Reflecting, on sick leave (flu)

Last week, my throat started feeling scratchy, and I worried about my singing engagement on Wednesday night.  I’d been practising my songs without amplification for about a week, but on the day of the event, I had a run-through with the P.A. system at home. I knew that, with a good sound system, I could pull off my 20-minute solo set. Without one, I wasn’t sure if I’d be audible. 

Despite a power failure at the venue earlier in the evening (construction workers had severed a cable), the electricity was restored in time, and all went well. Except that it was a smoking venue – something one rarely finds in Cape Town, these days. Or rather, something I don’t often encounter, because I’m not a night-spot person. I suspect that those venues where people do smoke, are actually breaking the law. But, whatever.

For me, personally, it had a disastrous impact. I got to the venue just before 7pm and left after 11pm, so for about 4 hours I was inhaling second-hand smoke. A recipe for disaster, even had I not had a sore throat.  The last time this happened was about two years ago, and I was so badly affected, I ended up at a specialist to have my vocal cords examined. Fortunately, the sound man knew his stuff, the audience was receptive, and everyone's performance went well.

                     With Gail Van Breda and Blaq Pearl, who performed their poetry on 23 May. . 

On Friday I was coughing and had a huge headache, on Saturday I felt worse and drove to the pharmacy to buy meds, hoping that self-medicating would solve the problem. It’s hard to tell when something’s a mild, passing infection that you can clear up on your own (and not have to miss work!) or if it’s more serious. Working in a huge, open-plan office, I pick up the mild, passing types of infections regularly, and self-medicate my way through them. I also eat healthily and have a daily vitamin regimen, which definitely help.

Yesterday morning, I woke up with no voice - always a scary experience for me. I kept taking the meds, and by late morning I had a kind of creepy voice. I was feeling sore all over, I had a weird cough that caused my throat and chest to burn, and all I wanted was to get back into bed.

But life doesn’t always give one those breaks - especially as a single parent. Sundays are the days I do my laundry, and we normally do some grocery shopping as well. It was ‘’Pay Day weekend”, so we needed to do a fairly big shop. I did my laundry, we did the shopping, I cooked food, made soup, etc. and all the time I felt terrible. What’s worse is, with the drought we’re experiencing, you can’t just switch on your washing machine and let it go through all three cycles – you have to stop it after the wash, collect the water, spin; stop it after the rinse, collect the water, spin. Only then can you take the washing out to hang it up.  

My energy was low and I felt like keeling over, so I selected clothes for just two loads, and did those. Another thing we do, a la the drought, is refill the toilet cistern with used water. So every time you flush the loo, you have to physically lift a bucket of water and pour it into the cistern. It’s exhausting, and even worse when you’re feeling sick.

By last night, I knew I had the flu and that I needed to see a doctor. As soon as I woke up today, I went online and made an appointment with my GP.  Later this morning, I’m off to the appointment. And then it’s into bed for most of the day. The crap thing is, this evening I have to get out of bed, and drive 22km to fetch my daughter at college. I’ll wrap up warmly, like I did this morning.  

On the bright side, yesterday was my fortnightly Weigh Day (end of week 20), and I’d lost another 0,4kg, bringing my total weight loss to 11,9kg. I have another 3,8kg to go, to reach my goal weight of 69kg. By that time, I will have to buy myself a new wardrobe. How exciting?! I currently have three pairs of pants that fit me, and I wear them all the time. Yes, I could wear my big pants with belts, but I’d look like Whoozy. Besides, I hate that feeling of my pants walking next to me!  

Feeling really bogged down by how expensive life is. I keep saying, even if your salary stays the same for a few years, you’re effectively earning less, because life just gets more and more expensive: electricity, water, groceries, petrol….. Oy!!!  I budget carefully every month, because I am the sole provider for my daughter and myself, but it freaks me out how everyday eventualities impact on one’s already-strained resources. Even being sick can be very expensive! My Saturday trip to the pharmacy cost me money I had not budgeted for, and driving my daughter to and from college, when I don't go to work, doubles the number of trips to town. These things all cost money and place further stress on one. 

In a month that I don’t have my regular weekly gig (restaurant closes for Ramadaan), I really feel the impact. Even though music is my passion, it’s also my source of additional income. I pray to get well soon, and to score a couple of paid gigs in June.  

And with that, it’s started raining. Welcome rain in our drought-stricken province. Thank you!!!