Crappy immune systems suck.
From the time I was a child, I've been the sick girl. If there was a cold going around, I caught it and went into bronchitis. A viral infection? Drawn to me like a magnet, turning into tonsillitis. Ear infections were rampant. Now that I'm much older, I've outgrown tonsillitis and ear infections but the "sick" label is still stuck on me with Crazy glue.
There are always numerous viruses and stomach bugs waiting to find me. My latest virus has gone into pneumonia. Migraines are forever lurking in dark corners waiting to jump out and attack. My world is one in which germs gravitate to. It's as if they realize that I'm a weakened host, so they move right in and make themselves very comfortable. It's maddening.
Here's the real kicker - I take vitamin supplements, focus on getting 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day, and take Airborne at the first sign of illness. I use more hand sanitizer than a school nurse, which dries out my cuticles so badly that I need to get weekly manicures. I rest when I'm sick, drink plenty of fluids, and take medications exactly as prescribed. Yet illness lingers, like those last two party guests you wish would take the yawning hint and go home already.
Worse yet, unless people have a crappy immune system too, they don't get people like me. They think I'm just milking illness for all it's worth. (If illness could be measured, the value would certainly be in negative numbers, so I'm not sure what they think I have to gain.) They view me as babying myself, and giving in too easily. They think I'm fat and lazy - sure, they don't SAY that but I know what they mean when they say, "You should try getting more exercise." and "Maybe you need to change your diet." They can't believe that I'd rather be scrubbing my bathrooms, or doing my grocery shopping right before a snowstorm, or cleaning up trash on a highway, or doing ANYTHING other than being sick in bed.
People who get sick seem to bring out the "doctor" in everyone. Everyone's got a suggestion, or advice they think is far wiser than sick people could ever think of themselves because, after all, they can't seem to stay well like the rest of the population so they must be doing something wrong. Chronically sick people are just STUPID people to perpetually well people. Clearly, to healthy people, persistent illness is the fault of the persistently ill person. Just don't say that to a chronically sick person because, frankly, we're as tired of hearing how smart people with better immune systems think they are as they are of hearing about us being sick again. Luckier? Yes! Smarter? Bite me.
To summarize: I hate being sick so often. I'm doing the very best I can to find out how to improve my life and health. I consult with real doctors with actual medical degrees to try to find a healthier place. If people don't like how sick I am, there's no point in being in each other's lives because neither one of us may change and I'm tired of apologizing for being sick and weary of others (obviously) forcing themselves to tolerate me. I'm not wallowing in self-pity; I'm drowning in frustration.
I treasure strong days. Hopefully, one day, I'll be as healthy as most other people. And if that day comes, I will always have compassion for those who suffer because I know firsthand that being sick all of the time takes the joy out of living. It's not a choice, it's a curse. Remember that the next time you hear about someone being sick. And if you rarely get sick, I hope you know how lucky you are to be one of the healthy ones. It's a gift that not everyone gets to have. Don't forget that.
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