Mononucleosis and the Common Cold

We're sick. All four of us. It started last Friday night, when Bree started running a temperature. I finally took her to an urgent care when her temp neared 104, and she was given antibiotics for an ear infection. When I got home at 11pm, Chad said that he wasn't feeling too good, which I mostly disregarded, not having the energy to care at the time. So Sunday Mason and I went to church, while Chad stayed home with Bree--both of whom were feverish by this time. When I got home, Bree's fever had finally lessened, but Chad's temp had him feeling like he was "dying." So I cancelled my Relief Society presidency meeting, scolded Chad for waiting so long to take something for his fever, went to pick up Bree's medicine at the pharmacy, and came home feeling stressed. Well, Monday Chad took Mason to his well-baby check-up, and had the doctor look in his throat. He came home to tell me it's probably Mono. We still don't know for sure, but we know it's not a bacterial infection, and his symptoms are classic Mono: fever, aches, severe sore throat, swollen lymph nodes.

Before you start thinking, "Who has Chad been kissing?" just know that you don't get Mono just by kissing. Besides, he probably got it from me, since I've had it before, and apparently you're a carrier for life with this thing. (Believe me, Chad gave me a hard enough time about getting Mono my first semester in college!). So things just kept getting worse for Chad, and Tuesday Bree, Mason and I all came down with colds. Now, I'm kind of a bad nurse at home even when I'm feeling healthy. And I'm usually up to the task of playing nurse-maid to my kids. But I am horribly unsympathetic to my husband when he's not feeling well, and it's much worse when I'm sick too.

So it's been a rough week--I pretty much told Chad he'd have to fend for himself, because I barely had energy to take care of myself and try to help the kids. Luckily, Bree started feeling better, but then we had an exuberant toddler climbing all over us. Thank heaven for my mom, who came yesterday to rescue us from dirty dishes, laundry, and grime, and to relieve us of our energetic little girl until we recover. I'm feeling a little better today, thankfully, and Mason only has a slight stuffy nose still. Chad however...well Mono is not kind or brief. I'm afraid I will have to try and be a little more sympathetic. I will ask him "What's wrong honey?" when he whimpers or groans; I will say "You poor thing," when he complains about his sore throat; I will agree that his symptoms are awful and he's probably the first to ever suffer symptoms of this severity. Well, at least I'll try.