The lurgy

i am sick. well, the whole group of us who came out for new year are sick to be fair.

john started with the sneezes on new years day, and slowly got worse, and I worked Thursday night, felt absolutely fine, went to bed and woke up feeling like death. worked Friday night, where one of the girls told me I looked worse than she felt, and she felt BAD!

so yes, I felt horrible but persevered through to the end of the night. I foolishly decided to go to asda on the way home. we needed butter and bread, and I had a £10 voucher from work, so thought I would pick up some razor blades with it seeing as they’re so expensive. I figured it would be empty, and i’d run in and out, which I did. I also picked up some cartons of soup, figuring if I felt terrible soup would be nice and no fuss.

I decided to go home down the motorway, as this is the quicker way, and I wanted to get myself to bed. but fate, that evil bastard, had other ideas. as I came off the slip road to join the motorway I realised a huge accident had just happened. three cars and a lorry piled up on my side, four cars piled up on the other, and a car literally across the central reservation barrier, looking as if it was about to take flight. everyone was out of their cars and safe, but they were still waiting for ambulance/police etc.

satisfied everyone was safe, I then realised I had a complete flat. I had run over some debris and completely slashed my tyre. thankfully, way back when I worked in the nursing home, the gardener showed me how to change a tyre. we had workmen converting the basement into what was to become the dementia unit, and were very very careless with their nails and screws.

I swear, I did three years at uni learning how to save lives, but learning to change a tyre is still one of the most useful things a girl can ever learn. so there I was on the hard shoulder of the motorway, changing my tyre, which I’ve never done in this car before, and I was tired and sick and it was drizzling.

I think the particular low point was when a bin lorry drove past and the guys inside beeped their horn and waved at me as they sailed on by. not one person stopped to see if I needed any assistance, a young woman in a fiat 500, as girly as it gets. I actually did need help too, I couldn’t get the actual tyre off. I rang john, cos I knew he was on his way to work, only he didn’t answer his phone, so I sent him a dramatic message saying I was in trouble. obviously as soon as I spoke to him he left work and came straight down, bless him!

he had told me to give the tyre a good kick. I was worried because I only had my work shoes on, and I didn’t want to knock the car off the jack if I kicked it too hard and stuff, but his advice worked, I gave it a few kicks and eventually it loosened. by the time john arrived I had managed to get the thing off and had my spare tyre on and was all packed up. obviously I was apologetic to have dragged him out of work, especially when I was sorted by the time he got there, but he said he needed to come down and check I was ok.

I have never been so grateful to get home and into bed, although once I got to bed I was so hyped up I couldn’t sleep, so I got up and ate some pasta for brunch, and put my sheets in the wash, before I settled back down and had a doze. I was kinda sad that i’d washed my sheets after john and I spent all last night shivering and sweating in this sick bed. they will need fumigating once I’m feeling better!

I’ve called in sick to work tomorrow. I shouldn’t be giving all my patients my germs. it’s funny, I always feel incredibly guilty about it though, I know we’re busy and I hate the thought of leaving the ward short staffed. but I feel like crap and know I couldn’t give it 100%, and it’s not fair to be all germy around immunocompromised patients.

I can’t actually remember the last sick day I had either to be fair.