Sickness strikes
Hi there,
So, its that season again. Cold and flu season. Yay. Sneezing, snot filled humans around every corner. Ironically this time of year is when everyone seems to be more "huggy" more "touchy" which may be part of the reason germs spread so much. Spread of germs means virtually every single being of human form is, was, or will be sick.
Every year during this time I get sick. It is inevitable. However, I consider myself blessed, being that I get one cold and I am done for the rest of the year. This year I was a bit unsure of how that would go being that I am on Remicade which compromises my immune system. Some people get sick easier on this medicine. I have been fortunate to find that this is not the case with me. I do take extra precautions, like washing my hands more often, using hand sanitizer, etc. It seems to be working, and Ryan is good about reminding me to sanitize when we have been out and about.
Alright, where am I going with this? Well, guess who got sick? If you guessed me, you would be correct. Just in time for Christmas for me. Yay. Luckily the full blow didn't come until Saturday, when I had a long work shift to make it through, of course. This was the first full blown sickness I have had since I started treatments. And let me tell you, it sucks! I thought being sick in general was no fun, try having a compromised immune system trying to fight off a cold and already starting to feel more fatigue being that my treatment is due next week. It felt like I got hit by a train and my head got pumped full of gunk. I think the worst part of being sick is the watery eyes and constant drippy nose. Everyone you encounter asks "Are you okay?" or "Have you been crying?" or "Are you crying?" I hate having to tell them that I am sick. They back away from you like you are some terrifying monster. What's worse is knowing these same people backing away are the same people you probably got the sickness from. I have actually got so sick of someone asking, that one time I looked them in the eyes and said "No I'm not okay, I'm crying!" Then proceeded to walk away. Yeah, I know that makes me a horrible person, but they left me alone. I luckily seem to be over the worst of it, thanks to a care package from Ryan that included vitamin C, orange juice, honey, and cookies. (Cookies help the soul, not so much fighting the cold itself.)
So, that brings me to the big scare: Could I get my infusion on time? Being sick could mean I would have to postpone treatment. That has been quite a stressor. Stress makes things worse, so I was trying to the best thing I could do and ignore it. Now that I am over the worst of it, i.e. no fever and not feeling like a sloth, I decided to call the infusion center. I explained to them that I am not over a cold but I will be by my infusion. However, I wasn't sure if they wanted me to be "sick free" for 7 days prior to the infusion of my Remicade. She said as long as I don't have a fever and am not on antibiotics 7 days prior I should be fine. I have to call the day before to make sure I can go and that for the most part I won't be sneezing all over. So, big scare is over and I have to focus on being loads better by next Tuesday.
Nikki De
So, its that season again. Cold and flu season. Yay. Sneezing, snot filled humans around every corner. Ironically this time of year is when everyone seems to be more "huggy" more "touchy" which may be part of the reason germs spread so much. Spread of germs means virtually every single being of human form is, was, or will be sick.
Every year during this time I get sick. It is inevitable. However, I consider myself blessed, being that I get one cold and I am done for the rest of the year. This year I was a bit unsure of how that would go being that I am on Remicade which compromises my immune system. Some people get sick easier on this medicine. I have been fortunate to find that this is not the case with me. I do take extra precautions, like washing my hands more often, using hand sanitizer, etc. It seems to be working, and Ryan is good about reminding me to sanitize when we have been out and about.
Alright, where am I going with this? Well, guess who got sick? If you guessed me, you would be correct. Just in time for Christmas for me. Yay. Luckily the full blow didn't come until Saturday, when I had a long work shift to make it through, of course. This was the first full blown sickness I have had since I started treatments. And let me tell you, it sucks! I thought being sick in general was no fun, try having a compromised immune system trying to fight off a cold and already starting to feel more fatigue being that my treatment is due next week. It felt like I got hit by a train and my head got pumped full of gunk. I think the worst part of being sick is the watery eyes and constant drippy nose. Everyone you encounter asks "Are you okay?" or "Have you been crying?" or "Are you crying?" I hate having to tell them that I am sick. They back away from you like you are some terrifying monster. What's worse is knowing these same people backing away are the same people you probably got the sickness from. I have actually got so sick of someone asking, that one time I looked them in the eyes and said "No I'm not okay, I'm crying!" Then proceeded to walk away. Yeah, I know that makes me a horrible person, but they left me alone. I luckily seem to be over the worst of it, thanks to a care package from Ryan that included vitamin C, orange juice, honey, and cookies. (Cookies help the soul, not so much fighting the cold itself.)
So, that brings me to the big scare: Could I get my infusion on time? Being sick could mean I would have to postpone treatment. That has been quite a stressor. Stress makes things worse, so I was trying to the best thing I could do and ignore it. Now that I am over the worst of it, i.e. no fever and not feeling like a sloth, I decided to call the infusion center. I explained to them that I am not over a cold but I will be by my infusion. However, I wasn't sure if they wanted me to be "sick free" for 7 days prior to the infusion of my Remicade. She said as long as I don't have a fever and am not on antibiotics 7 days prior I should be fine. I have to call the day before to make sure I can go and that for the most part I won't be sneezing all over. So, big scare is over and I have to focus on being loads better by next Tuesday.
Nikki De
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