With first semester finals being just a week away, I was blessed by the college gods from way up above with illness. I'm not talking the common cold either. What I have is far worse, and from my experience being sick for the last week, I can honestly say being sick in college is THE WORST. Multiple clinic and doctor visits determined that I have a sinus infection, a virus and bronchitis. On top of all that, I've had a high fever for days now. Merry early effing Christmas to me, right? First of all, it's hard enough surviving day to day without my mom. Even though she is "just a phone call away" (which by the way, is total BS), I feel like a baby bird left alone in a nest: frightened, panicking, and unable to fly on my own.
My immediate reaction last week when I first woke up, not feeling well, was to call my mom. It hurt her knowing she could be there to take care of me when I needed it. As the days progressed, things only got worse. I went downhill faster than a skier who tripped, lost their skis and rolled down a mountain. Similar to the skier reaching the bottom of the hill, I too had reached rock bottom. At this point I was honestly pathetic. I'd only gone to one class since I felt sick and it had been days. A trip to urgent care "diagnosed" (I put this in quotations because while I was there the nurse told me she didn't know what was wrong with me. I suggested I might have a sinus infection because I have had them before, and she simply said sure and wrote me a prescription) me with a sinus infection and I immediately started antibiotics. After attempting to continue playing my sport and do classwork I just got sicker. I could almost hear Ursula from The Little Mermaid snickering, "You poor unfortunate soul."
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A week finally passed and I had not gone to a single class. To be honest, at this point I thought I was dying. I couldn't even muster up the strength to shower. I stunk, I was a mess, I hadn't eaten in the dining hall for days and it was just the worst when I had to use the bathroom. Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, one of my best friends Haley woke up sick feeling the same as I did. Our friends called us the "sickies"' for days and jokingly would cover their mouths and run away from us. Because Haley was now sick too, and I wasn't feeling any better, we decided to go to the clinic together. Friendship goals, right? Anyways, on the day we decided to go, it was POURING down rain outside. It was "a great day to be a hornet." Haley later was diagnosed with the same problems as me.
A few days passed and one day I woke up feeling somewhat normal. I excitedly told everyone and their mother and my mother. Just as I thought things were climbing back up again, my roommate woke up sick with a fever. Honestly it was and has been the worst and longest week of my life. I am now slowly recovering with finals just a few days away. At this point all I can do is get on my knees and beg like a dog wanting a snack from the dinner table for things to finally clear up. Hopefully the college gods would hear my prayers.
In college, sickness spreads like wildfire. Moral of the story, and my best advice to incoming freshmen, is don't get sick. Don't kiss people, don't hug people, don't share drinks with people, and certainly don't touch anyone. Honestly, you'll be best off wearing a mask over your face every day for the semester, you know, just for precaution.
