Bit of background:
I’m 38 and overall healthy. I do have IBS-C and colitis (as of yet indeterminate etiology). Otherwise, I don’t have medical problems or take daily medications. I work full time as a pediatrician and I run my own online personal training and nutrition business. I am married and a mom. I eat well, weight train 5 days a week, and get around 10K steps a day. My sleep is usually about 6-7 hours nightly on weekdays and about 8 hours on the weekends. So basically, I’m usually a pretty healthy person as my life essentially revolves around all aspects of health and wellness.
Here’s what I learned after being admitted for bacterial pneumonia:
Anything can happen to anyone at anytime. Yes, you can eat incredibly well and be in the best physical shape of your life, but unfortunately, it might not matter and something as commonplace as pneumonia can really take you out and do a number on you. You’re not invincible.
When you’re seriously sick, everything stops and nothing else matters. Trust me, when you feel as shitty as I did, you care about nothing else other feeling better. Meal planning, work deadlines, mesocycles, soccer practice, weekend plans…none of it seems as important as you once thought. You just want to get better and FEEL like yourself again.
The world continues to turn whether or not you’re there. It’s such an odd feeling to be so ill you can’t get out of bed and think something along the lines of, “Right now, I’d be seeing patients at work” or “I should be at soccer practice right now”. Knowing all those events are still happening without your presence is a bit unnerving. Goes to show that we should be grateful for everything even the mundane because at some point, we might not even have that anymore.
Empathy and human connection really do matter. After I had been in the hospital for over 48 hours someone finally asked me if I wanted to wash up. I felt sick and just gross. I said yes. This lady got me a clean gown, fresh towels, soap, toothpaste, and a toothbrush. While I was in bathroom, she gave me clean sheets and made my bed. I don’t know why it took 2 days for anyone to check in on me in that respect, but I am forever grateful to that lady for making me feel like a person again.
Your health truly is #1. Take care of your body and your mind. Help those you love take good care of themselves, too. Eating well and being physically active isn’t just about aesthetics and looking good. It’s about feeling well and aging well. Eventually, we will all succumb to time, but damn it, I want to go out ripe in old age still able to move and think independently. We’re only here for a short while (and it’s amazing we’re even here at all) and I want to make the most of it.
Those of you who are battling chronic disease, I hear you and I feel you <3
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