Once again, the fall season is making its anticipated arrival to the northeast of the U.S. with the leaves turning colors, pumpkin spice lattes flowing, and crisp, cool air that makes people reach for their fluffy sweaters and throw blankets. While these season changes can be exciting, they also bring another, less wonderful time of year — the cold and flu season! With most people wanting to stay on top of their game mid-way through the semester, it might be hard to accept the fact that you may indeed be sick at college.
Here are some of the experiences you might come across in your journey through sickness.
1. Many people you know have been getting the phenomenon commonly known as "a cold" or "the flu."
You take care of your friends from a distance, because cold germs are gross. It feels like you are on an island of good health, until...
2. You wake up the next day with a somewhat sore throat and some sniffles, but you are still in denial of your true level of sickness.
I *sniffle* can NOT *sniffle* be sick! I have taken many precautions to ensure that I do not catch this sickness; I wiped down door knobs and light switches with antibacterial wipes that eliminate 99.99% of germs, drank extra orange juice... and even started going to bed earlier than I usually do!
3. You buy a bottle of over-the-counter medicine and try to go about your day as normal, but just feel worse and worse as the day drags through.
Yes, I can totally power through my three classes, two meetings and work shift. The power of believing in myself is all I need to prevent this... slight adjustment in schedule... from becoming a bigger issue! (I say this with an onsetting headache, runny nose, and constant coughing.) But, as the day moves by ever so slowly, you realize more and more how exhausted you truly are and that you cannot avoid taking care of this problem any longer.
4. You finally give in and make an appointment with the Health Center.
Miraculously, they have an appointment slot available that afternoon!
5. The doctor confirms that you are indeed sick and strongly recommends that you stay home for the next day and a half to rest and take your medicine(s).
Even though you know that this is the best course of action, you are still immensely worried about how this will screw up your schedule for the rest of the week (and your grade for the rest of the semester). Hence, why you take another glance at the all-telling syllabi to see what your professors have to say on the note of missing class or being sick.
6. In the course of staying home, you make sure to wipe down the surfaces you touched so that your roommate(s) do not get sick as well.
You are (probably) a kind human being who does not want your roommate(s) to suffer the hell of a cold they have been seeing you struggle through. In addition, it would make it a hellish, endless circle of sickness if you were to get them sick when you just got over your own bout with the infection.
7. You feel somewhat better!
You can see the light at the end of the tunnel of coughing and sneezing fits, headaches, and exhaustion. It's almost there! You just have to keep up your medicine, eat properly, and NOT GET THIS HELLISH INFECTION AGAIN.
I know it's rough, but you'll make it through! As I am typing this, I am sick as well. Power through, wash your hands constantly, take your prescribed medicines, eat regularly, and sleep! Get well soon!
