He’s irritable, he won’t get up and his tone of voice is only slightly better than that of the five year-old. He wants soup, he wants more medicine and he asks for odd things late at night. He’s difficult, demanding and altogether more petulant than you’ve ever had to deal with and you find yourself wondering where is the man you married?
Who is this stranger?
He’s My Husband
And he has the flu. There’s been this nasty virus running rampant through our house. I am so ready to tent the building and start wearing facial masks. The virus begins by making you really exhausted, then it attacks your throat and you get the worst sore throat ever. There’s some fever, but it’s mostly being too tired with a very sore throat.
When he’s sick, he takes up residence on the sofa with a blanket and a pillow. He drinks sickie soup, which is a combination of chicken and rice soup mixed with chicken noodle soup. Of course, the only time chicken soup ever tastes good is when you are sick. Not to mention, it’s loaded with protein and there’s plenty of fluid there to help with hydration.
Still, once he’s sick – he sleeps and sleeps and sleeps and doesn’t want to do anything because he feels miserable.
When Your Spouse is Sick
As soon as you’ve determined that your spouse is sick here are a few survival tips to get you through the next few days. First and foremost, cross your fingers that the kids don’t have it at the same time and limit their exposure. Invest in two cans of Lysol, you want to have access to them easily from all over the house.
- Give your spouse medicine at regular intervals, don’t worry that they are adults, become their medicine pusher so that every four to six hours they are getting their medicine.
- Be sure to bathe their forehead with a cool cloth if they are running a fever as well as keeping them on plenty of liquids like water and juice
- You need to drink plenty of fluids too
- You should both take plenty of Echinacea to boost your immune systems
- Wherever your spouse is sleeping – wash the bed clothes or blankets daily – no I am not kidding
- Wash your hands frequently to limit virus contamination to the rest of your house
- Keep the surfaces in the house and are clean and use Lysol to help decontaminate as needed
- Don’t give your spouse a buzzer to get your attention if they need something, no bells, no cell phones – nothing – cause the minute you give them one, they abuse it
- Laugh – they are going to get better and you need to enjoy yourself because chances are whatever your spouse has, sooner or later you are going to get
- Vapor rub, humidifiers and more can all help deal with the congestion
- No matter how bad they are feeling, send them into shower once or twice a day – the steam will help open up their congestion and the 2% rule applies – you always feel at least 2% better after a shower
Summer Cold Season
Summer colds are the worst and while a flu shot can help cut back on the amount of flu you get – it’s not always 100% effective. Sooner or later, you, your spouse or both of you will get sick. Don’t be surprised when your husband hibernates through his illness and you keep pushing forward. It seems pretty typical for moms and wives to put their best foot forward no matter how ill they are and you don’t get to rest until after everyone is better. In fact, around here – it’s almost guaranteed that I’ll catch whatever makes my husband and daughter sick about 24 hours after they are finally feeling better and I can slow down long enough to catch my breath.
What advice do you have for someone who has a spouse that is sick?