Remember that on a regular basis, my heart is working harder than most because there is only half of it working. Fighting sickness puts a strain on anyone's body, especially mine. Breathing can be difficult enough on a humid day, let alone a day when I can't breath through my nose or when I'm congested with a cough. Dehydration is hard enough to fight when I'm busy at work, forget when I'm not feeling well and loose my appetite. And those are just symptoms of a viral infection, but an infection can be even worse. I don't even go to the dentist without being premeditated incase of bacteria causing an infection. So, come the fall I do everything I can to avoid germs. I follow my doctors orders and get my flu shot every year as well because for me, the flu can be deadly. And I'd like to avoid that for a while...
The times I do get sick, like really sick, (as opposed to the time I was probably faking it a little bit to avoid going to school) it's pretty awful. I can remember several times, being so sick I thought I was it was the end. Maybe I'm being dramatic but at the time, that's how awful I felt. I think I was about 4 or 5 years old and I had the chills so bad I was shaking and could NOT get warm. I had 2 or 3 blankets on me as well but that wasn't helping. My sister climbed up on top of me and sat on me. Her body on mine and she stayed there on top of the blankets, on top of me, until I was stopped shaking and was warm. I'll never forget that moment. My mom took a picture of us like that and for Christmas one year, I framed it for her in a frame about sisters. My heart condition and the things that have occurred in our lives because of it has given us a lot of special sister moments, but that one is my favorite.
It didn't get much easier as I got older. They say as you get older your body builds immunities and I believe it has, but every now and then my body likes to remind me that it's not like everyone else. My sophomore year of college was one of those years. I got sick with what I thought was cold that turned into a terrible congested cough. I had a fever and my throat was so swollen and sore. I was told by the doctor on campus not to go class and to rest. He gave me some cough medicine but it didn't seem to be working. My roommates were taking turns getting me Frosty's from Wendy's because it was the only thing I could swallow. I could barely breathe and had to have a fan blowing on my face as I slept because I felt like I wasn't getting any air. I remember calling my mom crying because I was so miserable and didn't know what to do make myself better. She decided then and there that she would coming to me. And she did. The next day she drove 3 hours to take me to the doctor, bring me food, buy me a medicine cabinet full of medicine and make sure I was on the mend before she left and drove 3 hours home. She knew that for me "sick" didn't mean what it means for most others. That's a heart mom for you. To her, there wasn't another option because it wasn't just my happiness at stake, it was the health of my heart.
Thankfully, I've never gotten to the point when I had to be hospitalized, but I've been close. I know that God has certainly protected me from sickness that could have been much worse. He's had a hand in every accept of my life with CHD. I hope and pray it never gets to the point where I need to be hospitalized. And that's why I do EVERYTHING I can to avoid germs. That's why I lysol my classroom. That's why I sanitize and wash my hands often. That's why I take feeling sick seriously and try best to rest up and stay hydrated. That's why I get my flu shot every year. And that's why I do my best to keep germs far away from me. For my sanity, and for the my safety. I gotta keep the half heart I've got healthy for as long as I can. I've got things to do, people to see, and a whole lot of life to live!
So, wash your hands and say your prayers because germs and Jesus are everywhere!
Keep your germs to yourself and I'll do the same.
Love,
Germ free Emmy
It's one of my favorite pics too!
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