Sleeping At My Feet

No, not my canine chamois cloth, Polly, but Mark. Still recovering from a wisdom tooth that he had extracted last week, I think he must have dry socket. He might feel a bit better if he'd take the initiative and ingest some Tylenol or Advil, put an icepack on it, something...but for some reason, at 45 years old, he hasn't figured out that there is medicine in that kitchen cupboard. Medicine! And it can fix things. Make people feel better.

Miracles happen every day in our kitchen. The kids allergy symptoms - gone. Headaches and knee pain vanish! Of course, when I can, I try non-pharmaceutical interventions first, but seriously I have four kids plus a needy dog who I am constantly evaluating, diagnosing, and dispensing medication for, do I really have to include him in my patient load???

For years, every spring and fall I find him sneezing, snorting, his blood-red, droopy eyes practically hanging out of his head from seasonal allergies --- allergies that he's had since he was a kid, by all accounts. And he has medicine for this stuff. Prescriptions, too. Multiple kinds that target multiple symptoms. And when I ask him if he's taken it or not, he sniffs pathetically and says "No, I guess I should, huh?" or "I think I ran out last fall and I need a new prescription."

Seriously.

Maybe a nicer wife would have some sort of empathy for her husband. Call the doctor for the refill. Check the cupboard to see what we have that can alleviate his symptoms..for now. But I am trying to raise my children to be pro-active and self-sufficient. Shouldn't I expect the same from their father? Aren't we supposed to lead by example?

To be fair, I don't have allergies (thankfully) so I can't really comprehend his dread that must accompany my compulsion to open the windows - right about the time the pollen drops every spring. I do know however, that if there is something wrong with me and I know how to fix it, I fix it. I don't have time to feel like crap.

So there he sleeps, snoring, at the other end of he couch, because he doesn't feel great and wants to spend some time with me. I guess it's nice to be needed.