immune support
Musinex DM – to control the mucus and control my cough
Tylenol – to kill the raging headache.
NyQuil – Only at night.
Antibiotics (for infection)
Tamiflu – if you have flu-like symptoms
REST!
It’s been almost a week and I have kicked that infection to the curb. I took Monday off and went to the doctor who prescribed antibiotics. I’m cough free and feeling like my better self.
Praise the Lord for the sacred sacrament of marriage vows, helpful teenage daughters and doctors.
I completed my first workout of the week on Wednesday and as a token of my good health I will share it with you.
TABATA
Mini tramp high knees
Plank position lawn mowers, jump up with weights criss cross criss cross jumps
Curls from the BOSU with a wide grip bar
Lean backs with weighted vest
Forearm planks (freestyle)
Med ball forward (stationary) Atlas Lunges
From incline bench forearm lawnmowers
From incline bench, bicep curls
For more information about →TABATA style workouts, ←click here or here → Tabata Bing, Tabata Boom
Special thanks to my new bed and my trusty comfy couch for being there for a girl! My praises ring out to Progresso chicken noodle homestyle soup!
What’s on your weekend agenda?
Love, LIFT and be FIT!
Angi
xo
