"We just couldn't catch a break." The struggle of winter sickness for parents.

Hi, my name is Sara and I’m a mum to a hyperactive toddler who has the attention span of a goldfish and the tantrum level of the hulk. The appetite of a teen boy and an immune system that seems to be acting like a net... catching everything he possibly can from day care.

To say this winter has been awful is an understatement. I remember sitting watching the cyclonic rain that had set in for what felt like weeks, thinking to myself... being stuck inside the house with a hyper toddler not being able to get to our local park dates or go for a walk along the creek is the worst thing ever. 

I wish I knew what was coming for me because I wouldn’t have wished those easy days away as the horrific hurricane of illness was heading straight for us. 

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It started in late May, a fungal rash then hand, foot and mouth disease whilst my husband was away then a horrible cold that hung around for what felt like weeks.

Then, a temperature of 40.2 degrees, rushing to the hospital, a dose of steroids and painkillers, holding down a screaming child to administer intensive rounds of Ventolin, and six hours sitting in a hospital room just willing the internet to stay connected so that the Wiggles can sing and dance whilst my husband and I tried to keep our eyes open. 

This was all followed by adenovirus at the same time as RSV. 

It just seemed to be a lottery of sickness. Who was going to wake up the next day with the next illness? My husband woke up one morning with his eyes well and truly glued together, the lucky winner of conjunctivitis was him! 

We played the game of, 'Who has enough sick leave to stay home today' and we would roll our eyes when the day care invoices would appear in our inbox that still needed to be paid, even though our child hadn’t attended. The rollercoaster felt like it was never going to stop.

Finally, my son returned to day care and during all of his sickness, I battled three colds as well as a round of vomiting and diarrhea. I just couldn’t catch a break. I felt like I was inadequate, day in, day out. And then, I caught adenovirus. 

I have so many hats that I wear and I am failing everyone. I’m being a mediocre mum, barely a wife, an absent friend, an invisible employee... I can quite honestly say, I had never been this ill in my entire life. And then, the icing on the sh*t show of a cake was the discovery of shingles on my torso. Rock bottom. 

We as a family had COVID back in April and faired quite well. We were grateful to be vaccinated and not suffer too badly but little did I know, COVID had been the starting point to our winter of hellish illness. Being told by the GP that my immune system was shot to hell and I needed to go home and rest was such a low point.

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What I would give to go home and rest... but how can I rest? I feel like I work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Because even when I’m sleeping, I’m not resting. I’m dreaming about everything that needs doing, everything I haven’t done, and everything I wish I was. 

Once you have your little bundle of joy, everything else falls to the side and you just do what you need to survive. You become the Bear Grylls of your household. Finding anyway to keep going against all odds. But what happens when the cup is empty, spotty, itchy, and just so damn exhausted. This Bear Grylls was ready to well and truly call it quits. But we made it through. We put all of our expectations aside, survival became the only priority, and we tag teamed and crawled out the other side. 

Every single family we know has been through the same experience this winter. The only advice that I can offer and what I lived by was, 'Survive each day, one day at a time'. 

Does it matter that the TV has been on all day? No. Toasted sandwiches are a fantastic dinner choice. Friends will see you when you’re better and love you from afar. Your job will be there when you get back. 

Your husband still loves you even if you look and smell like sh*t (literally), and your baby? Your baby loves you unconditionally. It doesn’t matter that the most you can muster is sitting there whilst they play or driving the remote so we can watch Bluey. Your cuddles and your love are enough. And this current period of time, the winter sickness, it shall pass and I promise the sun will shine again. 

Sara-Jayne Rogers is a British-born mum of one and high school teacher with a passion for writing and continual learning.

Feature Image: Supplied.

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