Regular Sick vs Disabled Sick

I have to apologize that most of this past week's postings are pictures or cut/paste comments. I've been sick with a sinus infection and it's knocked me down a few pegs.

See, that's the thing with some of us disabled folks. While you "normals" might consider a sinus infection a minor inconvenience, for me, it's a pretty major event.


Here's the deal:
  1. When your body spends most of it's energy dealing with whatever illness is causing your disability...
  2. And when your body is already at a deficit because you can't exercise...
  3. And when your body fat ratio is 40 percent (although I don't consider myself obese, it's that I have no leg muscles anymore)
...your body deals with a "minor inconvenience" very differently. It can become more like a "major setback".


Not only that, but my normal activity, already at a lowered level because of my disability, is cut down even more.
  • I can't do my yoga exercises, as minimal as they already are.
  • I have very little appetite because the sinus infection causes nausea, so I'm not eating properly (why nausea, you ask? Ok, you asked, here it is: you're naush because you're swallowing nasal drainage that contains an infection. You asked!).
  • I'm very fatigued, so naps are necessary, cutting down on my activity level even more.

So, I finally get on an antibiotic, start to feel better, and then start the long process of getting my strength and energy back to it's "normal" (for me) levels. It's an uphill battle.

It's times like this that serve to remind me that keeping my "regular" health at the highest level possible is imperative. Eat right, exercise as much as physically possible, and keep my mind as active as I can.

And to not get depressed when I get what would normally be as inconvenient as a cold. It's just the way it is, and the more we disabled folks realize this, the more readily we'll take care of our general health as much as we can.

Comments

The WillaWoman said…
Thank you so much! Are you the woman that one of my readers met at the mall with your dog?

The WillaWoman
3:45 PM
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