Ask not for whom the bell tolls...

because I know it tolls for me (and probably Tim, too).

On Wednesday night, Gus got sick. He most likely got his stomach bug from his friend Ryan, and if I had to guess I'd say it's one of these fun little viruses. I knew if we hung around Ryan so soon after he was sick we'd probably get sick, too, since noroviruses tend to be contagious for a good long while, but I didn't really care. Gus digs hanging out with Ryan, and chances are we'd get it somewhere else anyway, so might as well get it and get some fun out of it.

I know I'll most likely get the bug, and now I'm completely hyper aware of any little rumble or noise my stomach makes. Tim was out of town this past week and got home tonight, and I know the clock has probably started ticking for him, too. I feel like each meal I eat might be my last for awhile, heh.

This is Gus's first "real" illness. He's had some fevers and two episodes where he barfed once or twice, some runny noses, but that's about it. The freakiest thing he's ever had is the croupy cough that he used to get at the beginning of any runny nose thing- usually passed on from Kailey because she's the Queen of Runny Noses. Thanks to repeated viewings of Terms of Endearment (love, love, love that movie!), I knew to stick him in the bathroom with a hot shower running to steam it up really well, and in about ten minutes that would pretty much be the end of the croupy cough. He's so pitiful now, I feel really, really bad for him. I've never seen him so sedate. If I wasn't so consumed with how he's doing I could probably accomplish a ton around the house. As it is, I sit on the sofa next to him and surf on the net**, mostly looking up information on children and dehydration. Good stuff. In all honesty, I'm glad that I get to take care of him. I have some good memories of my mom taking care of me when I was sick as a kid (and I was sick a lot). I've always recalled my childhood through a sea of penicillin.

This bug requires more work than his prior ones, though Gus seems to be riding it out well enough. Some pedialyte, sodium ascorbate (aka vitamin c), sambucol, probiotics, and some sweet echinacea seem to be keeping him as well as I could expect (though it's not like I have a Control Gus to compare to). The pedialyte section of the grocery store was almost completely empty even though every other section in the vicinity was completely stocked, so I guess a bug is going around.

Ryan's dad was the Typhoid Mary that brought this home from a business trip, but Ryan's mom Georgina and his sister Meghan managed not to get sick even though Ryan barfed right in Georgina's face, so maybe I'll be as lucky as she was (lucky to not get sick, not lucky to get barf in the face).

Gus just ate two crackers and had some decaf iced tea while he watched Toot and Puddle and some Max and Ruby, so he's a bit better for now. I know that the worst is probably not over as I've heard and read that this particular virus seems to be gone and then it returns with a vengeance, but he's doing better for now so I'll take what I can get. He's not talking or moving around much, but I guess if he can sing along with the theme songs from those shows then he can't be doing too badly.

And as for me and Tim... now we wait.


**the proliferation of unnecessary links in this post highlight the kind of time I have on my hands.