Frustrating

My in laws are the WORST patients ever. They both have COVID. They are both sick as hell, with my FIL being on the verge of needing to be hospitalized. They won’t eat, they won’t drink, I can’t even get them to stay away from other people.

I have asked them to do three things:

• take their temperature and SpO2 every 6 hours
• take their medicine
• stay the fuck home and rest while avoiding other people

They won’t do any of it. I ask what they are eating and drinking, and this is what I get: “In the past 12 hours, I had a cup of coffee, a small bottle of Gatoraide Zero, and half a bottle of water.” I tell them that this isn’t nearly enough, especially since they are telling me that they have diarrhea and a fever of 103, then I point out that if they cannot take care of themselves they are going to wind up in the hospital. The reply? “Good.”

I try to get them to eat, and they tell me that food tastes funny, and they don’t want any. I try to get them to eat soup, and they say that they are tired of soup. We try alternatives. Apple Sauce. Cream of Wheat. Oatmeal. Mashed Potatoes. We even tried burgers (FIL loves burgers). All no.

Then the topping on this cake: I asked if they needed medicine. Several days ago, they told me that they need cough medicine. I brought it. They complained that it was the wrong kind, and wanted Delsym, because someone told them that this brand was better than others. Today, they admitted that they are getting medicine somewhere else. This means that they are either going out or someone else is coming to see them.

This concerns me, because I am not supposed to be leaving the house, since I have been quarantined due to being exposed to them. My job will fire me if they find out that I am working from home and still going places like the store to get their supplies. Why am I going to risk my job to help them, and then find out they are sneaking out? That frankly pisses me off.