Tag Archives: sicko

Dec5

Ugh Bug

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Ugh Bug

Hello!! I have often found that there comes a point a few times a year where the metaphorical wall has been hit. And, rather than allowing myself to have a break like a rational person, I just keep pushing myself. Then, my body decides for me when it’s time for a reprise lol. This is exactly what happened this past Tuesday. After a strenuous fourteen hour day on Monday, the Ugh Bug hit me and I was down for the count. At least I had some company because Johnny caught it too so we were down for the count together. 😀

On Tuesday morning, I was feeling great. I woke up, took care of the bunnies, showered, and began my normal work routine. Then, literally out of nowhere, everything went horribly wrong. While I was on the phone, I started getting really nauseous. I chalked it up to having too much coffee and switched to sipping on water. Then, as I was back on the phone a few minutes later, it turned into “oh no” and the conversation blessedly ended in time for me to get to the bathroom. Small miracles, people!

This is going to be TMI but guys, I legit erupted like a geyser. Lol, in that moment, I knew it was time to put my pajamas back on and call it a day. In between bathroom breaks, I finished the work I could online and then became one with my couch. I watched Degrassi as well as the new Netflix documentary on JonBenet Ramsey. And, can I please just say, I’m going to solve the damn case myself. I. Need. ANSWERS. But, that’s neither here nor there.

Anywho, Johnny returned home as I laid in my own misery feeling just as awful as I was. In fact, he was probably worse off than me because he was experiencing a fever and chills too. In this case, yes. Misery does love company! After going to bed really early, we both woke up on Wednesday morning feeling about fifty percent better. That’s not good enough to go to work, so as I type this he is playing Call of Duty lol. It feels incredibly weird with us both being home in the middle of the work week but I’m glad we caught the Ugh Bug before the holidays. As I said, small miracles!

In conclusion, if you are feeling rundown: Take it easy or you’re going to end up in this exact same situation!

Do you get sick often? What makes you feel better when you are under the weather? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul30

Worst Weekend Ever

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Worst Weekend Ever

Hello my darlings!! After achieving the highest of highs last weekend, your girl plummeted to the lowest of lows. I spent every moment of my weekend from Friday night on cooped up in bed with a summer cold from hell and it sucked. It all started with a scratchy throat late Friday afternoon that spiraled into body aches, fever and chills, nonstop nose blowing, and a pounding headache. And, naturally, all of this occurred when I was supposed to work an event with my boss, Tim. It was really disappointing, to say the least.

Rather than spending the weekend posted up at a huge motorcycle event shooting content, I was wallowing in my own pity lol. Johnny refused to breathe the same air as me (For good reason!) so I was lonely and left to my own devices. I was able to work from my phone for a bit, which was nice. A majority of my days, however, was spent watching TV to the point that I was SO sick of watching TV (We’ll discuss the documentaries and movies I watched tomorrow!). The only solace I found was that it was hot AF all weekend and as you all know, Lil Red and the heat does not mix. Granted, I was sweaty all weekend anyways so I definitely would have preferred to be working!

Despite being wicked bored for forty-eight hours and change, I do have to give big ups to my main squeeze. Johnny supplied me with ALL of the blue Gatorade and toast and scrambled eggs when I felt like eating. When he wasn’t keeping the blue on lock, Johnny made me the most disgusting tea with lots of honey. It tasted foul but I actually did feel a little better after drinking it! When he wasn’t providing sustenance for his poor sick wifey, Johnny would visit me from the doorway from time to time. Best of all, he even texted me from downstairs frequently and I genuinely can’t remember the last time he texted me period. Sometimes nice things happen even when you’re feeling like ass. 🙂

I missed a lot of my favorite things this weekend – shooting OOTDs and simply coming alive during events with Tim. This was an unwanted break, to say the least, and I am ready to take this week on and make up for lost time!

What is your cure all for a cold? Have you had to miss out on anything fun from being sick recently? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec13

Give Me A Boost

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Give Me A Boost

Hello!!!! Johnny and I had the misfortune of getting Covid late this September and it was about a bitch lol. The last time we had Covid was in 2020 and we were both completely asymptomatic. If I didn’t know I was exposed, we never would have known we even had it. This past time around, we had ALL of the symptoms and it sucked. The general rule of thumb is to wait three or so months to get a vaccine or booster shot post Covid and I finally was able to get my updated booster this past Friday and… it SUCKED!!!!!

I have gotten every Covid vaccine and booster available and I have never reacted well to them. I’m not sure why I expected this time to be any different and, bully for me, because this was probably my worst experience yet. Pretty much immediately after my shot, my arm was extremely sore but I was still feeling okay physically. Fast forward to that night after a delightful hang out with my bestie and I spent my slumber sweating to the oldies. My pillowcase is now a shocking combo of red and blue hair dye because of it SMH.

On Saturday, I woke up with a pounding headache, nausea, and a fever that flip flopped back and forth with chills. I spent all day watching Criminal Minds and My 600 Lb Life and despite them being two of my favorite comfort shows, I was not comforted one bit! I had no appetite, felt so run down, and couldn’t wait to go to bed with the hopes that I would feel better on Sunday. I slept and sweat for a solid twelve or so hours and somehow managed to wake up feeling worse.

Sunday was a doozy of a day and my nausea was at an all time high. I ralphed four times and only started feeling slightly better when I was able to keep some food down for dinner later that evening. Thankfully, after another super sweaty night, I am feeling much better as I write this Monday morning. I can only compare this booster experience to my day three or four of having actual Covid and it was a pretty miserable way to spend the weekend.

Having said all of that, I am SO happy to be boosted up just in time for the holidays. I consider these booster shots to be a necessary evil because of how poorly I react to them. However, I know that if Johnny and I were to get Covid again, it would be so much worse without the added protection. Even though it was a major bummer to spend the weekend feeling like ass, I knew that I would feel better soon and that was good enough for me. I’m just glad to be over and done with it and now I have the pleasure of taking care of Johnny when he gets boosted this upcoming weekend! 😀

Unfortunately, Covid is something we’re always going to have to deal with. The vaccines and boosters make me feel much more comfortable with that fact and I am proud to do my part to keep myself and those around me safe. ❤

How did you react to your Covid vaccines and boosters? So so or oh NO? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep29

What I Did During COVID (Nothing Lol)

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What I Did During COVID (Nothing Lol)

Hello!!! As I write this, Johnny and I are finally on an upswing from our COVID experience. Thank gawd because, let me tell you, it was really horrible for a while. We were both feeling like absolute garbage and when one feels like garbage, there’s not much you can do but sit there lol. I will say, if we weren’t in the throws of the virus, it actually would have been quite pleasant to veg out and watch all of the TV. Johnny chose to stay downstairs with the bunnies watching WWII movies and I claimed the upstairs as my own to watch all of my guilty pleasures. This included:

The Saw Franchise:

My first order of business once we were bit by the COVID bug was to rewatch the Saw franchise in its entirety. I am a HUGE fan of those movies and I am excited to see the newest one in theaters once Johnny and I are feeling better. Yes, they’re violent. Yes, they’re freaking gross. And, yes, they aren’t for everyone, but to each their own. I watched all of the Saw movies in a whopping two days and even though I was feeling completely miserable, I kept thinking to myself “at least I’m not that person” for everyone playing a “game”. It actually kind of helped a little lol.

Sister Wives:

After my Saw bingeathon, it was time for my next guilty pleasure and that is literally every single show on TLC. Haha, I just can’t help myself – I love crappy television. I have been an on again off again Sister Wives viewer for years and I must say, this newest season has been explosive! Can we all please talk about what an asshole Kody is or?! He is the freaking WORST and I am so happy to see Christine and Janelle finally come out from under his stupid thumb. My only hope is that Meri follows suit soon so Kody can be left alone with Robyn, which is what I think he truly wanted all along. SHAMEFUL!!!

My Strange Addiction – Still Addicted?:

Speaking of crappy television… After I got caught up on Sister Wives, I finally was able to watch the follow up series to My Strange Addiction to see where the people on the show are at ten years later. It was just as weird as the original episodes and it was SO cringe worthy. There were people addicted to eating toilet paper, couch foam, cat hair – you name it. I was, however, very sad to learn that Nathanial’s beloved Chase, the car who he shared an intimate relationship with kicked the bucket. RIP to a real one.

The Office:

And, finally, when all else fails – there is always The Office. Like millions of people, I find The Office to be one of my favorite comfort shows. Johnny and I have seen every episode more times than we can count, but they are never not funny. This was a great show to put on when we were really sick because we could close our eyes and rest and still know exactly what was going on. There is no think work to The Office and it is what we both refer to as our “warm blanket” show. Whether we have COVID or not, it is always on our lineup at chez nous!

One can only watch so much TV, sick or not, until their brain turns to mush and I am very happy to be feeling well enough to pass some time reading. Keep it locked for a new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club soon as we discuss a thriller called We Love To Entertain!

What is your favorite comfort show? How about one of your guilty pleasure shows? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep28

COVID Chronicles

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COVID Chronicles

Hello!! This past week has been a real doozy for Lil Red and Johnny because, unfortunately, we got COVID. We both tested positive and we can only assume that it came from Johnny’s place of work where everyone has been lax on pandemic safety from the jump. It has been AWFUL, especially because we were both very symptomatic and the last time we had the virus over two years ago, we experienced no symptoms at all. All I have to say is, thank god we are vaccinated and boosted because I truly couldn’t imagine our experience being any worse than it already was.

Johnny started out our COVID journey with aches all over – headache, body aches, and was very stuffy and fatigued. Naturally, all of this transferred to me and a day later, I was prepped to have all of the same. My Day One wasn’t so bad, but it was weird. I was really tired and I could just feel like I was about to be sick as a dog. I still rallied enough to make a big pot of spaghetti which was a saving grace during our sickness staycation so #blessup for that lol. By Day Two, the struggle bus hit and it hit like a Mack Truck.

My Day Two was the sickest I have felt in I don’t know how long. I had a fever and chills, I was stuffed up beyond belief, my head pounded, and the body aches were unmatched. I kid you not, I felt better after a car accident that left me hospitalized than I did that day. No exaggeration. It hurt to do anything but lay in my misery and reminisce on all of the good times I had before catching the Vid. On the bright side, I did have a Saw movie marathon to get hyped for the latest installment, but that did little to boost my mood. All it did was provide a slight distraction to being sick AF.

While sleep would have been a welcome reprieve after long days of being a bio hazard, it wasn’t. I was waking up constantly either too hot or too cold and would finally emerge from my slumber with my clothes completely soaked to my skin. It was gross lol and my Day Three was only slightly better than Day Two. After another seemingly endless day of ouch, ugh, and blegh, things took a somewhat turn the following day.

On Day Four, I was still feeling sick, but it was a different kind of sick. What felt like the worst flu ever shifted into a cold from hell. I felt pressure beyond belief in my head and mouth breathed my day away like Napoleon Dynamite. My body still ached and I was feverish throughout the day and night. I was so weak because I was running on a diet of Gatorade, crackers, and the occasional plate of spaghetti. I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t cry multiple times during my COVID tenure. I just couldn’t help it – it was that bad.

As I write this, I am feeling crappy but it’s the least crappy I have felt in days. Johnny also seems to be doing much better so I like to think we are on the upswing. I urge all of you if you are feeling sick to test yourself. After dealing with the pandemic for so long, it’s easy to want to dismiss COVID now, but you can’t. It is still a very real thing and Johnny and I know firsthand because we have been a complete and utter mess. My running joke has been that I wish this happened during the summer because my bikini body would have been off the charts. Ba dum chhhhhhh.

With gatherings moving indoors as the weather shifts, please be sure you monitor your symptoms and stay home if you are feeling unwell. You never know who you are infecting and it’s a dangerous game to play. Stay safe, everyone!

Have you had COVID before? What was it like for you? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr22

My Top 3 “Feeling Sick” Beverages

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My Top 3 “Feeling Sick” Beverages

Hello! The last two times I saw my sister this past week, my lil niece was feeling under the weather. While Kristen and her SO, Ramon, are immune to the “Toddler Flu” by now I, on the other hand, got hit with it hard. My niece was coughing and her little nose was running faster than she could and I just had a feeling I was going to get sick. And, man, was I right because I spent the entire past weekend in complete misery.

Kristen and Ramon have parent level immune systems and were A-okay while I felt like I was going to burst from all of the congestion. During my weekend, I tried to recoup with lots of Animal Crossing, My 600 Lb. Life, and forcing myself to drink disgusting tasting daytime flu medicine. Of course, I attempted to stay really hydrated too and had a glass of one of my go to “feeling sick” beverages handy at all times. We all have them and these are my top three:

Green Tea:

I don’t need to be sick to enjoy a hot or cold glass of green tea but it definitely hits different when you’re not feeling well! I worked through an entire carton of Arizona green tea in two days and tried to drink at least two cups of hot Salada green tea per day too. In my opinion, there is nothing more soothing than tea when you’re under the weather and the steam from the hot tea offered some relief for my clogged up sinuses. Needless to say, I am going to have to restock my supply next time I go grocery shopping.

Orange Juice:

You can’t go wrong with a cup of OJ when you have a cold for an extra dose of Vitamin C. I really don’t drink juice very often but I couldn’t get enough of it this past weekend. Call it wishful thinking or whatever you will but I did feel a bit better after a glass or two in the morning. It was also nice to drink something orange flavored that didn’t taste like battery acid like all daytime flu medicine does. Orange colored anything should never taste that disgusting!

Cream Soda:

When I was little, flat cream soda was my favorite drink during a stay home from school sick day. To this day, it still reminds me of my grandma because she always had a healthy supply at her funeral home and it was such a treat to have some! Johnny had a couple of bottles of IBC cream soda in the fridge and I couldn’t not partake in one of them to not only hit me right in the nostalgia but shake some of the blahs of the worst cold imaginable away. We all need a sweet treat every once in a while. 😀

Spending my weekend sick as a dog isn’t exactly what I had in mind but I did try to make the most of it! I was so thankful to my sweet bestie, Kate, of Live In The Nautical for video chatting with my miserable self and there is nothing that a nonstop My 600 Lb. Life marathon can’t fix, either. I raise my glass of OJ to both Kate and Dr. Now for helping get me through this dark time lol! ❤

What is your go to feeling sick beverage? What makes you feel better when you’re under the weather? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep1

Weekend Update: Sick AF Edition

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Weekend Update: Sick AF Edition

Hiii everyone and happy weekend! You might have noticed that I haven’t been very active on my page this past week, even though I had posts publishing, cause pre-writing. And, that is because I came down with a really nasty bout of the flu. It. Was. Awful. What started out as an earache on Tuesday morning led to full blown incapacity by the early afternoon and I was completely down for the count.

We’re talking a fever that reached to 103 at its peak, a sore throat, an earache, chills, sweats, soreness all over, and not a snowball chance in hell of being able to eat anything. I would sweat so badly at night, that I’d wake up and see red all over my sheets because it made my hair color bleed! I am writing this post on Friday afternoon and am just now feeling semi-normal, even though the morning was really rough.

Because of my mom’s ongoing health struggles, I had to be quarantined to my bedroom for three days. This sucked on ice, because my room doesn’t have a TV! But, I was honestly so out of it that it didn’t even matter. Everything that I tried to do from taking a sip of water to swallowing much needed medicine caused me so much pain that there were points when I just started crying. It was totally and completely miserable.

But, after what felt like an eternity, I am finally back on the blogosphere and all I gotta say is thank gawd for pre-writing! I was so pleased when I discovered that all of my days away were covered because I had totally forgot! And, of course, I am so glad to be feeling better and back with all of you here on lifewithlilred. ❤

May5

Feeling Blahhhhhhhh

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Feeling Blahhhhhhhh

Hiii everyone and happy weekend! Ugh, I don’t know about any of you guys, but I have been feeling so blah lately. I am in the process of getting over a flu/cold thingie that lingered on with me for a week and am now just trying to get myself back up to snuff. I had hot and cold flashes, a sore throat, a cold from hell, body aches, and – to top it off – I was on my period for part of it! Could it get any worse?!

During this agonizing week, I had a really hard time keeping up with my 10,000 steps per day walking regimen because I was so weak. And, now, after a week of feeling sluggish with some movement here and there when I was up to it, I am left feeling so blah about everything. The way my body looks, how I’m still feeling the effects of the sniffles from this blasted cold, and my severe lack of energy. Could it get any worse?!

I know that these feelings will pass, and I have been trying really hard to get myself back on track with my walking. But, I am having a hard time shaking away the post sickness blues, even with the lovely weather that Ohio is finally having. It’s been a lot of going through the motions for the past week, and feeling self conscious the entire time, so I am definitely looking forward to feeling back to normal soon so that I can start enjoying my days again.

Has anyone else been dealing with the blahs lately? How do you combat the post sickness blues? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec13

Sick As A Dog :(

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Sick As A Dog :(

Helloooooo. No offense to all of the beautiful dogs in the world, but I sure was sick as one this past week. From Friday until Monday I was suffering from a nasty sore throat, aches, fatigue, and nausea – it was seriously enough to make a grown man cry. And, because I turn into an overemotional mess while sick, cry I did. You seriously take your health for granted until you start feeling like a big bag of butts.

But, I am feeling much better, and now things are back to normal here on lifewithlilred! You just didn’t get to hear me complain about my disease ridden self because of a little thing called pre-writing. But, I promise that you weren’t missing out on much! How do you cure the winter flu? What are some of your tried and true home remedies? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep25

Warding Off Fresher’s Flu: Making It Through Your First Weeks Of College

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Warding Off Fresher’s Flu: Making It Through Your First Weeks Of College

Every year, hundreds of thousands of young people head away from home to study at a college of their choice. This is a brilliant opportunity. If you are heading away soon, you will have all sorts of wonderful things to look forward to: meeting new people, settling into new surroundings, and boosting your social life as you search for new friends. However, there’s one less positive thing that most students have to face: fresher’s flu. Here are a few pieces of information and knowledge that will allow you to deal with fresher’s flu in the best way possible:

What Is Fresher’s Flu?

So, what actually is fresher’s flu? While the term may not be medically recognized, the condition and symptoms are far from a myth. Essentially, “fresher’s flu” is the batch of illnesses that students are exposed to during the first few weeks of university. Symptoms can include shivering, dry fever, coughs, sneezes, headaches, grogginess, and blocked sinuses. This is obviously a less than ideal experience when you find that you are far from home and the comfort of your mom’s homemade chicken noodle soup. So what causes this mysterious condition? When a new term starts at university, people from all over the world arrive with pathogens to which they are immune, but others may not be. Unsurprisingly, the poor diet and alcohol consumption often associated with the first few weeks of college doesn’t help this situation, either.

Treatments:

Don’t worry if you do contract fresher’s flu. It’s not the end of the world. Most symptoms will fade out by themselves over time, but you can make things more comfortable and bearable for yourself in the meantime. Use a sinus treatment such as a nasal decongestant, have plenty of soft tissues at hand, take painkillers for headaches or discomfort, and take things easy until you’re feeling rearing and ready to go again.

Precautions:

While it’s highly likely that you’ll get a little ill at some point or another, you want to minimize your chances of getting and spreading the flu. You definitely don’t want to miss out on any of the exciting events or important lectures going on when you first arrive. A good start is to drink responsibly. Excessive drinking is never a good move, regardless of where you are. Remember to eat a healthy diet. Even if you aren’t used to preparing meals for yourself, you can still easily consume your recommended fruits and veggies a day at the salad bar in your student center.

Another tip that you might also want to opt for is shaking hands when greeting new people rather than hugging. This contact is less direct, and you are less likely to pick up germs or illnesses this way, especially if you carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer with you and clean your hands regularly. This may also be a good time to set down the ground rules of a shared kitchen or shared bathrooms. Request that people stick to their own crockery, cutlery, and glasses to reduce the spread of the flu blues.

Being aware of potential causes of sickness, how to avoid illness, and how to treat symptoms will ensure that your first few weeks at college are the best and healthiest possible!

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