Listen to yourself

Well I did it again. I built myself up some paid vacation time and when it was getting around the time I wanted to use it I got super sick instead. Last spring before I became editor I ignored a case of bronchitis for so long that I ended up stuck at home for a week.
This time I got some type of bacterial infection celebrating Mother’s Day weekend. By the time I began showing symptoms it had done a number on my whole system. Bad enough I was being checked for appendicitis while hooked to IV’s and receiving CT Scans.
While that particular circumstance could not be helped during the time I was out of commission and in bed I had to take stock of things I had been ignoring. I was stuck on a very bland and restrictive diet for two weeks and have been slowly re-introducing different foods. During the course of this I’ve had to admit that I have some food intolerances that I had been wanting to ignore because I liked those foods, but I knew deep down all along that I was needing to do it. Now as my body is adjusting I can see immediate differences on the days when I do try those foods and know I have been making myself miserable for a long time.
Weight has slowly, but surely kept creeping on since I started working at the paper (and if I want to be totally honest it had already started before I got this job). I lost quite a bit quickly over the course of my illness and though I still have a long ways to go in that department I already feel so much better and have recommitted to exercising, to go along with eating better. This too, I knew I should be doing, but chose to ignore.
Lastly, during the first days of being stuck at home, I literally slept for probably close to 72 hours straight other then to make trips to the doctors office and to the hospital. A lot of that probably had to do with my body fighting off an illness. However, if I really think about it, I know I had let myself get worn way down. I don’t often get a lot of sleep at night and when I’m not at work or running around doing things, like taking my son to events, I’m thinking about work or thinking about what else I need to do to keep the house running smoothly. In those first few days I was able to just curl up in bed and not worry about anything, but taking care of me. I slept and slept and slept.
I’m running out of room for this piece, but I didn’t tell this story as a “poor me.” I told my story to remind everyone to listen to what your body is telling you. We all know deep down when something is wrong, we just have to learn to actually face reality and do what is needed to take care of ourselves.