I’m on day 2 of antibiotics as I’m writing, and finally starting to feel like a partially functional human again. I have to say, being half functional has never felt this good.
Whoa. I sure as hell was not expecting a 7 day+ respiratory infection when I first noticed a sore throat last Tuesday. Between a fever, everything all over aching, a cough like no cough I remember having, no voice, no appetite, and zero energy I can say at this point that I have a new respect for my good health (assuming it’s returning.)
When I get sick, it normally doesn’t affect my appetite that much. But with this bug, although my stomach itself was fine, my throat, chest, and basically everything hurt badly enough that I had almost no desire to eat at all, and had to force myself, mean mommy style. Fluids I could do, but solid food felt exhausting! Sickest I have been in my adult life.
Of course as Diana points out in her note to me above, the “main part of being sick” is torturing daddy, the main part of being sick is not eating 🙂 I would like to add that the main part of being sick is realizing that as much as I complain about stupid things, I normally feel pretty damn good and don’t appreciate it enough!
So, for this WIAW I’ll show you a day (or a day and a half since I just wasn’t eating much) of my sick day comfort food – Saturday-Sunday. Honestly my meals weren’t so comforting but at least they were nourishing, I think!
This dark, sad tea is pretty appropriate for how I felt this past week. Every morning I made myself herbal tea first thing, and drank about 3 or 4 cups throughout the day. Some had a dash of raw apple cider vinegar, some a squeeze of lemon and honey.
This was my attempt at breakfast – bacon, spinach, and a scrambled egg. My typical fried eggs were grossing me out – nothing tasted normal. In fact, eggs in general were really just not tasting great to me.
As soon as we got home from my parents’ house Friday (I started feeling horrible right on Thanksgiving day) I made bone broth in my slow cooker with the leftover turkey bones. I drank one of these for “lunch”, with just a touch of salt added, followed by a kombucha. Liquids were so much more desirable than solids.
There’s my kombucha, hanging out with some random food props on my dining room table.
On Saturday I only had the bone broth for lunch, but Sunday I went for an easy, small hash made with diced butternut squash (we had some leftover), ground beef (small patty that I’d pre-frozen), spinach, and an egg. I’m not sure why I kept going for the eggs since they were not thrilling me, but I suppose it’s just habit!
This was my dinner Sunday night, and I wound up sharing the sweet potatoes with my kids since I couldn’t finish. I’m normally a plate cleaner and know exactly how much I’ll want to eat, but it just wasn’t happening. I’m finally getting somewhat of an appetite back today and I’m thrilled!
I think I probably ate half of these and shared with Drew. I’ve been keeping up with my mandarin and strawberry habit, minus the chocolate because it hasn’t been appealing at all. The juicier, the better I guess. I also finished off my day with more tea, I think 2 cups – one with dinner and one before bed.
And that’s it! I promise to have a happier and healthier WIAW post for next week – I have A LOT of catching up to do in the delicious food department, to say the least!
When was the last time you had a knock down bug?
Does your normal food gross you out when you’re sick?
Glad you are starting to feel better! Last summer when I was sick my appetite was off, although I tried to eat somewhat normally since it wasn’t a stomach thing and figured i needed the nutrients. Your breakfast looks like mine on most days!:) I love the note from your daughter. Glad that the antibiotics seem to be helping!
I feel like the more/better I can eat the easier it’ll be to get back to being active once I’m ready! Definitely making progress 🙂
uh oh.
Im off to the doc today and think I may be joining you in antibiotic city 🙂
we need someone to come and dote on us!
Hope you’re getting some relief! And yes, wouldn’t that be nice 😉
I hope you’re feeling better. That sucks to get feel THAT sick. I’m glad to see you’re taking care of yourself though.
Thanks, a bit better than yesterday, so getting there! Lots more rest needed though.
Oh man, that sucks, although I’m glad you’re finally starting to feel human again. That’s rough. Sometimes our body sends us signs and whenever I get sick, it’s usually natures way of telling me I’m overdoing it. I try to rest then although I have no idea how or if that’s even possible as a parent. At least you get funny notes. FEEL BETTER.
I totally agree – I was running around like mad prior to this bug trying to get more and more done, in life and on the blog, not sleeping well, and not making up for it in any way. Of course BAM, I got the message! And thanks 🙂
You poor thing, but if antibiotics and those letters from your girls aren’t the best medicine, I don’t know what is! For me, it depends on what type of sick I am feeling. When I was hella sick last year, I was all about the yellow food–chicken broth and white bread.
Broth really has magic properties in times like these I think!
Ugh, I hate when I am sick and I lose my appetite (it’s how I became vegetarian, I take the food aversions seriously lol)…Glad you are on the mend – I am sure your taste for eggs will return, you love them too much for the desire to end.
Oddly I feel like I’m having trouble eating enough carbs! probably because the ones I eat, i.e. roasted potatoes and such are tough/time consuming to make. It’s a lot easier to heat up some broth, scramble some eggs with veggies and call it a meal! I think I need to throw a few sweet potatoes in my slow cooker 🙂
girl, i feel ya. wish we could hang out and drink bone broth together. I always crave rice too. Weird. I know. Feel better
Oh no! Hope you’re on the mend too. Being sick is seriously NO FUN!
I have been sick a couple times this year, but nothing this bad! I’m so sorry, but it looks like you’re taking really good care of yourself. Bone broth + kambucha should heal all things. I hope you get back to normal soon!
I haven’t had anything this bad since 10 years ago when I had the flu! Broth is magical for this sort of thing though 🙂
Oh no! I feel like being sick as a mom is so much more stressful since you have a family to take care of- hope you get better really soon!
Totally, there’s “rest” but not really rest – someone always needs something! Thanks!
This sounds no fun at all 🙁 I hope you feel better ASAP! And I love the letters your kids gave you! Love how they said they’ll be your “mades” haha!
I’d love it if they could walk that walk for real, lol 😉 But yes those notes were so sweet 🙂
Oh man, being sick is the absolute worst. JK being sick as a mom is the worst. But your kids are SO sweet! When I’m sick with colds and what not all I want is Diet Coke and rice with butter. I’m an odd duck.
I don’t remember hating being sick until after kids, when I realized you still had to function no matter what was wrong!
The only foods that have tasted food to me are smoothies and cold sweet potatoes. Random but they feel OK on my throat. I’d say I’m 75% back to normal. I totally agree that being sick makes you realize how much you complain about little things. Something to work on I guess. Hope today is better for you!
If I wasn’t so lazy about making a smoothie that would probably work too! For some reason I haven’t wanted to use my blender. Glad you’re feeling better too 🙂
Glad you’re feeling better! Why are you only now taking anything? This is how much of a wimp I am. Woke up with a killer migraine and “heavy” head yesterday, went straight to my doc. Turns out it was a sinus infection. I can usually let things run their course, but not being able to bend down and pick up things is kind of a big one for me.
Try to take it easy until you’re a 100%. Remember how horrible relapses are!!!
The timing on this one 100% sucked! Started as a cold, and then at my parents’ house for Thanksgiving I went down hard with a fever. We stayed overnight, then realized Saturday I was dying but my doc wasn’t around. Didn’t want to do the ER so waited until Monday. I just kept hoping/expecting the fever to break and it never did and everything just got worse. I hope I learned my lesson, but, probably not 😉
So sorry you’re not doing well! Rest up and get better soon!
Thank you!
Hope you feel better soon! When I’m sick I usually just want to eat all the carbs, but that doesn’t help me feel better. I also crave fruit because of the water content.
I’ve been all over the oranges, although they’re not the greatest on my stomach! I feel like anything you can eat while sick can only help though, especially if you feel badly no matter what.
I hope the antibiotics help and you feel better! Bone broth is the best food when sick. I completely loose my appetite as well – I had a bad cold this time last year and lived on broth and toast!
A little bit better today, so I’m definitely on the mend, slowly! Broth is so great for these things.
Aww girl. That sucks that it’s been holding on to you for so long, but I’m glad to hear that you’re feeling better. Hopefully you’ll be back to fully functioning soon 🙂 I don’t think I’ve been proper sick for a good 6 or 7 years, but before that I’d get hit with something major at least twice a year. Never fun. I make a horrible sick person.
Haha! I was actually trying to remember the last time I had something this bad, and I think it was 10 years ago when I had the flu. I guess it’s a good thing I don’t get really sick all that often, just hoping that I’m good now for another several years 😉
Oh no! I’m so sorry that you’re needing antibiotics. That’s no fun, I have had to take several rounds of them in the last year. Take care and be gentle when you run, I was very injury prone when I was on antibiotics. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!
I seriously don’t feel up to running yet and don’t think I will until Monday perhaps. I just feel weak! Thank you so much Danielle!
🙁 I know how hard it is to be sick for a while. Just keep resting. Don’t push yourself. And keep on nourishing your body. Broth, soup, and such are always wonderful for getting better! I hope you feel better really soon.
That is the best advice, and you’re so right. I don’t feel strong at all yet so it’ll be a few more days until I think about pushing anything! The broth and tea are still feeling nice and soothing 🙂
Ugh, being sick is the worst! Happy to hear your’re feeling a bit better! I am starting to feel sick myself, might need to make some bone broth!
Oh no, hope it’s nothing! Bone broth can’t hurt though, it’s great to have around all winter!
Hope your on the mend now!!! My body is so weird, I get hungrier, or just crave butter :/
Actually I’ve been cooking literally everything in my kerrygold so maybe you’re onto something there! Thanks, I think in a few more days things will be looking a lot brighter 🙂
You’re kids are so cute 😉
I feel like when I’m sick, I want ALL the food (even though I usually can’t taste anything..which sucks!)
Thank you 🙂 The taste thing really does suck – although fruit is tasting better somehow! Anything tangy. I hope my appetite returns fully soon because I miss it!
Booo I’m sorry you’ve been feeling under the weather, and I hope those antibiotics clear it all up for you asap!
I think they will – thanks Julia!
I just loved those notes from your kids. It shows what a great mom you are that they want to help you!!! I can’t believe you’ve been sick and still blogging like a machine. I hope you feel better soon and THANK YOU so much for sharing about Kombucha! I have some currently brewing. Take care of yourself!!!
Thanks, I do love their notes 🙂 As for the blogging, I luckily had a couple of recipes and that kombucha how-to ready to go, otherwise I’m not sure what I would’ve done! So glad you liked the kombucha post – I’d been meaning to put it up for so long!
Glad to hear you’re feeling better! Those notes from your kids helped a bunch I’m sure <3 I also crave fruit and especially juicy oranges when I'm sick.
I can’t get enough oranges – not great on my stomach but they’re one of the only things I crave! And thank you!
Feeling sick is horrible, it doesn’t happen to me very often but when it does, I usually can’t stand the sight of any food. You did really well with your nutritious fluids & hope they’ve had a positive effect. The letters from your kids are cute as anything and definitely ones to be kept 🙂 Hope you feel better soon.
Fluids I was definitely on top of, I actually hope that carries over after I’m well again! Thank you so much 🙂
Awe, you poor thing. Think of it this way: at least you got this sickness done with, right? And now the chances of getting that sick again are really low, at least for a very long time.
That’s what I’m hoping! Better now than probably any other time this year!
I never lose my appetite, but when I do, I know something is wrong. Hope you feel better soon! Those cards from your kiddos are adorable.
Same here – it’s so rare that it means something’s very wrong! Thanks, I’m lucky to have kiddos who like to make cards for me 🙂
Sorry to hear your sick get well soon!!
Thank you!!