Sunday, I woke up with a sore throat and runny nose. I didn’t want to miss the day of shadowing at the birthing pavilion, so I cleared out my sinuses, had some breakfast, and hopped into the beaten silver Toyota. At the hospital, I stubbornly ignored the pain and sniffling. A few hours later, I developed a cough. This I also stubbornly ignored until I found myself painfully hacking my lungs over the staff restroom sink.
I was getting sick, and I was in a hospital wing where there were newborn babies.
I took the rest of the day off.
I’ve been hacking and sniffling since I got home Sunday afternoon. In no way was I bedridden, but I ran a slight fever and eventually lost my voice. I had to call out sick at the store on Tuesday; even with all my stubbornness, I couldn’t interact with customers if I couldn’t talk. Instead, I spent my time at home medicated and resting.
Today, I’m still a little bit sniffly, and the cough has mostly disappeared. I’ll be fine tomorrow. Then it will be back to work again.
