I’m a baby.

Turns out, I’m a baby when I’m sick, and I only want my mom. Also, having the fake flu is dreadful. Fortunately, my fake flu only lasted a short time….

I’m traveling out of the country later in the year so I received five vaccines Wednesday afternoon — three in one arm, two in the other. As an 18-year veteran of diabetes, the shots were painless and easy-breezy. Thursday morning though, I couldn’t raise my arms above my chest without wincing in pain. I was completely prepared for that.

What I wasn’t prepared for was feeling like death warmed over by 6 p.m. Thursday. I went home from dinner, immediately put on my pajamas and crawled on the couch with Netflix in hand. I was achy and sore all over and I was freezing. I didn’t even want the dogs piled on me and cuddling with my girls is my favorite thing to do.

{click photo for image credit}

By 9 p.m., I was burning up and my face was flushed. I checked my temperature to find a lovely 100. I knew vaccines gave you flu-like symptoms (or what I like to call the fake flu) but I didn’t know you could develop and actual fever. I called my mother and tried to sound upbeat. I really only wanted her here. I enjoy my life of singleness — but not so much when I’m sick. I like someone there to take care of me and tell me everything is going to be OK. As a perfect diabetes mom, she reminded me to drink fluids and check my blood sugar regularly. She also told me not to forget about checking ketones. (hate those things). I guess some things will never change. Being a baby and wanting your mother when you’re sick seem to be two of them. On the plus side though, my immune system is clearly working, and I don’t/won’t have typhoid. There’s that, too, I guess.

I woke up Friday feeling much better. I had a low fever and took half a day off from work to rest. My aches and fever were gone my mid-morning and even the soreness in my arms was improving. My fake flu was short-lived, thank goodness. I’m not sure this grown-up baby could’ve handled the real thing.