I finished 2018 the same way I started 2019, fighting the flu. It only takes one thing and the balance of scales are tipped against me.
Christmas Day was fine, but being around a family member who was under the weather was all it took for me to get sick. As a result, I have been fighting flu made more complicated because I deal with respiratory disease, being a second twin and being born 6 weeks' premature. Cerebral Palsy makes it worse.
In terms of my health, cerebral palsy and being premature are both game changers in terms of my health. As a child, given the fact that I only knew about a bad foot and a bad leg, I continued to grow believing that’s all I had wrong with me.
As I continue to get older, the harsh realities of my health become more evident through things like respiratory disease. I’m not sure how serious the issue is, or whether in the longer term it’s something I need to be concerned about.
I’ve been struggling with respiratory disease on and off since I was 28. What's scary is having no correlation between cerebral palsy and respiratory disease and how much worse the respiratory disease is because I deal with cerebral palsy.
I caught a cold in the latter part of 2018 that nearly crippled me. At the tail end of my cold came bronchitis, so it was impossible to breathe. I'm not getting any younger, so I responded with a little anxiety and panic. I fear respiratory issues.
Immediately after my cold I took my first flu shot ever. Please take care of yourself Ilana.
Thanks Tim. I will do. Oh no... your experiences are my experiences, your fears with respiratory issues are my fears too. It's one of the reasons why I run from illness.
I can understand you taking the flu jab. I hope that has made a difference and it probably will do in the longer term. You are fit and healthy otherwise.
But the flu jab would concern me if I were to have it because of what I deal with. This may add to an already big list of issues.
There does seem to be a bit of a flu epidemic here at the moment, I have spoken to so many people this week who had it over the holidays.
None of us should take our health for granted especially with a pre-existing condition like you. Prematurity does bring with it respiratory problems through undeveloped lung capacity and I am sure your cerebral palsy compounds this.
Avoiding people who are ill must be your first line of defence.
Thanks, yes you're right. None of us should take our health for granted, but we do. I can't afford and don't ever take my health for granted.
It's easy to get caught out, it's particularly more difficult around a disability as you say. I usually do take the necessary precautions, but when someone tells you they're feeling slightly under the weather, that could simply mean they're tired.
The alarm bells didn't ring until it was too late.
Many prayers and best wishes for a speedy recovery. My biggest pet peeve is that people who are deathly ill still choose to go out in public and spread whatever it is that they are sick with, without regard for those who may have compromised immune systems.
I'm not even sure if the flu shot will help this year, seeing as there have been so many new strains popping up that have become antibiotic resistant, which people don't seem to realize can become a very serious problem.
Hopefully this will clear up very quickly for you.
Thanks Randy. Yes, a week on and I'm doing much better. I need to sleep the clock round, but feeling much stronger today.
But you're right. I used to keep my children home through illness and then as soon as they were well again, they'd go back to school and come back ill again. I used to get very little sympathy from school.
I did hear something about the flu shot becoming a problem for the reasons you've mentioned. But there are genuine cases for those who need the flu shot. Those people shouldn't be overlooked.
Personally, I think we all need to be more vigilant and not assume that we need to do and take everything on offer if we're better without it.