*WARNING* this post may be disgusting....
This has got to be the sickest winter yet. In December we all caught some creeping crud that took over a month to leave our chests, complete with racking rasping coughs and unending purchases of Kleenex. But we finally got over it.
Then last Friday Elliot started puking. By Sunday night I was hunched over the toilet bowl, and Owen was vomiting all over the living room. Later that night, Paul caught the thing (no surprise after caring for three sickies and cleaning up after us for hours). On Monday we were all wasted and spent the day in bed alternately sleeping and watching movies and trying to re-hydrate. You should have seen this sorry family.... We had pulled Owen's top bunk mattress onto the floor so he could easily get to the bathroom, so the boys' room had me and Elliot curled up in the bottom bunk, Owen curled up on the floor and Paul curled up on the couch while we all drifted in and out of sleep ALL DAY LONG.
Luckily, Paul was the last to get sick so he was still well enough to clean up some messes and managed to drag the run out to the backyard and hose it down. And, since Elliot was the canary in the coal mine of the whole affair I had stocked up on bananas, applesauce, crackers and electrolyte drinks before Sunday. But still. It was truly awful.
We are finally a little better. But I think I've learned a few things.
1. Never try to identify food that has been regurgitated.
2. Sometimes the area rug is not worth saving.
3. In the future, at the first sign of stomach flu, wrap everything in plastic and make the kids carry bowls with them EVERYWHERE.
4. Thank goodness for Netlfix streaming movies...
5. Especially when you're sick, cuddling with your kids makes everyone feel better.
Good lessons, but hopefully we don't have any more "teaching" moments like this any time soon.
Now, I think we'll try to get out of the house and enjoy the sun today.
5 comments:
Oh Lisel, I'm so sorry it was such a mess. And glad to hear you are all slowly recovering. Love the idea of covering everything in plastic! Same holds true for sick dogs except that my carpet can't be taken outside and hosed down! Stay on the mend, you all! Sending lots of healing prayers1
Nana Liana XXOO
What a mess! I didn't understand that you had joined that group of the "fallen", Paul and Lisel. No wonder Elliot was making known his need for "a servant" (where is Robin Hood when you need him?). I am so sorry you were all so wiped out, but, I too, am grateful you are all recovering! May you all have renewed strength like the eagles! GG
What a mess. The junk going around this year is absolutely all over the United states. My cough seem to linger longer than others but when Sue suggested that I could be allergic to brown algae it all clicked in--our humidifier needs to be dumped!! We are in the process and it can't happen too soon to suit me! That throwing up has made it's rounds also, and once you are exposed there is no escaping it! We had some friends that visited their two girls and their families around Thanksgiving time in Washington D.C. They all went down like dominoes! It didn't miss a one. I hope you will all be up and bouncing around with a ton of energy immediately! God go with you!
Aunt Carol
Ugh. Your description reminds me of Laura Ingalls Wilder's description of the time the whole fammily had "fever n ague" and everyone was lying around desperately ill and Mary kept moaning for water. Ma and Pa were too sick to get up and Laura describes dragging herself to the water bucket and back again like it was a mile away. Thank goodness for electrolyte water and food appropriate for sickies, huh?
Oh, and I'm totally with you on the necessity of kids carrying barf bowls and the non-necessity of identifying half-digested food. ;-)
We spend the flu months with towels on the kids floors near their beds in case of unexpected vomit. It really is the worst! I would take everyone down with colds any day of the week over GI stuff. Glad you survived it! May that be it for 2011!
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