I’m sick of being sick.

I’m tired of constantly having to make the decision if my health is more important than getting good grades or going to class. 

I’m tired of having to weigh which option is worse: going to class and potentially giving them the sickness or staying home and becoming sick with stress over the impending doom I’ve caused for myself. 

Being sick in college is essentially an academic death sentence and nine times out of ten, there is nothing we can do about it.

You wash your hands, stay away from germs and eat all the apples you can, desperately trying to keep yourself away from the doctor’s office, but those pesky little buggers get you anyway.

And then it’s game over.

This past week, I came down with what we’re going to call the USI Plague. I had it all: the stuffy nose, sinus pain, that feeling of death, you name it.

I missed classes for a week, which is enough fear in itself to shock your body back to health. 

The doctor kept telling me to stay at home and relax, but in college, it’s impossible to relax and take time for yourself. There are critiques, exams and papers all around the corner. 

There’s no extensions or excuses. You either get it done and get even sicker or essentially take the fail.

Granted some professors do try and help out, but it’s few and far between, and usually only if they think you could fall over any second.

I spent hours trying to do homework and projects between involuntary flu induced naps, getting more and more sick by the day.

And for what? So I can turn in something I barely remember doing and still get a C? It’s not fair and it shouldn’t be allowed.

I’m tired of being taught that I should put my health first when I’m never given that opportunity. I have never been able to let my immune system regain health or give my body the time it needs to regain strength before throwing myself back into the mix of stress, work and germs.

We are given days that are excused for absences and should be allowed to take those without consequences if necessary or have more opportunities to make up work or tests missed if a doctor’s note is present.

I understand this might not be as big of a deal to some people, but for those of us that have a weak immune system, getting sick once a month or more jeopardizes a lot for us.

We see you walk into class with your nose running and that hacking cough, and know immediately within a few days that’s in store for us and probably everyone around.

It’s impossible to really get upset at the germ spreader because they are doing what we are all going to be doing in a couple of days, coming to class full of germs and mucus.

As a germaphobe, all I ask is that we stop this ridiculousness of coming to class with stomach flu, seasonal flu, bronchitis, all of that good stuff and just take a couple of days to let our bodies heal.

This may be the survival of the fittest, but it’s week five and I’ve apparently already met my match.