Do you read when you are sick?

mjh215 · 05-06-2008, 09:44 AM

I find, like now (sniffle), when I'm sick I lack the ability to focus well enough to read a book. I can stare at a page, and reread the same sentence six times and still not know what it said.

Many people say that during these times they like to curl up with a blanket and a good book. I'm wondering how many others find themselves curled up in front of a TV or computer. Forum posts are shorter, and some could argue you aren't losing much if you don't retain the contents of a thread.

-MJ

zelda_pinwheel · 05-06-2008, 09:59 AM

technically i should have voted for "sometimes, depends on how sick i am" but "zombie squirrels stole my textbook !!" is relevant as well so i chose that one, since this isn't a multi-selection poll.

i read when i'm just a little under the weather, but when i have a cold or whatever that has turned the contents of the space between my ears to cotton wool, i have much the same trouble as you. if i'm *really* sick i just sleep. if i'm not sick enough to sleep but still feeling stupid i watch dvds or sometimes read silly magazines which require no intellectual effort (but rarely, since it would require me going outside to buy them, and when i'm sick i try to avoid that as much as possible).

i hope you feel better soon. drink lots of tea. ginger is good for almost anything. thyme is good for lungs. mint is good for the stomach. lemon and honey is good for the throat. you can also make combinations : ginger, lemon and honey is good for anything.

Sparrow · 05-06-2008, 10:13 AM

I read when I'm poorly; but nothing too demanding (Wodehouse is good for keeping the spirits up

).

A cup of honey & lemon, a good book, and poorly enough not to do anything useful - bliss!

pshrynk · 05-06-2008, 02:50 PM

I generally read until I pass out, nap voraciously, then repeat.

Patricia · 05-06-2008, 04:33 PM

I've uploaded W T Fernie's Herbal Simples a few months ago. Read it and brew yourself a remedy.
Personally, I find that sleeping for a long time is a good idea: then drinking a lot of fluids and trying a bit of light reading.

mores · 05-06-2008, 04:33 PM

I fall asleep a lot and roll over my smartphone ... then curse a lot trying to find the page I fell asleep on

Jadon · 05-06-2008, 06:45 PM

Yes, but usually a book I've already read. I had a couple of comfort books I'd reread whenever I was hospitalized.

montsnmags · 05-06-2008, 11:05 PM

I get migraine more than any other illness (though I recently partook of a mild cold - more of a "lukewarm" than a "cold").

Migraine for me rarely encourages reading...or tv watching, or computing, or listening, or even thinking (about anything much more than "I wonder if my Husqvarna SKL350 Trephine - 3.14hp with surgical steel blade and splatter-catcher - would come in handy 'bout now").

So, no, I don't tend to read when sick. Besides, it is so hard to focus on other things when I am dedicating all of my whiny and needy psychological resources to feeling sorry for myself and making others feel sorry for me too.

Cheers,
Marc (Migraine sufferer - I've a sick mind)

HappyMartin · 05-07-2008, 01:46 AM

The best thing about being sick is reading. Something trippy, perhaps Science Fiction, then you can doze off and have totally outrageous delirious dreams. I dont do drugs I'm afraid so I have to get my entertainment in other ways.

NatCh · 05-07-2008, 10:49 AM

I will read under pretty much any circumstances in which I am physically capable of doing so, so, this side of an actual coma, yeah.

zelda_pinwheel · 05-07-2008, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NatCh

I will read under pretty much any circumstances in which I am physically capable of doing so, so, this side of an actual coma, yeah.

when he's in an actual coma, he makes his wife read to him.

Taylor514ce · 05-07-2008, 10:51 AM

I would vote, but once again the poll is missing "The blue one, next to the fish." On a serious note, for a change, I actually do suffer from something called "atypical trigeminal neuralgia", which when it hits, is incapacitating, and I echo Marc's comments about trying to read with a migraine. It doesn't work.

But I do remember faking being sick as a kid, so that I could stay home from school and finish a book.

NatCh · 05-07-2008, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

when he's in an actual coma, he makes his wife read to him.

mjh215 · 05-07-2008, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HappyMartin

The best thing about being sick is reading. Something trippy, perhaps Science Fiction, then you can doze off and have totally outrageous delirious dreams. I dont do drugs I'm afraid so I have to get my entertainment in other ways.

I do stupid things, like watching Terry Gilliam films with a fever. I can't tell you if I feel better or worse, but I sure feel different.

-MJ

NatCh · 05-07-2008, 02:09 PM

Is that like watching Monty Python films while drunk?

View Poll Results: Do you read while under the weather?
Yes	23	50.00%
No	4	8.70%
Sometimes, depends on how sick I am	16	34.78%
I never read to begin with.	0	0%
Zombie squirrels stole my textbook!	3	6.52%
Voters: 46. You may not vote on this poll

05-06-2008, 09:44 AM	#1
mjh215 Guru Posts: 988 Karma: 12653 Join Date: Apr 2008 Device: None of your business	Do you read when you are sick? I find, like now (sniffle), when I'm sick I lack the ability to focus well enough to read a book. I can stare at a page, and reread the same sentence six times and still not know what it said. Many people say that during these times they like to curl up with a blanket and a good book. I'm wondering how many others find themselves curled up in front of a TV or computer. Forum posts are shorter, and some could argue you aren't losing much if you don't retain the contents of a thread. -MJ

05-07-2008, 10:51 AM	#12
Taylor514ce Actively passive. Posts: 2,042 Karma: 478376 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: US Device: Sony PRS-505/LC	I would vote, but once again the poll is missing "The blue one, next to the fish." On a serious note, for a change, I actually do suffer from something called "atypical trigeminal neuralgia", which when it hits, is incapacitating, and I echo Marc's comments about trying to read with a migraine. It doesn't work. But I do remember faking being sick as a kid, so that I could stay home from school and finish a book. Last edited by Taylor514ce; 05-07-2008 at 10:54 AM.

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05-06-2008, 09:59 AM	#2
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	technically i should have voted for "sometimes, depends on how sick i am" but "zombie squirrels stole my textbook !!" is relevant as well so i chose that one, since this isn't a multi-selection poll. i read when i'm just a little under the weather, but when i have a cold or whatever that has turned the contents of the space between my ears to cotton wool, i have much the same trouble as you. if i'm really sick i just sleep. if i'm not sick enough to sleep but still feeling stupid i watch dvds or sometimes read silly magazines which require no intellectual effort (but rarely, since it would require me going outside to buy them, and when i'm sick i try to avoid that as much as possible). i hope you feel better soon. drink lots of tea. ginger is good for almost anything. thyme is good for lungs. mint is good for the stomach. lemon and honey is good for the throat. you can also make combinations : ginger, lemon and honey is good for anything.

05-06-2008, 10:13 AM	#3
Sparrow Wizard Posts: 4,395 Karma: 1358132 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: UK Device: Palm TX, CyBook Gen3	I read when I'm poorly; but nothing too demanding (Wodehouse is good for keeping the spirits up ). A cup of honey & lemon, a good book, and poorly enough not to do anything useful - bliss!

05-06-2008, 02:50 PM	#4
pshrynk Beepbeep n beebeep, yeah! Posts: 11,726 Karma: 8255450 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: La Crosse, Wisconsin, aka America's IceBox Device: iThingie, KmkII, I miss Zelda!	I generally read until I pass out, nap voraciously, then repeat.

05-06-2008, 04:33 PM	#5
Patricia Reader Posts: 11,504 Karma: 8720163 Join Date: May 2007 Location: South Wales, UK Device: Sony PRS-500, PRS-505, Asus EEEpc 4G	I've uploaded W T Fernie's Herbal Simples a few months ago. Read it and brew yourself a remedy. Personally, I find that sleeping for a long time is a good idea: then drinking a lot of fluids and trying a bit of light reading.

05-06-2008, 04:33 PM	#6
mores Guru Posts: 834 Karma: 102419 Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Vienna, Austria Device: iPhone	I fall asleep a lot and roll over my smartphone ... then curse a lot trying to find the page I fell asleep on

05-06-2008, 06:45 PM	#7
Jadon Hermit Posts: 192 Karma: 9425 Join Date: Oct 2006 Device: Kindle Keyboard, Kobo Glo	Yes, but usually a book I've already read. I had a couple of comfort books I'd reread whenever I was hospitalized.

05-06-2008, 11:05 PM	#8
montsnmags Grand Sorcerer Posts: 10,155 Karma: 4632658 Join Date: Nov 2007 Device: none	I get migraine more than any other illness (though I recently partook of a mild cold - more of a "lukewarm" than a "cold"). Migraine for me rarely encourages reading...or tv watching, or computing, or listening, or even thinking (about anything much more than "I wonder if my Husqvarna SKL350 Trephine - 3.14hp with surgical steel blade and splatter-catcher - would come in handy 'bout now"). So, no, I don't tend to read when sick. Besides, it is so hard to focus on other things when I am dedicating all of my whiny and needy psychological resources to feeling sorry for myself and making others feel sorry for me too. Cheers, Marc (Migraine sufferer - I've a sick mind)

05-07-2008, 01:46 AM	#9
HappyMartin Martin Kristiansen Posts: 1,546 Karma: 8480958 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Johannesburg Device: Kindle International Ipad 2	The best thing about being sick is reading. Something trippy, perhaps Science Fiction, then you can doze off and have totally outrageous delirious dreams. I dont do drugs I'm afraid so I have to get my entertainment in other ways.

05-07-2008, 10:49 AM	#10
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	I will read under pretty much any circumstances in which I am physically capable of doing so, so, this side of an actual coma, yeah.

05-07-2008, 02:09 PM	#15
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	Is that like watching Monty Python films while drunk?

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