I typically have a ridiculously strong immune system. When my husband spent our vacation suffering from a cold, it never occurred to me that I’d have any problems. So last Wednesday, on the eve of our return, I pushed my sniffles and scratchy throat aside and thoroughly ignored them. And there they sat for four days, making me slightly tired but generally not causing anyone any trouble.
Then I woke up this morning and couldn’t catch my breath.
I quietly and reservedly freaked out in a way deliberately designed not to upset the child, and made an appointment with my doctor. After determining that I wasn’t having a heart attack or suffering from DVT or a pulmonary embolism after my flight, it’s been determined that I probably had lingering germs from my November sinus infection, and that the introduction of this small, harmless little cold was enough to send my immune system into overdrive, constricting my airways and making life difficult. Antibiotics and an albuterol inhaler should do the trick.
This experience has been a little bit disconcerting, though. I rarely get sick more than once a year, and never have I had two antibiotic-worthy illnesses in one season, let alone a span of two months. While the last 35 days have been good from a mental wellness perspective, it’s given me an opportunity to slack on other fronts. It’s time to kick my physical wellness back into high gear. After the mandatory week-long period of quiet while the meds do their thing, next week I will be giving my health and fitness intense focus. There will be vitamins, workouts, fresh fruits and vegetables and plenty of water. There will be no more sick visits to my doctor this year if I can help it.