Swift Driving School Day 3 Dallas December 3, 2014 In Room And Sick.

Today, I woke up and felt really bad. I felt my head and it was hot. Uh-oh. Houston, we have a problem. Sick while in class. I then got very intimate with the toilet location in the bathroom. Set the alarm for when I knew that the class would have people in the building. I left a message with my recruiter and sent an email as well. Made the calls when my alarm went off. Asked if I should come in to class. I was told what I would be missing in class and told that homework would be sent with another classmate or emailed to me, my choice, and I was asked to not come in, in case whatever I have is contagious.

I laid down and slept, feeling miserable, with chills and shaking, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. I slept for nearly 4 hours. Woke up when my recruiter called. We talked about the issues of being sick and in class, what I needed to do in order to stay "kept up" and she said that she would call me later in the afternoon to check on me and let me know if there is anything special that I needed to do. I let her know that the school knows that I am not going to be in. I think that it is important to keep everyone filled in. It is not the responsibility of anyone else to keep everyone informed.

Being sick is not fun, but now that I am better rested, I am studying as best I can in starts and stops to pass my tests tomorrow. A classmate texted me to tell me that they are going to slip the homework under the door for me, and that if I have a fever tomorrow morning, I cannot go to DPS, because if I am sick, they don't want me to be in a public place and get others ill while I am contagious.

I then called the hotel and let them know that I am ill. They did a scheduled room clean today, (extended stay, so we only get a clean 1x per week, so seeing as we are only here for a week, this is the one cleaning we will get.) and then, the lady was so kind, she left me extra towels and washcloths, extra toilet paper and trash bags. She sprayed the whole room with disinfectant and wore gloves and a face mask while she cleaned. She told me that she has not been sick in all of the years working here because she practices safe cleaning, with gloves all the time, and a mask if she knows that she is cleaning the room of someone sick.

I am sharing the details of being sick because I want *you* to avoid being sick. I got lazy in preventive measures and now, I am sick. Here are the tools to stay well: 1. Practice good hygiene. Bathe/shower every single day that you are in the hotel. You won't be able to shower every single day that you are on the road, but while you are in a room, practice good bathing practice. When you can't shower, clean up as best you can in your truck. Wet wipes are your friend! 2. Wash your hands BEFORE you go to the bathroom to remove all germs/dirt/debris before you touch your intimate areas. Stay clean to stay healthy. You should wash your hands for a minimum of thirty seconds with warm/hot soapy water and then dry your hands. How long is 30 seconds? About as long as it takes to sing either the ABC song or Happy Birthday. 3. Wash your hands AFTER you go to the bathroom to remove urine and microscopic traces of fecal matter from your hands. Same 30 second rule applies. 4. Hydrate. Water is hydrating. Soda, coffee, energy drinks are not. 5. Eat well balanced meals and not junk. 6. Get adequate sleep every night. 7. Take a multivitamin every day. 8. Feeling like you are coming down with something? 1 50 MG Zinc with a meal, 3x per day for 3 days, (even if you are post symptoms, take the zinc for 3 days) will keep you healthy. This is the one that I was unable to do and I am now sick. I have been taking the zinc since this morning and I am already feeling worlds better. 9. Wash your face and brush your teeth in the morning and the evening at the least. Germs in your mouth are disgusting, and the stuff flying around in the air touching your face and neck may be "germy". I know, it sounds like I am a germophobe. I am not, I only try to be mindful of removing contaminants from skin when I am in something like a classroom environment to stay healthy because we all all bringing our own little germs, cooties and microbes into a closed classroom. Less exposure means less time to have germs share their life with me.

I will update as I can. Please keep praying for me, keep me in your well wishes and let me know if there is something that I could be doing better. I want to do well and make my family proud. As always, Pepper

Get well soon Pepper

Hoping you get better real soon.

Hope you feel better Pepper! and I am tuned in on your journey. Looking forward to your next post. Lord willing me and my Husband will be starting Swift Jan. 5th in Salt Lake City.

Great thread you have going here Pepper, it is informative and enjoyable to read! I look forward to following you on your adventure and wish you the best of luck. Don't worry, trust in yourself and the guy in the sky and you will do just fine. Prayers sent your way!!!