This is me today. I've been sick since Wednesday. It's my fault, really. I got cocky. My husband had bronchitis a few weeks ago and several of the ladies I work with have had various illnesses over the past few weeks. Just Tuesday I was saying that I felt pretty fortunate that I hadn't caught any of the yuck that's been going around. Yep, too cocky! I should have known better. Wednesday morning I woke up feeling like crap. I went to work anyway, but called in Thursday and Friday. When you live with autoimmune diseases, your immune system is obviously compromised. So you learn to take extra precautions.
You may laugh, but that picture of The Big Bang Theory's Sheldon Cooper is not far off from the truth! I know there is a huge debate out there about whether people should get the flu shot or not, so I may not be popular when I state that I DO get the flu shot each year. I am living with hypothyroidism and Celiac Disease. My immune system is very compromised. Chronic fatigue and illness are not strangers to me, unfortunately. As much as I wish they'd go away and I take precautions to stave them off as much as possible, I still get sick. I take my probiotic and extra vitamin supplements because I am deficient due to my damaged gut. I try to stay away from sick people as much as possible, though I'd pretty much have to live in an airtight plastic bubble to truly be able to accomplish that. My dear husband even slept in the living room when he was the sickest and most contagious with bronchitis. Although, in large part due to the fact that he couldn't breathe when he was laying down, but he also was very aware of the fact that I could easily catch it from him.
Recently I've been very careful to make sure that I am getting plenty of sleep at night, plenty of fluids during the day, taking my probiotics and vitamin supplements and everything I can think of to try to stay healthy - or a chronically ill person's version of healthy anyway. But, sometimes, no matter how careful you are and how many precautions you take, it is just going to happen. You are going to get sick. That is the thing about living with autoimmune diseases. You are extra susceptible to everything you come into contact with. Sometimes, no matter that you've done everything right and everything you can to prevent it, you are still going to get sick. My illness this week? A simple, every day, common cold. Yup! A little, itty-bitty thing like the common cold has done me in for the past several days. I have spent the majority of time since I got home from work Wednesday night in bed, sleeping. Yet, even today, I still feel thoroughly exhausted. I hadn't showered (EWWWWW) since Tuesday morning - I haven't had the energy to be able to do it. I finally HAD to do it today!! While the steam from the hot shower opened my sinuses and the hot water pelting my skin helped ease my body aches, just taking a 5 minute shower completely wiped me out. I took the shower 2 hours ago and still feel like I need a nap. It is taking everything in me to sit down and write this blog post. I began writing it 45 minutes ago and have had to stop many times to try to remember what it was I was going to write.
When I began writing this blog, I was determined that I would be honest and open with my readers. That means even when I am feeling crappy. We all go through times like this and we all go through feeling isolated because of our illnesses. I share this today not to have people pity me or to garner attention. I abhor this kind of attention. I am writing this today so that you know you are NOT alone! It sucks. A simple illness that someone without an autoimmune disease may take only a couple of days to get over can take us more than twice as long. Even when we begin to feel better, our bodies seem to still take forever to fully recover from the last illness and then we're catching something else. It can feel never-ending at times. That is frustrating to no end. And it is difficult for people who don't live with a chronic illness to understand what we are going through or why it takes us so much longer to heal from the same illness that they got over in 24 hours. We ask for their understanding, patience and compassion toward us. We need to also exercise patience and understanding with them when they don't get it. They don't live with what we live with, so they have no way to truly know what we are going through. We need to patiently educate them as to what we are dealing with. Don't beat them over the head with information or even expect that they will understand immediately. Thank them for caring when they ask questions and answer their questions honestly. When they offer a platitude such as, "Feel better soon." because they don't realize that you go through most of your life feeling like crap, don't scoff at them. They are being genuine in their limited understanding and knowledge of chronic illness. Again, let them know you appreciate that they care about you and what you are going through. It is hard enough finding people who will try to understand and who will be supportive of what we are going through. We do NOT want to alienate those who are making that attempt even though they may say the wrong thing. Remember, they are trying. That is huge. And that opens the door to being able to educate them, kindly, not treating them as if they don't know anything. I didn't know anything about Celiac Disease before I was diagnosed. Not a single thing. I would have said something ignorant, though it wouldn't have been intended to be. If we want others to be kind, compassionate and understanding with us, we have to be the same toward them. We aren't the only ones who get frustrated with the limitations our illnesses put on us. Those who love and care about us get frustrated, too. Because they want to spend time with us. Because they hate seeing us sick. Because they wish we could do the things we used to be able to do.
Whatever chronic illness you are living with, you are not alone. There are many others of us out there who understand and are walking a similar path. I feel fortunate to have a really strong support system. And, I feel like living with hypothyroidism and Celiac Disease has made me more compassionate and understanding toward others with chronic illness and just to other people in general. I hope it has, anyway. No matter what path we are on in this life, we all want, need and deserve kindness, compassion, understanding and support.
