mountainmelody

I'm feeling much better than I did during the fall, although I still get tired from time to time. Apparently it may take several months for me to feel completely back to normal.

I don't think I've ever taken a sick day from work until I got mono. I'm the kind of person who just keeps going and ignores most aches and pains. But that didn't work for mono.

I was really surprised by how awful I felt. I thought with mono I would just be tired a lot. Actually, for about two months I was very weak and sometimes could hardly get out of bed and walk around. It was terrible!

And then some of the yucky feelings lingered for weeks and weeks longer. However, I knew the whole time that it wasn't anything really serious--so that was good.

Here are a few observations I made while I was sick:

People's responses varied. A lot.
Lots of people were very kind and concerned about me. They sent me cards and messages and frequently asked how I was doing. A few people ignored me, or seemed to think I should just snap out of it. From this experience, I determined to be more compassionate to people who are sick. Most aren't just being lazy or seeking attention!

It was difficult to live so far from town.
Several people offered to bring me meals, but I hated for them to have to drive 45 minutes to my house. It was also hard being so far away from work. By the time I got up and drove to my office, I usually felt terrible. I couldn't keep up my normal schedule.

It was difficult to be by myself.
I felt really awful and had a hard time cooking or doing much anything else. I wished for a roommate, a husband, or just my mother to come check on me. It got depressing lying in bed all day by myself. On the positive side, I didn't infect anyone else!

I take my health for granted.
I've never really thought much about being healthy (or sick). I was surprised at how quickly I could become sick and unable to participate in my normal activities. Then just when I thought I was better, the mono feelings would come again. I like to think that I'm in charge of my own life, but I definitely couldn't control whether I was sick or not. Good health is a blessing that I've taken for granted for too long.

I'm very glad to be feeling better now, but I want to continue to remember those with chronic conditions or other serious illnesses. Far too often, I drift through life without learning from my experiences. I don't want that to be the case this time.

And by the way, if you have an adult friend who gets mono, be kind to them. They may feel really bad for a really long time!