Tag Archives: sickness

What’s Holding You Back?

Logan and I both went to the doctor today. We both have Influenza Type A, which basically means we both have this tiny microscopic germ that has taken over our bodies and left us feeling rather miserable. Not only are we both feeling a little miserable, we’ve also been banned from going back to school for the rest of the week. Logan’s not too concerned about this of course, but I know it will leave me trying to play catch-up in the weeks to come, which as a single mother is rather daunting in and of itself, but to be … Continue reading →

When Being Sick Is Not An Option

What do you dread more?  Dealing with a sick kid or running a household while running a fever and to the toilet every few minutes? When my daughter was an infant she got violently ill.  In a moment of utter fatigue and desperation, I tried bargaining with her doctor.  I offered him all of my appendages in exchange for a cure for my child.  I wanted to alleviate her pain at any cost, even if it meant dismembering my own body. It’s a scenario most parents can relate to; we’d rather be the ones suffering than see our children in … Continue reading →

When Sickness Prevents You from Exercising

The past week and a half has been a bit frustrating for me. For the second time in a year, I have costochondritis, which is inflammation in the area surrounding the upper ribs/breastbone. It feels like you are having heart attack symptoms. I am apparently one of those cases with an “unknown” cause, since I haven’t been sick and I haven’t experienced any trauma to my chest. Treatment consists of anti-inflammatory medication and rest….sigh. It’s really frustrating when you have been on a regular schedule with exercise, or if you had fallen off the routine but were finally back on … Continue reading →

Single Parents with Migraines

It is hard being a single parent. So what happens when you have a migraine and need help watching your child? Luckily for me, I live with family members who are usually able to help with my son when I’m sick. I have disabling migraines and it is very difficult to watch my son when it hurts to open my eyes. I woke up this morning with a horrible migraine. My head was hurting. My eyes were stinging. My neck was hurting and burning. I was absolutely miserable. I got up and made my son’s breakfast. I tried to take … Continue reading →

Drawing the Line: At-Home Care or the Vet’s Office?

Moose’s recent illness has had me thinking a lot about my judgement as a pet owner. Because Moose often has a sensitive stomach, I often end up treating him at home. This last time, we needed the vet. But did I call for help quickly enough? Could I have saved him (and me) some suffering by calling the vet in sooner? Between writing about pets for more than three years, working at the cats-only boarding and vet, and reading a lot of pet health books, I feel like I have a pretty good grasp of what’s an emergency and what … Continue reading →

Marriage and Loneliness

Mick and I have a number of 60s records and tapes. We also have a lot of those same songs on CD so that we can listen to them in the car, especially if we traveling to Sydney as we often do. The other day I listened to the words of Chapel of Love and thought what an idealistic picture is represented. ‘We’re going to the chapel and we’re going to get married and we’ll never be lonely any more.’ But is that the reality? Does getting married mean you are never, ever lonely? I don’t think so. And statistics … Continue reading →

Coping with Illness and Shared Custody

Sick kids are seldom fun. As parents, we not only have their health to fuss over when one of our children gets sick, but we generally have to rearrange our schedules and make adjustments in order to accommodate and tend to the illness. As single parents, one of the illness realities that we have to contend with is a child who is going from one parents house to the other while sick. Either the child has gotten sick at one house and then has to travel mid-sick, or you might find that the child you sent away healthy has come … Continue reading →

You’ll Always Need Your Mom

In addition to my daughter, I have three sons. The youngest two, ages six and three, still need me quite a bit. The six-year-old is feeling a little insecure about his place in the family and needs reassurance, and the three-year-old is still just enough of a baby that he comes to me for cuddles and kisses, and needs help with almost everything. My nine-year-old son, though, is pretty independent and often goes the whole day without needing my help for anything. On the one hand, it’s pretty nice. On the other, it makes me sad. I remember when he … Continue reading →

What If You’re Not Good with Sick People?

There are a great many things about parenting that I think I have done relatively well. Some have taken a bit of a learning curve, while others have come more naturally. One thing, however, that I have never really taken a “shine” to is dealing with and taking care of sickly people. While I have overcome the sheer terror and anxiety that would overcome me when my children were babies and youngsters taking ill, I’ve still never become Florence Nightingale. I think, perhaps, that I can offer a little support to you OTHER parents out there who don’t see yourselves … Continue reading →

The Sickness Season?

The other day, Myra wrote about flu shots and a colleague was talking earlier in the week about how his children were all starting to come down with their “holiday” illnesses. It all reminded me that while this IS the festive, hectic holiday season–it can also be the time of year that kids are most likely to get sick! I don’t know if it is the cold weather, being cooped up inside where germs can spread more easily, all those treats and white sugar, or the fact that kids can get worn out and their immunes systems exhausted–but I do … Continue reading →