So, after my last post I had a realisation.

I was reaching a point of extreme tiredness that was getting ridiculous, I was struggling to do almost anything beyond get the kids up and dressed and fed and out the door to school, then laying prone and exhausted on the couch until pick up time, and thinking this can’t be how it’s going to be all the time as a single mum of two.

My cold dragged on for 2 weeks without relenting, and in week 3 it suddenly got a lot worse, and I realised the reason I was so exhausted was because I was actually REALLY unwell.

I woke up one morning barely able to breathe in and my lungs were physically painful, hurting when I breathed and wheezing and coughing like a 60-a-day smoker. I realised not only that I needed to see a doctor but also I needed back up, as I was no longer able to be responsible for keeping other people alive.

I called in my mum who came down on the next train like a hero and I saw the doctor who confirmed that my lungs were clogged with gunk and my cold had converted itself into a chest infection. I’ve never had a chest infection before and it was bloody awful. I felt really truly unwell, haven’t felt that sick since I had Covid (and part of me does wonder if Covid has weakened my lungs and made me more prone to things like chest infections in the future, though it might just be a coincidence).

Thankfully my week of being horribly ill happened to be the week S was away on her residential school trip so there was only one kid to deal with. She was still rather disconcerted by everything, what with S being away and mama being ill and Grandma showing up unexpectedly, so she continued to scream into my face quite a bit, but we got through it.

The antibiotics worked well (penicillin is a miracle drug – astonishing how quickly I felt better!) and Grandma was a godsend helping out for a few days until I recovered. Poor thing went to London immediately afterwards and caught Covid about 24 hours later, though thankfully she was fine.

I recovered enough for the easter holiday festivities – more on that in my next post!