Being a Sick Affiliate Blogger

My boss was great when I was ill ...

I've had 3 difficult weeks which started with food poisoning (a bad mussel), after living in my loo for a day I ended up in a day clinic on a drip for 12 hours. I didn't fully recover for a whole 5 days.

For 2 days all seemed well although I was quite fatigued. Then I developed 4 infections - conjunctivitis, a forest of mouth ulcers, a strep throat and an ear-infection. My doctor said they were opportunistic bacterial infections after my resistance had been depleted due to the food poisoning.

Six days ago they had all cleared up. I decided to take it easy over the weekend as I was fatigued - but less so than the previous week.

Monday morning saw me back at my computer writing on and promoting my site. Happy!

Tuesday I woke up with a head full of horrible stuff which could only exit my head via my nostrils - but they felt as though they had been blocked with solid wax. They may well have been for all the use they were when it came to trying to clear out my sinuses.

The common cold that I had made this week worse than the other two put together, despite the hospital, despite the drip, despite the fortune spent on toilet rolls and eye drops and tubes of Bonjela for the mouth ulcers.

For three days I had FOUR independent headaches - one at each corner of my head (yes, my head felt as though it was square - I couldn't find a comfortable position for it at all).

There was only one thing to do - sit it out. No effective treatment for a viral infection. I couldn't bear to watch Roland Garros on the TV (for me NOT to watch tennis is huge) or to read (huger than me not watching tennis!). I listened to audio books via YouTube and drank lots of water.

Today, the 4th day I'm still not really well enough to work, but my headaches have gone and I can bear to look at the computer screen. I logged into my site and decided to check a few stats. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they had not bombed. They hadn't even stalled but had continued to rise (just a little) each day as though I had been active.

Here's is one of the great benefits of working from home for oneself : I didn't feel guilty about letting an employer and colleagues down. And, OK, I didn't actually get sick-pay during my sick leave as I would have done as an employer. But with these sorts of illnesses, which are quite common and not serious or life-threatening, I do believe that if I was in employment I would have pushed myself too soon to go back into work.

Now, I've been advised that as I've had these three back-to-back multi-infections after food poisoning that I will need to take things easy to get beyond any risk of post-viral effects.

Again - this is so much more easier to organize as a self-employed blogger.

My horrible 3 weeks have in their own, strange, back-handed way increased my already high enthusiasm for the work I'm doing to build my website.

The great training I've received here has helped me to produce a site that more or less sustained itself for almost three weeks .... that's quite something. And I now have the luxury of setting my own pace as I recuperate.

Hurrah for Wealthy Affiliate and the freedom it has given me on so many levels.