When you read about the Swine Flu (H1N1) or hear about it on the news....do you sometimes feel a twinge of relief when it's stated that the person who is suffering or has died of it had underlying health issues?
Do you feel somehow less vulnerable because you don't have an issue that puts you at greater risk?
I know that initially I felt these things. That is until they specified the health concerns that complicated the recovery of this particular type of flu. Diabetes.
Chances are that you know of someone with this disease, or have it yourself. Whether it be Type1 or Type 2, the flu doesn't discriminate. It's an awful disease when it's not managed properly...and can be awful even if you do everything in your power to get it under control.
My little bubble of perceived immunity was burst as I gazed over at my son, Alec, who has lived with Diabetes for the past 6.5 years. It was in that moment, when I realized he was at greater risk than the general population, that I made up my mind to never again feel less sad over the death of someone who had underlying health concerns.
The people who love and care for these individuals feel just as much pain and anguish, even if they were aware of the extra health complications. A death is a death. Hearts are broken whether the person was sick or well before passing. Whether they are young or old, they were loved and will be missed.
You can never truly prepare yourself for saying good-bye.
My Mom just came out of surgery about an hour ago. She had a horrible gall bladder attack, and was admitted yesterday. They removed the offending organ, and she's recovering well.
My son Alec received his radio-iodine treatment on Friday afternoon. He has been experiencing some of the uglier side-effects (vomiting, headaches, general fatigue), and the doctors are keeping a close eye on his symptoms. The most difficult part of caring for him has been making sure his younger sisters stayed far enough away from him that they didn't get any radiation exposure (he'll be radio-active for about 5 days).
When his scan was done before the treatment, it measured that the Thyroid was absorbing the iodine at a rate of 50% (they were hoping to see between 5-15%, so it was definitely over-active!). As strange as this sounds, I felt it was a sign from God that we had made the right decision at this point....and my heart was at Peace.
My oldest son has been in a cast for the last 2 weeks. He tore a tendon on the top of his foot during a soccer game, and was put in a cast for stability and protection.
I think the past month has been the busiest month for hospital visits in my life! I do hope the trend is over!
5 comments:
Hope everyone is well soon, and things improve.
wow... your kids never give you a moments rest, do they?? You are such a superwoman!
re: your comment: You made me laugh outloud so hard. thanks for that.
By the way, I've realized that even though we've been commenting back and forth for forever (which i love, btw) I've never officially introduced myself: I'm Grace.
[Though I did enjoy being a "Sarah" :)]
I hope everyone feels better soon...We don't have diabetes here, but everyone has been sick for the past month and a half...My 8 month old got bronchitus (complication of H1N1
I had it for three days, but still have the cough, my son had it for one day...(wow..blessings of breast fed babies)
and my grandson ended up with pneumonia and in the hospital..fun stuff.
Hopefully there are no more hospital visits in your near future... :)
How true Sarah! You have shed a great deal of light, and your writing style is amazing. I think you should write a book. :-)
Hope everyone gets better soon!
Aww...you guys are so sweet. (Nice to 'meet' you Grace!)
Superwoman? Well, I do have the costume, just not the skills. lol
As for a book...ha! I already like you Lindsay, so you don't need to butter me up! :P
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