Quarantined

Monday morning, I was walking from one class to another when I first felt it. Deep in my nasal passages, where they connect with the back of my throat, a tiny little itch caught my attention. It wasn't a blatant itch, that says "Haha sucker...got ya!" No, it was a minute little tug, almost like a small piece of rice tried to escape my stomach via my nose, only to get lodged along the way.

"Naaaaah," I thought, "I can't be getting sick. It's probably just chalk dust or pollen." That was around 8:40am.

By my last class, I knew I was toast. I felt tired and had a periodic cold sweat coursing through my body. My body was now diverting its resources to fight off whatever pesky foreign invaders that were laying seige.

After class, I called Tina to let her know the bad news, "Mommy, I think I'm sick." (Now, please don't think I'm calling Tina Mommy just cuz I was sick...when Isaac came along, "Mommy" and "Daddy" became our new pet names for each mother. Yah, I know, how pinoy)

I got home and as Tina had suggested over the phone, Daddy was gonna have to sleep in the other room tonight. Tina had already set-up our futon in the other room with pillows and a sheet. So I took a nap.

Fast forward to Tuesday: At 5:10am, I made the decision to go to work. Nasal drip and slight fatigue didn't seem heavy enough for me to call in sick. So I went through the motions of my Tuesday schedule. By the end of my day, I was still going, but more tired, more nasal drip, cold sweats returned, and now I had some dizziness while lecturing.

I rushed home and took a nap in the other room. It turned out to be a 4 hour nap.

Fast forward to Wednesday: At 5:10am, I made the decision not to go to work.

It's now 9pm. I no longer feel the itch in my nasal passage. The itch has found better housing in my chest. I now have a slight cough, with slight bronchial discharge, and a runny nose.


I can handle being sick on my own. I can just lock my door, curl up in a fetal position, and sweat it out for a few days!

But it's harder being sick around Tina and Isaac. I wear a medical mask around the baby and have to be careful of what I touch if my hands haven't been disinfected. This also means no kissing Mommy!

Laurie Laxa told me to go ahead and get them sick. A few books I've read say that babies/kids who get sick early develop a stronger immune system later on. I generally agree with this when it comes to common colds etc. But I don't want to take that risk with something as dangerous as the flu. I guess it's all the hullabaloo over the flu vaccine shortage. The flu can be fatal to the young, to the old, and to others with depressed immune systems.

So for now, I don't mind sleeping in the other room and wearing a mask.