Oh, my! i was cringing and laughing at the same time as I read your post. I hope you have a lot of Lysol in the house. LOL

Seriously, I'm sorry you had to go thru all of this and I certainly hope you do not catch that bad cold. I have a vision in my head of you running around your house at all hours of the day and night like the "Prednisone Energizer Bunny".

Take care, NCgranny!

Oh, boy! You have your hands full! I sure hope your son gets better fast. The scenario you described seems like a scene our of Americana 101 - but then when you add in your RA - it's more like a scene from Super Mom Comics!

Hope you finally get some rest. Prednisone can be a little devil I know.

I understand how your son feels; I have just gotten almost over it. Took two weeks. That is the sickest I have been in three years. And still I feel very tired, drainage into lungs.

Mucinex helped a lot to get it out of chest. Warm salt water gargle during day and at night. And one teaspoon of honey especially at night really coated my throat (it was so scratchy). Still super tired, but feeling better.

I know what you mean by a "man getting sick." At the start of my virus, my husband said he felt sick, too. I was draining from eyes, nose and feeling and looking horrible and he was whining about "feeling a little bad." So glad he did not get sick because when he is sick he is lays on couch completely for days and have to take care of him. Wished we could do that. But I had to change beds, empty dishwasher, wash clothes, lysol house.etc.. A woman always has everyday stuff to do even when she is sick. Men can just lay around and rest.

But I'm sorry your son is sick but glad you are there to take care of him. My son lives my himself and when he gets sick I worry about him being there alone with no one to take care of him. Of course now, I have to be very careful about being around him when he is sick.

I know your family appreciates you taking care of them. Just use plenty of lysol and lysol wipes (I use them to wipe down doorhandles.sink faucets, beverage container handles, fridge handles (Sometimes lysol spray leaves stains)). I got so tired of just cleaning the germs off everything all day long. lol .

I think I got my virus from mail lady. I saw her at the mailbox putting letters in the box with her eyes watering and blowing her nose. She contaminated the entire community. lol

Ladies, my son right now is in bed sipping on a cup of herbal tea and coughing, coughing, coughing. I am Lysoling everything and we are using hand sanitizers and all dishes go into the dishwasher. I do not want this mess.

He is well fed, medicated, mommy-coddled and nobody has ever suffered but him. Typical male but I love him so I spoil him rotten. He, by the way, is very good to his Mother, too.

Here's to mothers everywhere!!

Hugs to you, NCGranny. Thanks for sharing your story.

My doctor once told me that rest (complete laying down rest) was the best way to get better and drink plenty of fluids.

Whenever my husband is sick he is able to do that and I force the fluids on him. But when we ladies are sick, it's hard to complete rest because of all household things that you have to do (wash clothes, dishes, change beds, clean up bathrooms, LYSOL,etc.). We have to do this for ourselves and I think that is why it takes us longer to get better. Men have us to do that for us.

But I know you are glad you are there for your son. When my son is sick, I really worry for him since he lives by himself. So far while I have been on immune suppressant drugs, he has not needed me to come and take care of him. But I really think I would if he does even if it would mean I might get sick too.

NC Granny, I am laughing as I read your tale of woe. I say that having extreme sympahty for what you are goin g thru. I babysit little grandkids and they are always sick and I am always terrified I am going to get sick. I was pretty lucky til a few mo0nths ago. Came down with a bronchial thing and after almost a month of heavy duty antibotics I was given a clean bill of health. that is of course unless you want to discuss the hacking cough I still have!!!! lol I only relate the swtory because like you I carry a can and lysol everything in my house that I can. I carry hand sanitizer in my purse and wipe off the carts in the grocery store with wet wipes! Do I sound a bit compulsive..are you getting my drift that I understand how you ared feeling all to well. I am married to a great guy, but I must confess he is a wuss in sick department, I think most men are. I have always understood why it is women that give childbirth, it is because men couldn't deal with the pain. Serio9usly frances, I hope you don't get sick and I commend you for being such a good mom! As an empty nester I can agree they never stray too far from the nest! lol Hope this made you smile.

My husband and I drove to California from Texas (1400 miles...) to spend a week with our son. On Dec 27, just east of El Paso (about halfway home), the hubby started feeling sick (fever, chills, coughing) so I drove the last 600 miles.

He's still sick-ish and I got sick about Dec 29. Being cooped up together in the truck for two days spelled my doom! I don't have a bacterial infection, but sure feel like yuck. Coughing, sneezing, sore throat....ahhhhrggh!!! Hope I feel better tomorrow!

BUT---- my plan of stopping every 1.5 to 2.5 hours, walk around and stretch, let me avoid flaring or cramping up on the two long days of driving-- either direction! I'm just glad the speed limit out west is 755 or 80 and not 55

Ha ha, bad typing. 75 or 80..... (my truck is new but it won't do 755 )!

You gotta keep your sense of humor or you will go crazy.

Nc you might get a kick out of this, I spent this last week in SC with family and my hubby and I love going to antique and second hand stores when we travel as you can find such unique things. Alas with this hunting goes germs and so we carry a large bottle of hand sanitizer and use it as soon as we depart the store, every time religiously. My neice saw us doing this and she said we were afraid of TSD's, Thrift Store disease!

Loving this thread

Aggie I'm thinking you could go 755 if you wanted to lol

Its warm here where I live, in New Zealand. I just stopped taking it for granted hearing of all the chills and ills from the American part of this world.

Thankyou NC for your entertaining posts.

Abundant blessings for the coming year
Vicky

You ladies have helped me keep my sense of humor through this cough cough hack hack mess.

Offtrack, I love the term TSD's, Thrift Store Disease. The worst place for me is the doctor's office. I find myself trying to sit in the waiting room without touching the arms of the chairs. I want to whip out my bottle of Lysol and spray them down before I sit in them. An autoimmune disease really makes one aware of germs.

Love you ladies. You help me keep going.

Okay...confession time. I carry a bottle of hand sanitizer in my purse, and after we all shake hands at church, I discretely take it out of my purse and try not to make much movement as I sanatize my hands. I just can't help it. So many times there are sick people at church! I don't feel so bad now, after reading all of your posts. I too, wipe down the shopping cart handle with a wet wipe, and I go thru extreme measures to avoid germs in public restrooms!

I, too, have also become very germ conscious. I wipe down grocery cart,keep hand sanitizer in car and use after post office,bank,errands. I have a trick for the public bathroom. When I can not put papertowel in trashcan after use to open door to go out, I use the end of my shirt/jacket to open door.

Doctor's office-Seriously! You go there to get better and everyone there is sick. One thing that really bums me off! My RA now shares his office with general practice doctors. The waiting room is open and they have a sign that has an arrow and says, "Please sit on this side if you are sick." Like the coughing germs are not going to go across room. And I try hard not to use their bathroom there (all those sick kids).

This is serious contradiction. Rheumy says to stay out of crowds and then has me sit in waiting room with sick people.