The Weekend: I freaked out.

This isn't a weekend recap post.

I spent last week with a whole bunch of children.

In case you didn't know, October is 

National Every Kid Will Be a Petri Dish of Disease month.

October, when I was a kid, meant I would come down with Strep or something else.  I remember every October I would be getting sick.  Kindergarten it was chicken pox....I don't really remember it but from my school picture that year you can tell that crap is no joke.

Its great kids do not have to go through that anymore.

Vaccinate, fools.

Ok back to my story.

While I was at the elementary school I was warned that right now, that very second, as I breathed that institution air:

 strep, stomach bug, and hand/foot/mouth were ALL floating around.

Enter some stress....

Oooh sign me up for this trifecta of hell.

I GermX'd.

I washed with the hottest possible water the sink would give me and soap.

I told the kids I didn't like hugs so they needed to hug themselves when the need arose for them to want to touch me.

Ok...I didn't do that last one.

The first day with the younger kids... one kid lost color, had glassy eyes, and said her throat hurt.  

Another child that had been out for the start of the week came up beaming at me that he, 

"HAD THE STREP SO HE WASN'T HERE MONDAY OR TUESDAY."

Dear Jesus, really?  You are breaking me down aren't you?

I silently harassed myself for not taking a more Hazmat approach at dressing for the day.  

The little one that was showing signs of sickness just looked horrible.  I took her temperature and noted that the school system should be more proactive at keeping teachers, T.A.'s, ancillary staff, and subs healthy by purchasing the new wand thermometers.

I prepped the thermometer, washed my hands.

Put it in her mouth, washed my hands.

Took it out of her mouth, washed my hands.

Saw she had no fever, praised God, washed my hands.

Sent her to the office to talk to the secretary, washed my hands.

No one would come pick her up.  The kid was feeling horrible....she lost her color, glassy eyed, lethargic, sore throat.

There's a problem there folks.  You don't pick up your sick kid and your sick kid infects another kid and the dominoes begin to fall.  Un-freakin'-cool.

The next day she was back to school.  Still she was a little in slow motion but she was smiling.  

I washed my hands.

I kept up my handwashing routine of trying to get all the skin off my hands so that the germs could just stick to fat and muscle tissue.  Stressing.

My Diva came down with a 102 fever that evening.  I felt like Scarlet at Tara hand digging those taters up and screaming AS GOD AS MY WITNESS!  Except this time I was sitting on a twin bed, with dry, cracking, hands, screaming AS GOD AS MY WITNESS, AS GOD AS MY WITNESS, I WILL NOT BE SICK!

Her's ended up being a mini bug and was gone by the next morning.

Friday I was with the big kids.  If they have a remote idea of not feeling well they just won't come to school.  You know....they get up they feel great and then the idea hits them they could potentially get sick one day in the future. So they just go back to bed in preparation for what the future could bring.

I like big kids.  They are so proactive with their health.  Hehe.

Unfortunately, around 12 I felt like something was a tad off.

I felt sleepy and I felt warm.

Dear Lord NOOOOOOOO!

When school was out at 1:40 I jazzed out of there as fast as I could.

Then I realized I had to pick up my kids and get on with my weekend.  No, I needed sleep!  I needed fluids!  I needed to fight the zombie germs!

Uncool.

I fought through the rest of the day.  Stressed and worried.  I knew I needed to burn some calories.  This is what happens when you slack on your exercise.  You get affected by the trifecta of elementary school disease!

Saturday came and I felt fine.  Then, as we were making our rounds in Winston, I noticed I had a couple of blisters on my lip.  

I freaked out.

Holy shiznit....if that hand/foot/mouth crap had hit me I was going to go insane.  

I spent ALL Saturday afternoon sweating it.  I looked at my mouth, hands, and feet more times than I need to share with you.  I started on the "Dear Lord please do not let this be hand, foot, mouth.  Please Lord!"

By Saturday night I had resigned to the fact I was going to be all blistered up in the morning.  I was sad and scared and angry.  I went to bed.

Sunday came....

I woke up with the same two blisters.  Feet were clear, hands were clear, no fever, no fogginess.

 Managing stress, eating well, being physically active, and getting adequate sleep are all ways to help prevent cold sores from recurring.  -From Go Ask Alice Link here

Keep yourself healthy this germ season....get a flu shot, drink copious amounts of water, sweat by choice, and eat right.  Don't be caught freaking out...like um someone I know!