I woke up with flu-like symptoms. Instant Panic. It was extra bad timing because my significant other and main care giver was away for the weekend.
I'm lucky. I don't get sick with the flu or other serious illnesses often. In fact, the last time was probably years ago. So I was shocked to realize I was very, very sick.
I am so incredibly thankful for my kid. He did the few things I absolutely needed his help with and several more, willingly.
OK, there was a little bribing involved. He wanted pretzels and a beverage in return for going to the store. I was more then willing to pay the bribe.
The real point of this post:
My normal day to day functioning is pretty low. At this point, I consider getting out of bed every day and leaving the house once a week a really good week. Something as simple as my menstrual cycle or seasonal allergies can stop me in my tracks.
This time, I was so ill I was in tears. I spent almost all of my day in the bathtub praying for relief. I held as still as possible, but every thing still hurt. (Hot water can be used to confuse the pain or sick signals being sent to your brain).
I've adjusted to the every day pain. It's amazing what our bodies can get used to. My doctor asked me how I was feeling. I said I hurt. She asked me to rate it on a scale of 1-10. I asked if she meant the average person's scale or my personal scale. On my own scale I was maybe a 3. But on the average person's scale it was probably 5 or 6.
People who don't live with chronic illnesses don't understand this concept. I no longer remember what it's like to be without pain. Under perfect circumstances I can come very close to no pain, but those circumstances are extremely hard to manage.
