How you tell someone is sick

[I love Alan Rickman]

Have you ever had a situation where you know someone so well that you can just see it on their face or in their behavior when they’re sick? They don’t have to say a word about being sick, you just know it. I have several close friends who I can just tell by a change in their behavior when they’re under the weather or getting sick. And sometimes, they don’t even notice, but I do. Then they’re sick the next day.

If you’ve had this happen before, what changes in behavior/mood have you seen in others that tells you they are sick, getting sick, or having an allergy day? Or do you see a certain expression? 

 

Here are mine for one of my teachers who is also a friend.

Illness:

I can tell when she’s sick, because she always is exhausted and can hardly think. But she is still very happy and positive, despite her exhaustion. However, she also seems to love to make puns when she is sick, especially if she’s very sick. “I can’t think, so I think puns instead,” she has said before. It’s pretty humorous. Also, when she is sick, her nostrils will be tinged a slight pink or her whole nose will be red, her cheeks are usually red, she’ll get a bad cough, she forgets a lot of things, and her nose twitches noticeably a lot, even if she doesn’t sneeze. Though she will usually sneeze at least once, but not usually more than two or three times. Her sneezes are usually wet and strong but still feminine. She may try to stop them, but chances are that they’ll overcome her anyway. She usually has a lot of warning to her sneezes. She doesn’t rub her nose very much. She sniffles often and usually blows her nose at least once, sometimes more, sometimes not at all. Also, she makes few analogies when she is ill, and they’ll be fairly basic. She may keep a box of tissues nearby, but usually not unless she needs to blow her nose a lot.

Allergies:

When she’s having an allergy day, she is exhausted, nearly out of it, and just looks like all she wants to do is sleep. She can’t think well at all and frequently forgets. She does not make puns, her nose is slightly red, and she crinkles her nose and rubs her nose a lot. She sniffles a lot, too but hardly blows her nose. Her nose twitches quite often from constant irritation, and she tries to settle it down by rubbing it. She may cough a bit and sneezes a variety of times. Sometimes not at all, other times once or very often. Her sneezes are delicate and feminine, and she may try to suppress them. Her sneezes are more likely to sneak up on her, even if she’s sneezing frequently. She keeps a tissue box nearby, and depending on how sneezy she is, she may even keep a tissue in her hand at all times. She makes hardly any analogies. 

Healthy/Normal:

On the other hand, when she’s healthy and not having an allergy day, she thinks very well, may be a bit tired, and makes a few puns every once in a while. She is very bright and happy. She doesn’t cough, she will occasionally forget things, and her nose or top lip will twitch subtly quite often when she concentrates. But she will not sneeze. It seems like a little tic that she has when she’s focused. She may occasionally sniffle since her nose seems generally bothered, but not enough for her to sneeze. She may hold the side of her hand beneath her nose when she laughs. She also does this occasionally when explaining or listening carefully. She does not have tissues nearby. She makes a lot of very detailed analogies.

 

Now what about people you know? Do you have a list of things that tell you if they’re sick, allergic, or fine?

Edited November 17, 2018 by I love Alan Rickman
Changed title and a bit of wording, added tags