sick

The good news is, I’m physically sick, not mentally sick (well, no worse than usual, anyhow).  I’ve somehow managed to come down with something closely resembling the Martian Death Flu.  As I sit here, alternately shivering and sweating, I’ve been thinking about illness generally.  Men get sick, go to bed, and complain loudly.  Women get sick, pick up new taps from the hardware shop for their renovation project, go food shopping, get prescriptions filled, and then clean the toilet and bathroom.  Guess how I’ve spent my day so far?

Actually, it was funny at the chemist’s.  I got my scripts for the pill and Lexapro filled, then asked for some extras – panadol, cold and flu tablets, and iron tablets.  The total came to over $150.  I choked slightly at this, and the girl serving me said sympathetically, ‘It added up quickly didn’t it?!’  I nodded, and said, ‘Well, it’s worth it…. without the drugs I’d be pregnant and suicidal’.  The poor girl’s eyes widened and she said confusedly, ‘Oh….’ 

I keep forgetting that mental illness isn’t something people generally joke about.  Whoops.  I must have been standing behind the door when social awareness was handed out.