When Youthful Invincibility Departs & Spread The Kindness Link Up On the Edge #776
Remember the days of youth when your young healthy body never let you down or made you question your mortality? Ahhh, those were the days when hope abounded and worry wasn’t a daily activity.
This week abruptly forced me to face the fact that I am indeed aging. Like old machinery, old bodies start to experience glitches and other malfunctions and don’t recover as quickly as young bodies.
About 2 weeks ago, my 14 year old caught a coxsackievirus, the sort that causes that awful illness known as hand, foot, and mouth disease. He went to the school nurse on a Thursday complaining of painful blisters on his hands. She told him it was bug bites, gave him an ice pack, and sent him back to class. I was very confused because I am not a medical professional of any sort but I knew these were definitely not bug bites. On Friday, he came home complaining that there were more blisters on his hands. When I asked if he had any on his feet, he said yes and asked to go to the doctor.
I am a person who goes to the doctor for wellness checks and then only if I think I’m dying! For most other common illnesses, I have lived enough years to know what the diagnosis and recommended treatments will be without consulting a doctor every time. Rest, hydrate, treat the symptoms if necessary. However, I am not familiar with coxsackievirus because my kids never had it when they were younger. So off to the doctor he went and received the exact diagnosis and treatment plan that I expected. He felt better within 72 hours. The blisters took a few more days to completely dry up but he wasn’t really bothered by them.
And then his old mama caught the dang thing. A quick online search let me know that coxsackievirus is a mild viruses that passes fairly quickly just as it passed through my child. But he’s 14 and I’m 51. Apparently, this virus sticks around longer in older folks? I have no idea. But I have been really sick with terrible upper respiratory symptoms and extreme fatigue for 2 weeks. I did have two small blisters in my mouth at the very beginning but the chest congestion and coughing have been one of the worst bouts I have suffered from. I also ran a low grade fever for 6 days straight. About a week into my illness, I tested myself for Covid just to be sure and it was negative.
Despite the endurance of this virus, I continued to treat myself at home with over the counter decongestants, lots of water, vitamin C, and rest. Then on Wednesday, I was feeling abnormally lightheaded and decided to check my blood pressure. I don’t know if it’s good or bad that I did that because the reading was high enough (170/105) to send me straight into panic mode.
I was talking on the telephone to my sister and she was attempting to calm me down for over an hour. I started feeling calmer so I checked my blood pressure again. 170/100. I hung up the phone with my sister and figured I would try to take a nap and check when I woke up. An hour later my panic was too much to bear so I called my husband at work and asked him to come get me and take me to urgent care. I didn’t feel comfortable driving myself because of the lightheadedness.
By the time he got home, I had decided that the ER was probably a better option than urgent care with my blood pressure being so high. And the hospital is much closer to my house than an urgent care facility. My blood pressure in triage was 220/106 and the darn machine was beeping like crazy. I really thought I was having a heart attack.
They whisked me back to a room and hooked me up to all sorts of machines. They took a urine sample, did some blood work, swabbed my nose, did an EKG, and a chest x-ray. The result….enterovirus, the family of viruses to which coxsackievirus belongs. No looming heart attack or pneumonia (I was fearful of that as well).
But why was my blood pressure so high? It apparently was the result of taking over the counter decongestants for too many consecutive days. Combined with my panic which made it go even higher. After a few hours in the ER, my blood pressure was down to 139/89 and I was discharged. I stopped taking the decongestants, but the high blood pressure can stick around for a few days after stopping the medications. I am sort of afraid to check it home right now because I get all nervous but I have an appointment with my doctor on Wednesday to keep an eye on this blood pressure business.
As much as I hate hospitals, I am glad that I went. I needed the peace of mind that I couldn’t give to myself. Usually I am really good at talking myself out of the need for medical attention. This time I was not. And that scared everyone in my family because there are very few things that will send me willingly to a hospital!
I am okay and feeling slightly better with each day but the whole experience really made me realize the extent of my mortality. With age comes great wisdom. And great wisdom makes you realize how vulnerable and fragile old bodies can be! I am blessed to have survived 51 years in a world that keeps trying to kill us but I hope I get 51 more!
On a happier note, the summer-like temperatures are still hanging on around here so I continue to wear my warm weather clothing. According to my local forecast, I have 5 more days before I need to bring out my sweaters. This particular outfit was just an around-the-house outfit that I wore for three days straight. It felt much more like I was wearing pajamas than actual clothes which was perfect for sick days that still required me to transport my children to the places they needed to be.
This green batik slip dress feels like I’m wearing a nightgown and my new ruana robe thingy was perfect for layering. It was easy to remove and put back on as my body temperature kept fluctuating, making me hot and cold in quick succession. I kept my jewelry really simple with my tree of life necklace and a new pair of thrifted earrings. My green furkenstocks are much like slippers and I added my green floppy brimmed hat just for some quick photos in the back yard.
It seems I catch a virus every year about 3-4 weeks after the kids have returned to school. I am ready for the school years to be over! No, I’m not really. The children grow up much too fast.
How has your weather been? Are you staying healthy during this season of viruses?
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Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.
24 Comments
Joanne
Oh what an ordeal! We had something similar a few years ago when my oldest came down with hand/foot/mouth. I thought that was what he had but his hands and lips had swelled so much he was in pain and was complaining of shortness of breath… well our local ER freaked out after a million tests and thought he had monkeypox and made us all quarentine at home for two week… only 2 days later he was all better so we were on the phone with his pediatricians office (who basically rolled their eyes and offered to write him a note to return to work). It was crazy!
I’m glad you’re starting to feel better!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Oh my gosh, Joanne! That does sound like a horrendous ordeal for you. Monkeypox?! Really. That is insane and would have had me all freaked out, for sure. I’m glad it was just hand, foot, and mouth for your son, my son, and myself! I hope you have a wonderful weekend and a healthy cold and flu season!
xoxo
Shelbee
Joanne
I was more p o’d than anything else because having worked in a day care center for YEARS I knew it was hand/foot/mouth and just wanted to know if there was anything we could do to bring the swelling down or if I had to worry about the mouth swelling becoming throat swelling/ breathing difficulty.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I can relate to that frustration. Nobody knows our bodies better than ourselves…except maybe our mothers when we are young! I have learned that it is best to always trust my instincts about myself and my children. You’re such a great momma!
xoxo
Shelbee
Amy Johnson
Oh, that sounds terrible. I’m so sorry you had to go through that. That was a disease that was prevalent in our community last winter and I never heard of it before in my life.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Amy. I had heard of hand, foot, and mouth disease before, but my kids never had it when they were younger. It is usually very prevalent in day cares and elementary schools. My understanding is that most older kids and adults have built immunity to it and don’t generally get symptoms if exposed to that particular virus. I guess I have not built that particular immunity! I hope you have a lovely weekend and a healthy fall and winter!
xoxo
Shelbee
Pam Ecrement
I am so sorry you went through all this. I had always had a great BP until my second Covid Vaccine Booster and somehow it messed with my BP and I have been watchful ever since. The automatic machines now always give me a super high reading because it can trigger the panic mode of when it was initially so high. Hang in there. Aging is not a straight path or without bumps and sharp turns along the way.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Pam! Ever since the advent of those automatic BP machines, my BP is always high on them. I always ask for a manual check of my BP and it is always significantly lower. But I do need to start watching my BP a little closer these days, it seems. I hope you have a lovely weekend, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Sally in St Paul
OMG Shelbee, what a terrifying experience! I’m glad you got checked out because I would 100% be thinking I was about to die with blood pressure that high. My sister caught that virus from one of her sons and was pretty miserable with it for a few weeks, so I can too easily imagine how that part went. You make a good point about how the viruses hit in the weeks after the start of a new school year. “Cold and flu season” starts early if you’re a parent of kids! I’m also 51 and was just telling my mom yesterday that I’m reaching the point where if my body were a car, I’d be thinking it’s close to time to trade it in and get a new one…joking but not joking, you know? But since we are connected for the long-run, we need to appreciate and take care of our bodies as best we can, which can include going to the doctor/ER when things go wrong (I am glad of that reminder). As for the outfit – love the sage green and hurray for clothes that feel like PJs! A wise choice!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Sally. I always compare my body to a car, too! And a 51 year old car is going to need more work and tune ups than a 10 year old car! I just reviewed my EKG results which were somewhat troubling but I am following up with my doctor in a few days. Hopefully, we can figure out the heart issue and get it taken care of immediately. I don’t like this part of the aging process at all!
xoxo
Shelbee
Gail
That sounds so frightening! I’ve never heard of that virus either. I hear the new Covid strain, Strata, is the worst yet….Glad you are recovering.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Gail. I know that a bad strain of covid has been cycling around here as well so I am grateful it wasn’t that. But I definitely need to follow up with my doctor on Wednesday because I am a bit troubled by my EKG results. Ugh. Aging is a scary process sometimes.
xoxo
Shelbee
Rena
Wow, what a scary experience! I’m so glad you went to the ER and got some peace of mind. Viruses really do hit harder as we get older, and it sounds like you’ve been through the wringer. I’m glad you’re on the mend, and I have to say that dress paired with the ruana looks both comfy and chic for recovery days. Also, what a delight to see that my post is in the trio of featured ones from the last link-up.
Rena
https://finewhateverblog.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Rena. I am finally starting to feel some relief from all the coughing and congestion. However, I just looked at my EKG results and there was some troubling information on that. Thankfully, I see my doctor in just a few days so we can start addressing whatever else is going on. Aging is kinda scary!
xoxo
Shelbee
Melynda Brown
Your outline of why you hate to take your BP at home is exactly why I will not, my resulting anxiety of what is shown of the screen (that I can’t do anything about) is awful. And this just never seems to go away. And I am old enough to be YOUR mom, my oldest turned 51 in September. Anxiety is a killer, it is amazing what our brain will tell us during an attack, but more troubling than that in my humble opinion is the side effects of OTC meds.
So happy you are better and everyone else for that matter. And now, the usual blah, blahs….thanks so much for the visit and the link up! Have a great week ahead.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Melynda, thank you so much. I have avoided checking my BP since the hospital visit. Until this morning. I took a deep breath and told myself that I cannot be afraid of this silly little machine. It measured at 128/80 which is within the normal healthy range. But now I noticed there were some abnormalities reported on my EKG which has me all worried now. I hope it is all related to the OTC meds because then I can just never take those again. I hate taking medication of any sort and only resort to it when I am really suffering. But I will find other natural treatments now!
xoxo
Shelbee
Your True Self
Hi, Shelbee – I hope you’re feeling better and I want to say you are not old. Maybe you just didn’t get to a doctor soon enough. Your son must have been given some kind of treatment that helped him get over it sooner. Mothers tend to not take as good care of themselves as they do for their children! Best wishes – Angie, http://www.yourtrueselfblog.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aw, thanks, Angie. I really appreciate that. My kids and husband all have very fast immune systems. They recover so quickly from anything they catch. And then after I take care of them all, I get slammed with 3 times the virus. I guess that is how it goes for moms!
xoxo
Shelbee
Marsha Banks
Wow! I would have been just as scared and probably would have been really silly and not gone to the hospital just because I don’t like them, either. I am glad you were able to get treated and your blood pressure came down. I think my grandson got hand, foot and mouth (do I have the order right) when he was in preschool. It seems like it’s very contagious in those places. When I was a kid, we all got the chicken pox and gave them to our dad. He really suffered with them. I’m guessing he would have been in his late 30s then.
I love your outfit…it looks like it would be perfect for lying around when you’re not 100% yet suitable for running around because you’re a mom.
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Marsha. Moms don’t really get sick days, do we? I had chickenpox twice when I was a kid and both times were very mild. My best friend had them at the same time as one of my outbreaks and the poor girl was completely covered in them and ever so miserable. I was really shocked that the high school had an outbreak of hand, foot, and mouth. I always thought it was just really young kids who get it. How wrong was I?! I am anxious to get to my doctor’s appointment on Wednesday. I am concerned with the EKG results now. At least, my BP is back to normal now. Growing old can be a frightening process sometimes!
xoxo
Shelbee
Nancy
Oh my, what a awful experience. And that was a pretty high blood pressure, no wonder you felt not good. I’m glad you listened good to your body to know that you had to go to the hospital. Better safe them sorry right? And I’m very glad you feel better! Till Tuesday!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Definitely better safe than sorry. But now there are some concerning things on my EKG results. My BP is back to normal now so I don’t know what the heck is going on. Ugh. Getting old is kind of scary! We’ll have lots to talk about on Tuesday!
xoxo
Shelbee
Emma Peach
Oh my goodness, how scary for you! I’m glad you’re feeling better now.
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Emma! I saw my doctor yesterday and we have made a plan so I feel much better about it all now.
xoxo
Shelbee