The strain of sickness

It was a sore throat. "No big deal" I said. Then, it was a sore throat and a cough. I said to myself, "damn, I'm getting a cold." OK, so I'll have the symptoms as usual: running nose, cough, sore throat etc. for a few days and I'll be just fine. OJ, NyQuil and some good rest will do the job. But, I had no idea of the unrelenting and deplorable sickness I was about to encounter.

I have no health insurance and at this moment in time my financial condition mirrors the condition I was in, so a visit to the doctor was out of the question. My best guess was that I had pneumonia. Let's see, I had the most intense cough I have ever had, I was coughing up green glop, then yellow glop, the most intense head aches I have ever had, fever (103.4) and loss of apatite. A couple of friends took mercy on me and gave me antibiotics. I thank you guys, you just might have saved my life.

The timing of this illness couldn't have come at a worse time. I had two more weeks of Algebra class and a final exam to deal with. Just to give some perspective, math is the one thing in this life I hate the most. HATE IT WITH A PASSION! More perspective? Just think of something in this life you would hate to do the most. And, you had to do this in order to complete a life goal. Let me give you some help, if you are having trouble thinking of something. Let's say you had to eating a dozen sandwiches made of excrement. YES, that's how I feel about algebra. Did I make my point? I hope so. I finished up the last two weeks of class as the illness got progressively worse. By the time the final came around, I was in the throws of the wickedness that had invaded my body. I don't know how I managed to study the week before the test. I just took it a little at a time. I approached studying for the test very differently than I had planned earlier. Some how I was able to drag myself to class that morning, take the test and pass it with a 78. I ended up making a B in the class, which later bugged me because I knew I could have made an A had I not been sick. But, Oh well, I PASSES! I DON'T EVER HAVE TO TAKE ANOTHER MATH CLASS AS LONG AS I LIVE!

I'm well now.

I thank God for the recovery. The animal inside me did it's damage but my body has done it's work once again. You don't know how good it feels to be healthy until you have been in a chasm of a treacherous illness. For the first time in my life I felt so vulnerable and so alone. For the first time in my life I feared not waking up in the morning. I see a lot of very sick people where I work. My sympathy for those peoples' needs has turned into empathy. The health care field is the last place I want to be. But, for the short time I have left there, I will intensify my compassion for the infirmed. Because, I know what it feels like to be in pain. Severe pain and distress.