Murphy’s Law is alive and well
The week before our reading break, I got sick. Really sick. The ‘trip-to-the-ER-for-IV-fluids’ kind of sick. Of course, it was awful. Everything hurt. I was dizzy, dehydrated, and down in the dumps. My bathroom became a temporary pharmacy and my bedroom a permanent parking spot. Yet the worst of it all came not in the throes of influenza, but in the days that followed.
As with any university student, it’s hard for me to ‘allow’ myself to be sick when there are tests, labs, and deadlines looming around every corner. This is especially the case for vet school, where missing a single day of class can equate to eight hours of lecture or lab time to catch up on. With a test or two almost every week, the thought of falling behind can be daunting enough to drag all but the sickest of students out of bed, and I am no exception.
Sometimes, however, an illness is just too much. Getting knocked off my feet was not optional in this case, though I certainly tried to treat it that way. It wasn’t until I was literally about to walk out the door on my way to my gross pathology final that I realized I would probably pass out attempting to write the test (if I even made it to campus, that is).
I surrendered back to my bed and slept through the day — and my final — before heading to the hospital that evening when my symptoms worsened. While I struggled to form words for the triage nurse, my classmates were downtown dining and dancing during our annual class formal. To say I was devastated to be missing an event I had looked forward to for weeks would be an understatement.
In the days that followed, I regained strength physically but was an emotional wreck. The combination of medication, routine disruption, and FOMO (fear of missing out) left me frustrated and disappointed. It was great to be able to eat again, but thinking of the work I had to catch up on was hardly an appetite stimulant.
As reading week passed by, I watched friends and colleagues on beaches in Florida, in the mountains of B.C., and hiking the Grand Canyon. I don’t begrudge anyone the excitement of their travels, but it’s easy to wallow in self-pity when the highlight of your week off is a well-vacuumed living room.
I’m fully aware that my ‘misfortune’ is mild in a world of war and famine. It’s easy to be discouraged with a mounting workload and comparison to my peers. Yet understanding that sometimes things happen that are beyond our control is important for coping with the unforeseen, which is certainly something I will face as a practicing veterinarian. It may take a while to return to my normal self, but I’ve merely been knocked down, not out. There’s a lot in life we can’t control, so I remind myself to take charge where I am able. And in the meantime, I strongly recommend we all get the flu shot.
Photo provided by Carleigh Cathcart