It was a normal Wednesday night. I did some homework and FaceTimed my parents before going to sleep. As the evening progressed, my stomach started to hurt. I didn’t think anything of it until it got so bad that I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned in pain, and around 2 a.m., sprinted to the bathroom and threw up everything I had eaten for dinner that day. I developed a fever and spent a few hours lying on the bathroom floor crying.
That’s right. I had been bitten by the stomach bug.
As I experienced this miserable night, one thought kept running through my head: I wish I was home.
Being sick at home is so easy. Sure, you don’t feel great, but there’s someone there to take care of you. Someone is there to bring you soup, take your temperature and change your sheets. Being sick at college is so much harder because you are all alone. If I lived closer to home, my mom would have gotten in the car and come to get me.
I missed my classes on Thursday and Friday and spent both days watching Netflix in bed. I must have watched 15 movies.
By Saturday night, I was back to normal. I survived. And you can too.
Here’s how I survived being sick:
1. I had friends to help me.
Luckily, my friend was able to bring me soup from Panera. I don’t know what I would have done without her! My friends in my classes also helped me with my missed work.
2. I ate lightly and stayed hydrated.
All I ate for two days was soup, rice, crackers and eggs. I made sure I stayed hydrated and drank lots of water and Gatorade. This helped my upset stomach and contributed to my speedy recovery.
3. I was proactive about my missed work.
I emailed my professors the same day I missed their class to get the notes and homework I missed. I also texted my friends in classes to find out what was important and what I *actually* missed. When I made it back to classes on Tuesday, I didn’t feel behind at all.
Being sick in college is really difficult, but survival is possible!