Friday, April 4, 2008

Confessions: A window into my twisted mind

Hello. My name is Jenny. I'm a germaphobe. Ever since becoming a mother, I've become a little OCD when it comes to germs. Fact: it just isn't fun when your kids are sick. You lose sleep..lots of it. You can only do so much to make them feel better, which isn't enough. Plus, I have terrible anxiety when it comes to puke. I always have.

Warning: read at your own risk. The stomach flu scares the bejubudeez out of me. Just the mere thought of the possibility of becoming nauseated and throwing up will physically make me ill. Instantly. It's one thing to be nauseated and puking your guts out with someone taking care of you or even when you're on your own. But being sick and taking care of one child or multiple children...yikes! Someone out there, please assure me that your family rarely or even better never falls ill with the flu. That would give me great hope. Don't ask me why I dwell on something as stupid and trivial as the stomach flu. I'm not sure there's anyone out there who has as much anxiety about throwing up as I do.

I guess this has been on my mind because we've been sick this week. I also woke up the other night completely nauseated out of my mind at 12:30. I proceeded to spend the rest of the night in the bathroom...slightly reminiscent of the good ol' morning sickness days. And NO I'm not pregnant, thank you. I seem to have a very strong stomach- meaning I do not throw up easily at all. This makes me very happy most of the time, except when you're so sick that you think throwing up would actually make you feel better. I thought to myself. Oh great. You've got the stomach flu and you're going to pass it on to Reagan, then Sarah, and then Erik is going to get it. By the way- it wasn't the stomach flu. Just some nasty bug that gave me a fever and nausea.
Here's a little tidbit from a Seinfeld episode, The Dinner Party, that I can relate to:

JERRY: Uh, I don't feel so good.
ELAINE: What's wrong?
JERRY: My stomach, I , I think it was that cookie.
ELAINE: The black and white?
JERRY: Yeah.
ELAINE: Not getting along?
JERRY: I think I got David Duke and Fahrikan down there.
ELAINE: Well if we can't look to the cookie where can we look?
JERRY: I feel like I'm going to throw up.
ELAINE: Hey, what about your vomit streak?
JERRY: I know, I haven't thrown up since June 29th, 1980.
[Man with cane puts cane on Elaine's foot]
ELAINE: Oh, oh!
MAN3: Sooory.
ELAINE: Sorry? You almost took my toe off. Why don't you watch what you're doing you, LUNATIC!… uh, I think he broke my toe. [Jerry gets up] Where're you going?
JERRY: Fourteen years down the drain.

Haha, I used to have a vomit streak. It went back to 6th grade before I became violently ill the day following our wedding, August 15th, 2004. 3 1/2 years and counting...

Just thought I'd let you all know how weird I am :) Erik is already aware, haha.

4 comments:

musson said...

I know how you feel about throwing up! I am the same way!!
I hope your family gets feeling better soon!!!
I enjoyed the Seinfeld tidbits!!! Gotta love Seinfeld!

Jenny said...

That totally put me into a Seinfeld watching mood. I can't wait until we can get together soon. I'm dying for some entertainment :)

Erica said...

I have a similar fear of getting a stomach bug when no one is around to help me take care of the kids, I just don't know what I would do. Probably lots of movies.

I hope you all are getting better.

le said...

We got the stomach flu 2 christmas ago in my family. It was awful. My kid threw up all over me in relief society, then once when I got up him up from a nap half his crib was filled with it, luckily the half he wasn't in. And I think he threw up on me about 4 more times. My husband only had it for about 20 hours luckily, so he took care of me after my son passed to me. I threw up for a few days, but then felt terrible for the next 3 weeks, I finally weaned my child because I felt so bad, and then got better once I didn't have to pass on all my antibodies. It was the first time I had thrown up since I was 15. I remember it so clearly I sat through a boring sunday school lesson, so miserable, came out told my dad I felt like crap and then threw up in the hallway, the most embarrassing moment of my life. 15 year old should not throw up in public. But we didn't get the stomach flu this year, I got the normal flu but no vomiting. Here is a piece of advice. When your child picks up the stomach flu, even though it is stressful to be a mother the first time your kid is barfing, make sure you eat normal until you feel bad. I spent the whole morning eating candy to make me feel not so sad about my pathetic lot as a mother covered in vomit. That didn't not make my flu experience good. Never spend the morning eating candy when the stomach flu is going around. The other bad part, is kid normally get really bad diaper rashes from diarrhea at the same time of the vomiting. Now that I have scared you to death of the dang bacteria, I will say, its really not as bad as I make it out to be.