Wednesday, May 16, 2012

End-of-Semester-Itis

No, I'm not talking about some version of "Senioritis," in which closing in towards the end of something makes you just stop giving a damn. I'm talking about the regular illness I get at the end of every semester.

I'm a person with a pretty strong immune system.  I manage to avoid most of the colds and stuff going around most of the time. But when we start heading into the last few weeks of the semester,  I get too little sleep, poor nutrition, no exercise except my bike ride to campus.  My immune system, now weakened, is largely propped up by caffeine and adrenaline.

And then, like clockwork, somewhere between 24 and 48 hours after the last grades are turned in, I get sick as a dog for about three days.

This happens to other people, right?

The problem this semester is that the illness hasn't waited: last night, in the middle of my evening final, a dry, itchy cough started up.  I still have two stacks of papers and two stacks of bluebooks to get through before I'm done.  And because of this, my body doesn't seem to want to let me take the extra sleep it needs.

That's it: nothing clever or pithy today.  Just an observation.

10 comments:

clio's disciple said...

Yes. I tend to get whacked with something whenever I'm wrapping up teaching.

(btw, I resent the demand from blogger to prove I'm not a robot. Down with anti-robot prejudice!)

Ianqui said...

That happens to me sometimes, but I have a colleague that regularly gets sick a day or two after her grades are turned in.

Anonymous said...

I have come down with colds at the most inopportune times–right before the oral defense of my written comprehensive exams, and both times I've done an Ironman, in 2009 and 2011. It's no fun, but at least you'll be on your way to recovery when you get done with grades!

Dr. S said...

I too am sick, as is a friend of mine who's visiting at the end of her semester. End of semester sickness = sucks.

Susan said...

Oh, it's the worst when you can't sleep because you have so much to do but you know you need to get sleep so you don't get sicker....

Notorious Ph.D. said...

No worries there, Susan. I slept until past ten this morning.

Notorious Ph.D. said...

Day two of the ick. I got home from my last final at 10 p.m., after the pharmacies had closed. When I found out that I did indeed have some leftover Nyquil capsules in my medicine cabinet, I nearly cried with happiness.

Historiann said...

This happens to me sometimes. Or, I should say that the ONLY time I get sick is at the end of a term. I never manage to get a few days off during the semester.

Even when I was hit by a car (as a pedestrian), I went to school and taught three T.A. sections the next day. I couldn't lift my left arm independently, but then I don't use my arms that much when I teach. (And I write right-handed anyway.)

Hope you are on the mend by now.

Notorious Ph.D. said...

Sadly, I'm still snuffling along. But I hope to be back in fighting trim by Monday.

Learning is Magic said...

When I was a student I was always sick after the last final, now as a teacher, my neck, back and shoulders get so stiff they feel as if they are glued together! Hope you are finished and recovering now!