Renewal is a natural occurrence in the world, but we often forget how important it is for our mental and physical well-being. Sometimes we experience events that force renewal in our lives. This is what I’ve been going through for the month of July.
My health took a dive
First, I developed an apparent cold within the first few days of a 2-week Alaskan cruise. As the symptoms moved along in the expected way, sore throat, congestion, cough, I kept looking forward to the release of it’s grip on me, which never came.
Bad News from Home
We were at our last stop, Vancouver, British Columbia, when I received a phone call from a neighbor. My husband, Wayne, was in a trauma center after falling and hitting his head on our concrete driveway. Immediately, I started calling the hospital to get a better idea of his condition. Of course, HIPPA kept me from receiving any information until my sister, who lives nearby, visited the hospital to get a code for me to give the nurse. His condition was stable, resulting in my finishing my vacation as planned, making adjustments for a dog sitter and transportation from the airport.
Bringing Him Home
My first day home was spent at the hospital attempting to get Wayne’s release. We were able to leave just as traffic was at its worst, 6:30 pm. Once again, I called upon friends to help get my husband upstairs and into the refuge of our bedroom.
Can it Get Any Worse?
The short answer is yes. The following day I felt so tired, I could barely move. My sister came to the rescue again, bringing our Mom back to Wayne’s and my home where she occupies half of the first floor. We had just finished watching Jeopardy upstairs, a nightly ritual, when I heard a crash.
I ran to the stair banister to see Mom sprawled on the landing at the bottom of the stair. I rushed downstairs, carefully stepping around her legs and opened the door into her area. Thankfully she has a daily yoga routine that involves floor exercise and she could get herself up. Although her left arm was badly bruised, there weren’t any apparent breaks.
One More Trip to the ER
After a few days, Mom’s pain didn’t improve, so we went to the ER. There weren’t any broken bones, thankfully, just soreness from the tumble and a little something in her lung, necessitating antibiotics.
It’s My Turn for Evaluation
Finally, I called my doctor as my coughing was keeping me up nights and I was afraid I was developing pneumonia. My illness was ruled an upper respiratory infection, treated with a cough medication, a short steroid treatment, and antibiotics.
One of the decisions I made through all this was to cease all outside activity like my volunteerism. Neighbors helped by bringing over food during the time after Wayne came home and I was too tired to cook.
Lessons Learned
Through the last two weeks, I learned you can allow events to force renewal, or you can evaluate the situation and simplify your life to allow time to heal, always putting your own health in the forefront. I highly recommend personal evaluation to take care of yourself and of course, seek help from friends and the medical community.
