When Mom’s sick, everything keeps going. I know I’m not the first woman to mention this, and I won’t be the last.  It’s not very fun when you don’t have sick days. For the most part, you can always pop a pill and keep going, but the fatigue is overwhelming. Even if all of your symptoms are under control from medication, your body is still fighting something. It takes all of your energy you normally use for getting through your day and routes it somewhere else. You’re left with bleary eyes, sore muscles, and clouded thoughts. All the while, you need to figure out how much water you need to drink to stay hydrated if you knock back five or more cups of coffee on top of your illness.

So, if I ever run into you at the grocery store, mall, etc. and you cough or sneeze and I look at you like you’re carrying a deadly disease, now you know why. I’m not a germaphobe. I just can’t afford to be sick. When I get sick I don’t get to slow down. I just have to keep going and pass out into bed at the end of the day, just to start all over again the next morning with what is extremely likely to be less than eight hours sleep.