Thursday morning, I went walking with Yoshi outside. We did his usual 20 minute lap around the block and through the park. When I got back to the house, my wife mentioned, “Oh, there will be yellow dust outside today, be sure to wear your mask when going to work.” My throat seemed a little scratchy from the walk, so I followed her advice.
Thursday is a very light schedule, just three classes. During my first class, I made sure to drink water. By my second class, I was sitting down the entire time. By the third class, I had to excuse myself to go to the bathroom. My body simply shut down as the day went on. By the time I got home Thursday night, I couldn’t even stand. My throat was raw (mask or no!) and I had a fever. I slept perhaps 4 hours on Thursday night.
Friday night is my busiest day. Five hours of classes. Since I get paid by the hour, missing this day means I’m out a lot of money. Despite my better judgment, I went to work. I was so weak I wasn’t able to do my normal classroom routine. I did a page or two of reading or review, then gave out word search puzzles to the students to keep them busy. The students didn’t mind, but I felt bad about it. I played a tape in the background of class and sat huddled in front of a heater, shivering, and tried not to pass out.
Friday night I had a bad fever, was dizzy, and had very swollen lymph nodes. When I got home, I drew a bath and sat in the water for an hour. The bathtub is the perfect size to give me a really nasty backache. I was coughing so often I couldn’t get to sleep, because I’d wake myself up. I didn’t get more than 15 minutes of uninterrupted sleep the entire night. My dreams were very scattered and random too. Not only that, but I woke up my wife so often she felt exhausted from my frequent trips to the bathroom.
Saturday I had to cancel my plans to try to catch up on all the sleep I’ve lost. I’ve got stomach problems, a headache, and am extremely sleep deprived. I eventually fell asleep for a few hours this morning, and am currently waiting for my wife to return so we can go to the hospital. I hope to get some medicine and pass out for the rest of the day.
