24 hour flu bug.....woah.

So, turns out that whole 24 hour flu bug is not a joke. Having a flu is never a joke, of course, but I seriously thought that when someone said "Sorry, can't make it I've got a 24 hour flu bug..." well, I thought it was a lame excuse at best.

Then, on Monday afternoon, I was off to work at the little after school pottery class I help my friend with and I was feeling tired, a little headachey and weirdly hungry. At least, I thought it was hunger. But it was weird because I had only just eaten. Towards the end of the class, as we cleaned up, I felt a strong urge to sit down due to nausea and headache.

It got worse on the drive home. Car rides and preexisting nausea do not mix. I got home and said to my husband "wooah, hey. I feel terrible." And pretty much went to the bathroom and vomited. It was disgusting, and reminded me of the many many times I've reclined in that same position during my pregnancy. Only this time, I didn't have the sweet thought of a baby at the end of it. That made it really sad, too.

I made some peppermint tea while hanging onto the counter so I wouldn't pass out and then remembered that Kayleigh (who is still with us) needed a diaper change. So after I made my pot of tea, I whisked her into the bathroom and changed her soaked through diaper and sent her on her merry way in record time. Then, hoping to feel better after sipping some peppermint tea, I sat on the couch with my cup and tried to regain some control of my stomach.

No luck. A few sips went down and I was rushing to the bathroom to let them back up. Then I tried water. Again, no siree-bob. (whatever that means) Finally I thought, Fine, screw it stomach, I'm taking a shower and going to bed. So I informed dear husband (who had lovingly come in and comforted me and cleaned up after me while I barfed all three times) that he was on his own for dinner and had to make sure Kayleigh got to bed too. And, feeling very gross inside and out, I climbed into the shower and sat there for a good 30 minutes, thanking God all the while for the privilege of living in a first world country.

As a parting gift, my stomach offered to hurl once more before I crawled into bed and I couldn't refuse. It was about 8:00 pm when I finally lied down. My body ached, my head was throbbing, I felt like I was freezing after my hot shower and then after I warmed my covers I began sweating profusely. I tossed and turned, woke up and fell asleep, but mostly woke up. My throat ached with thirst but I only allowed myself tiny sips due to my fear of needing to throw up again. I kept wondering "where did this come from? There was no warning!" It felt like the night would never end, and then, just as I was getting comfortable, it did.

All the next day is a bit of a blur. I know I made porridge for John and Kayleigh for breakfast then climbed back in bed. John left for work and Kayleigh played in the living room. I was beyond caring what she was doing; I just needed sleep. At some point, I got out of bed and staggered to the couch, thinking "I can keep an eye on Kayleigh here." But my eyes were closed the whole time so....not much good.

Towards the end of the day I started feeling a little better. I was able to drink water, a little at a time, and I hadn't thrown up at all that day. I allowed myself to eat some fruit and drink some tea. I napped when Kayleigh napped and John came home saying he was feeling a bit achy himself and he napped too. I managed to heat leftovers for dinner - beef stew. Delicious. And then had tea again. We went to bed early and the next day...

Fine. Seriously. All better. My neck and shoulders were kind of sore, probably from some weird way I slept the fevered night and that was it. So I guess now I know.

The 24 hour flu bug is not a lie, and neither is it a joke.

P.S Kayleigh is destined to be on her way home come this Saturday, and I'll be back up to par for the blog then. She's just way too much trouble for me to be bothering with photos and whatnot while she's around. And her naps just never seem long enough. Bear with me, I've got some great ones planned. thanks!