Tuesday 05 April 2022 Day Five – A Whole New Beast
Don’t take a cough bottle on an empty stomach. Just don’t.
Don’t be like me.
There I was, after cooking up a nice breakfast, taking all
my medications and supplements, and doing my best to fuel myself well for recovery,
I become more thankful for the dioralyte than I realised I would be. Suddenly
everything I had taken that morning had all been but flushed away.
I will admit, although I knew my IBS was likely to be
triggered when fighting off a virus, I did begin to worry that this could be a
symptom to take much more seriously. Gastrointestinal symptoms of Covid can be
found in patients who end up in hospital. Dehydration can leave the person
susceptible to pneumonia. Was I about to be that person?
The triumphant wave of my positive antigen test in an
attempt to lighten my mood on Thursday felt like a steady smack of reality as I
weighed out my options. Was I experiencing a bad Covid symptom? Or, did I eat
something bad? That’s when I realised I had taken my cough bottle before eating
and it contains xylitol, a sweetener known to have a laxative effect.
Aaand breathe. Jeez, I gave myself a fright.
Back to bed with the Irish old reliable, tea and toast. I’m
not a tea drinker, but it does give me a sense of comfort when I’m not feeling
well. Usually, I’ll even put some sugar in tea if I’m feeling really unwell.
I’m sure my first-year Anthropology tutor would only love to hear about
the soothing and comforting notion that is associated with tea in Ireland.
Side Note: We were asked to do an assignment about something
quintessentially Irish, and why it was so. We were also asked specifically not
to focus on tea, the GAA, or a roast dinner. I did it on tea. A lot of us did.
I don’t think I did very well.
The day consisted of bed rest, bland food, and finally, a
shower. It was all starting to come together when I tried to help clear my
blocked ear with a gentle swivel of a Q-tip. Blood. Like bright crimson blood. Obviously,
I have Covid, so I can’t go to a doctor or a chemist. After a few phone calls and a
number of smarmy receptionists later, I both booked and canceled my 65 euro
KDoc appointment and settled on sleeping on it. That, and I booked an online GP
appointment through my health insurance (I am more and more thankful for that
day by day).
Queue another covid-somnia night.
Comments
Post a Comment