Spoonie Fatherhood Part 4: Germs, they will find you!
Update: I wrote this post a few months back. I’m now posting it today, sick, with a cold I caught from my daughter. 😂
Many people call it Day-Careitis. I just call it germs, germs everywhere. About 8 months after our journey with Peanut began, we decided to jump back into the real world, and send our daughter to day care. When you have a chronic illness, and you know germs will be entering your home, it’s a scary time, especially in this new world with various Covid strains floating around.
Of course we sent her back on September 1st of 2021, and I had my first 70.3 half IRONMAN scheduled on September 12th in two years. To say I was nervous about what was going to happen in the back of my head was an understatement. I knew I was going to get sick. I even told my wife that it would just take a few days for me to get sick, and guess what happened?
Days later I started to feel horrible, my head was hurting, my stomach was hurting, my ostomy was dumping with uncontrollably amounts of liquid output, and it was incredibly difficult to stay hydrated. It was days of all the over the counter medication I could get into my system without feeling worse, flooding my system with as many nutrients as I could to try to get better, and rest, lots of rest.
In the end, I still did make it to the race. I still finished the race. But I didn’t feel strong, I didn’t feel prepared, and it wasn’t the outcome I was hoping for after not racing for two years.
I’m was not disappointed though, because it was still a successful day. I showed up and crossed the finish line under whatever elements I faced that day.
So what can you do as a father with a chronic illness and you child going to day care? How can you prepare for what’s ahead? Here are a few tips after living with germs surrounding me at all times now.
Prepare for Getting Sick
I hate to be the barer of bad news, and I’m sure this isn’t breaking news if you’re reading this either. You. Are. Going. To. Get. Sick.
So my first tip is to prepare for it in every way. Stock up your pantry with soup, crackers, and other foods you know you want to have around when bugs hit. Keep hydration in your house, anything that has extra electrolytes, vitamins, minerals to overflow your system with. Make sure you have various over the counter meds you’ll need. This includes options for colds, congestion, coughs, and more. You’ll want to have the entire sick aisle in CVS at the ready.
Keep Clean
Lysol is back on the shelves and easy to stock up on now. But it goes beyond that. You’ll want to practice good hygiene as much as you possibly can. I remember my hands were in constant pain due to washing them so much.
You’ll never be able to keep everything clean, my thought process is that you can’t eliminate germs, but you can limit the amount of time they stick around on your table or around the house in general. It’s extra work, yes. It’s something you’ll want to do and if it means you get sick one less time while your immune system builds up, it’s worth it.
Be Patient, You’ll Get Sick Less
I don’t sugarcoat things. Like I said earlier, you’re going to get sick. Hell, you’re going to get sick a lot. You’re going to feel like crap on a regular basis for a while, being hit with bug after bug.
The good news is, after each bout of being sick, your immune system is learning. It’s adjusting to this new environment that includes germs finding their way into your body on a regular basis from any little humans in your home. And in time, it will figure out how to fight these germs and be more efficient doing just that.
Slowly, you’ll start to see that when you get sick, it won’t be as bad. And then it will be less frequent. Before you know it, you’ll be getting the sniffles instead of being laid out on your bed for days at a time. It will get better, and I promise you that you’ll feel normal again. Well, at least normal for a Spoonie.
No matter what, as a Spoonie father you’re going to want to be around your kid. You’re going to pick them up, they’re going to cough right in your face, they’re going to put their hands in your mouth, and they’ll do these things no matter how much you try to avoid it.
So get ready, it’s going to be a wild ride with ups and downs. But when things normalize, and your body is more prepared for day-careitis, you’ll be able to enjoy being a dad, and all that comes with it.
