“Leave me alone. Please!” I hated saying it as soon as it left my mouth. At this point, I was begging my children to have mercy on me as I laid in excruciating pain. I was living my dreaded nightmare of being a single mother with COVID. My mind steam rolled me with questions like: Who would help me with the kids if I have to go to the hospital? What if I pass out and the kids find me? What if I’m too sick to take care of them if they get a bad case of COVID?
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One thought that didn’t cross my mind until I was in the moment was how do I explain to a tender-hearted child who desperately needs affection that mommy needs to be left alone? My daughter pranced around me in her childlike innocence wanting nothing but hugs and cuddles, and I physically couldn’t handle being touched. My poor girl couldn’t feel my body writhing in pain or understand how a hug would send a wave of torture through my body. She just felt rejected. Of course, my need for space and rest made her feel worse.
They don’t list mom guilt as a COVID side effect on Google. You just figure it out as it comes.
For two weeks I nursed myself for fevers, severe body aches, sinus burning, chest congestion, loss of taste and smell, extreme fatigue and a persistent cough. It’s hard enough to be alone and sick with no one to help get you things like medicine or tea, but for us moms, our job doesn’t stop for anything. However, I found an unexpected silver lining, dare I say a gift from Covid, when my life came to a screeching halt and I had next to nil energy for most things. By default, I had to delegate more, and as a result, I discovered that my kids are capable little humans. HUZZAH!
It was as simple as:
If you’re hungry, make food.
If you need clean sheets on your bed, get some and put them on your bed.
Do you have lessons to complete for school? Well, get it done.
It became no nonsense, to-the-point parenting for my own survival.
My kids learned to rely on me less and as a result grew more in confidence and independence. Of course, they are 7 and 9 years old, so that helps. This would be a very different story if they were toddlers.
Now mama, if you end up getting COVID, I am so sorry. I’ve listed a few things that helped me get through two weeks of sickness. This is my experience and by no means is this medical advice. This is just mama to mama tips.
- Ask friends and family to deliver meals. The last thing you want to do is COOK!
- Have a few go-to people who can grab prescriptions or random supplies for you.
- Order groceries to be delivered.
- Make a big batch of nutrient rich homemade soup as soon as you know you’re coming down with COVID. This will store for at least a week, and it will be easy food packed with vitamins and minerals that your body needs to get well.
- Make sure you have plenty of vitamins on hand. I took a multivitamin, Omega 3’s, extra Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Zinc, probiotics, elderberry.
- The best remedy that I found for clearing mucus from the lungs is a Mustard Poultice. This is old school, but VERY effective. It’s also all natural! I found recipes on YouTube and made my own. It’s so easy.
- Use a humidifier in your bedroom. I ran mine day and night!
- Sleep on your stomach. My doctor suggested this in order to keep the mucus out of my lungs.
- Drink a TON of water. It is so important to stay hydrated while your body is fighting COVID. This will also help your lungs clear mucus, as well as help your body flush out the toxins.
- Sleep as much as possible!
