Doctor’s Orders

It was Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. Sitting in a sterile patient room waiting for the doctor, I closed my eyes, wanting only to crawl into bed. The quiet calm of the office, with only one other patient, began to  lull me into sleep. Suddenly, my eyes flew open thinking about all the things I still had to do that day: blog, tweet, write sub plans if I had to stay home the next day. How would I get it all done? How would I fit being sick into my busy schedule?

Minutes later the doctor walked in and asked me how I was feeling. I told her my symptoms, she looked at my throat and then asked, “how do you feel about strep throat?”

“I was told by the nurse that I have it. I feel awful.”

I told her about my upcoming backpacking trip and asked if I should go. “You might be able to go, but you might not want to climb a mountain this weekend.”

She patted my back and took my vitals and then told me to rest. When I said I was a teacher, the nurse practitioner wrote me a note for school along with  some very key patient instructions on my sheet.

Patient Instructions: “Take antibiotic as directed. Recommend home through weekend. Can return Friday if necessary. Recommend postponing backpacking trip.”

There they were, the typed up notes from a doctor telling me to take it easy, to relax. Somehow I felt lighter, excused from some of the responsibilities today. I kept rereading the instructions. I kept telling myself it was okay not to go to work. It was okay not to go backpacking.

I never want to let anyone down or cancel plans but this time I couldn’t do everything. I couldn’t even leave my bed because I was exhausted and in pain. The nurse told me to rest. I had orders and I chose to follow them.

Now I am on day two of bed rest and looking back, I don’t know how I could have made it at work. I finally feel like a human again. The thought of climbing a mountain in 12 hours is unthinkable.

All it takes is someone who is willing to say it’s okay.It’s okay to slow down. It’s okay to take time. As teachers we don’t always take time for ourselves. This was my opportunity. Hopefully I don’t have to get sick to take time for myself again.

 

 

4 Comments

  1. Yikes! Sometimes our bodies just tell us when we need a break! Glad you are on the road to recovery!

  2. Having my body feel sick and in pain makes me have an illness. But, I’m glad that you are getting better.

  3. nickoprather88beep

    March 24, 2014 at 4:17 pm

    Very good description to show you were scared one in peticular was “i wanted to close my eyes wanting,to crawl into bead”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

*

Skip to toolbar