Winter time illnesses

Sick leave and decent housing make a difference

We’ve had a few weeks of winter illnesses in the house. As many primary caregivers know, this means an extra care load. There is doing of the chores the sick person would usually do, the stocking of the pantry - making sure there is paracetamol and ibuprofen and throat lozenges a plenty, lemonade and juice to drink, favourite foods to tempt eating, the nice tissues that don’t scratch - plus notifying various schools letting them know said child is home sick.

It makes it hard to find time to write. And by write, I mean, uninterrupted time to order one’s thoughts and arrange ideas into something sensible. It’s like being at the bottom of a swimming pool, and seeing all these ideas and thoughts floating on the surface, but being unable to reach them.

Naturally, just as the household is restoring itself to usual routines, down I come, feeling rotten and exhausted and utterly unable to string two thoughts together, let alone a sentence. Thankfully we at least had plenty of tissues, codral, and assorted painkillers in the house.

the couch, my blanket, and the medicine stash keeping me feeling human

Job security and flexibility makes a massive difference when dealing with sickness. Having sick leave and feeling able to take it means I can provide care to family members, rest when I’m unwell, and not rush back before I’m really ready. Not to mention, someone has to fund the supermarket shop and chemist run. Having decently paid work makes it all less stressful.

Living in a warm, dry home means you get better quicker, and the virus doesn’t escalate to chest and lung infections or exacerbate asthma. Before we moved to our current home we lived in a ‘70s 3-bedroom with limited insulation and poor heating. Like many of its ilk, it was cold and damp in winter. This meant nebulisers, bronchiolitis, and late night trips and long waits at after hours care. The first winter in our new home, these things were noticeably absent. Yes, we still catch coughs and colds (case in point; the last few weeks!), but recovery is easier and with fewer complications.

I’m still tired and need more rest than usual. The kids have commented that it’s unusual to see me on the couch so much (read: they are complaining that I’m hogging the telly and they can’t watch their programs!) Still. It’s nice to be able to grab the thoughts floating in my head and turn them into writing again. Not my best work perhaps, but nonetheless, it’s nice to feel like my brain is less full of cotton wool.

Take care, stay safe, and rest if you need it.