Chuck was telling me this afternoon that people were asking why I wasn’t at church much lately. For the most part it is because I haven’t been feeling good and my nights are long because of that. It is 3:30 in the morning right now and I am just now to the point where my meds that I use in my IV are done and they are finally working.
During this time of year, I miss a lot of church because of how people have colds, pneumonia and the flu.There have been some that will go to church sick, which makes it hard for me since I have 2 auto-immune diseases and a simple cold or the flu will land me in the ICU. I ended up completely paralyzed because of the flu shot and then I ended up with that. I ended up being paralyzed for a year over that one and I have had 2 occurrences that were just partial paralysis. During that time I couldn’t speak, open and close my eyes and I couldn’t even move my forehead. My eyes had to be taped shut when I went to sleep. So, I can’t take chances on if people are sick or not.
Click Here to learn more about Guillian Barre Syndrome and the variant I have CIPD
For most people when they get sick is done and over with. But, for those who have auto-immune diseases, it’s different. I can’t take the flu, pneumonia and the shingles shot since I have this antibody that reacts to the virus’s.
I can’t even count how many times I hear people coughing, sneezing. It isn’t just church, but it is anywhere. I know that I can’t tell people how to live their lives, they have a right to do what they do. I don’t expect people to stop doing what they are doing because of my illness. But, I have to take things such as a cold, pneumonia or the flu seriously.
I was asked a few times to speak to groups about what Guillian Barre Syndrome is. I am not a public speaker at all. It makes me nervous when all eyes are on me. The first time I spoke to others about Guillian Barre Syndrome, it was in my daughters class.
As I went into the classroom, I introduced myself and I went and shook the hands of some of the students. I then asked the students about if they ever have been sick lately. Some raised their hands. A couple of the students I shook hands with, we just getting over the flu. It was at that point when I told them that just shaking the hands of someone who is sick is enough to land me in the hospital.
At my church, there are only a handful of people who really knows much about what I have. They don’t fully get it, but my doctors don’t either. My initial onset of Guillian Barre Syndrome was horrible. I couldn’t pick up a pencil, I was on breathing machines and I had to relearn how to walk.
My Dr’s told me that once I have it, I won’t ever get it. That is a bunch of hogwash. I have the chronic form of Guillian Barre Syndrome. I have had it a total of 3 times. I also have Myasthenia Gravis. That is a form of Muscular Dystrophy. My neurologist said it isn’t unusual to have more than one auto-immune disease. I also have 3 markers for MS. They can’t fully rule it out. All of this started because I carry a certain antibody that reacts to virus’s such as the flu and cold.
Because the Myasthenia Gravis and Guillian Barre Syndrome(CIPD) makes the muscles weaker, it affects other parts of my body. I have Malignant hypertension which is always in the 220/120 range. It depends on how my nights are and what is going on during the day. The more I do and the longer I am awake the higher it gets.
I am glad that I can do all of the things I need to do for church from home on my computer. With the way my computer is behaving, I may have to get a new one so I can do all the things I need to do at church. Since I do our website, Facebook page and a lot of other things, I am praying my computer doesn’t conk out before I can get the money to get a new one. I’m getting sidetracked now, lol. I am also thankful that our sermons are available online. At least that way I can’t get sick by watching from the house.
This is the time of year when I miss a lot of church for health reasons. I don’t want to have people feel bad if I got sick by just shaking their hands or giving them a hug. We have a very huggy, squeezing kind of church, which I love. My church has got to be the most loving church there is out there.
I may put a slide in the Powerpoint at my church about how if someone is sick with a contagious illness, it would be better to stay home. That way it doesn’t get people sick. It isn’t just my illness, there are a lot of diseases and illnesses with weakened immune systems. There is one of our members who have ben going through treatment for cancer. Another woman has MS. I met a couple a few weeks ago and her husband is being tested to see what it is that he is dealing with. They only know it is auto-immune.
The majority of people get over the flu, cold or pneumonia pretty fast. I try to stay away from medical posts and what it is that I have. I figured I should share a bit so people don’t worry. I don’t think my husband fully understands it all. He knows, but doesn’t understand how to explain what it is. I do want to thank Pastor Ray for doing the sermons. I may not be there physically, but I am still getting the message.
I want to close this post by saying that if you are sick, please stay home. If you are coughing and sneezing cover your mouth and wash your hands. You never know what you may be passing around. You may not realize the person who is standing in front of you could end up in a life threatening situation over something as simple as a cold or flu. A little simple etiquette can go a long ways.
To learn more about the flu and what ou can do to prevent getting sick and spreading, you can go to the Center for Disease Control (CDC)
Senseless Ramblings of the Mindless 