31 for 21: Sick

*I've joined a blogging challenge for the month of October: Blog every day in October in honor of National Down Syndrome Awareness Month (Down syndrome is medically defined as Trisomy 21, and there are 31 days in October, hence the name 31 for 21). My posts will not necessarily be about Down syndrome, but I am writing as a person who 1) loves many people w/Down syndrome and other disabilities and 2) desires for others to be able to see what I see: remarkably unique people with much to offer to the world*

Today, I stayed home sick.  I never do that. There are many days I SHOULD stay home sick but don't (you could say I follow in my mom's footsteps in that regard...) but today there was no way around it.  Up all night with a stomachache, woke up nauseous, and thinking of the tasks I'd need to "stomach" at work was overwhelming.  Plus the last thing I want to do is bring a stomach bug into my room, to my clients and staff.

Which leads me to my topic for the day.  It's always strange for me when I'm sick, when I'm buying things at the drug store for myself.  I spent a year and a half as a group home supervisor, and my life seemed often to revolve around the health of the residents.  In this current job, too, but to a different degree.   Being sick myself is so much easier!  Here are a few reasons:

-I know how I am feeling.  I don't have to guess. I don't have to try to read symptoms in clients unable to speak and draw conclusions as to what might be wrong, and what might help.

-I can go to the store and buy stuff for myself.  No work credit card, no petty cash allowance, I can toss the receipt as I walk out the door.

-If I need to take medicine, I don't need to chart it.  I've administered meds infinitely more times than I've consumed them, so it actually feels sort of weird to just pop a pill and not write it down.  Family and friends will attest to the fact that my work habits definitely come out in the rare occasion that I take any medication myself.  I set times to take my meds, read all the warnings first, etc.  I have been tempted to make med logs even.  A little bit silly. 

Something I often think about is how hard it would be to NOT be able to communicate that you were feeling sick.  Some of my clients have verbal skills but are often inaccurate in their reports, so we get skeptical if they claim illness.   Some of them don't have any speech at all, and have no real formal way to tell us anything.  We have to watch for sickness in their eyes, notice things they are doing differently that might indicate they aren't well.  Much like parenting a small child, I imagine, except many of our clients won't even cry!  They will just keep trying to do what we ask of them.

So today, I'm trying to be thankful.  Thankful that I have the ability to "fix" things when I'm not feeling well (within reason, of course; only God will be able to make me well ultimately).  Thankful that I don't have to try to get someone's attention and assistance in order to get better.  Thankful that more than likely, this too will pass.  Thankful that this can serve to give me some renewed compassion for my clients when I get back to them.