It's a Miracle!

It's been awhile since I posted on this blog for caregivers. I've made a grand start a couple of times, but just never could grab onto the right train of thought. I guess my thoughts had actually all left their stations and were going in all directions and it was hard to track a traveler down for his particular destination.

But now that I've lost my voice with a cold virus and life is moving at a slower pace, I have an urge to get some of my thoughts out to somebody. They may not be worth anything, but they will serve to relieve my guilt of silence.

First of all, I thought the world would end if I became sick with a cold again, and certainly it would be in God's interest to keep me healthy and strong. This was my prayer at least as one after another of my loved ones got sick. It's true that it's been hard to find substitute babysitters for my granddaughters, and Dean has had to do more for himself since I got sick. But hey, life moves on. With or without my services.

I was a bit upset with God, but only for a few seconds. I had prayed for a miracle to happen and for me not to succumb to the pestilence that surrounded me, but it was not to be. Instead God has performed another kind of miracle though in helping me survive this new onslaught of sickness.

God knows what He's doing. I am content to be His instrument, as long as He gives me breath. Even if that breath is aided by a nebulizer, a bi-pap machine and oxygen concentrator every night. So there, cold virus, do your stuff.

Reminders

Been so busy this week taking care of myself that I haven't had time for much blogging. A monster cold came on like a lamb, but soon showed itself as a lion, and set me reeling again with two episodes of coughing that ended up as choking, near-911 calls. (Praise the Lord, this is the first cold I've had since last February though!)

Most of you know about my pulmonary restrictive disease, causing me to be on oxygen part of the time. My deformed chest cavity from scoliosis doesn't give me the room I need to breathe. When asked by the nurse if I was short of breath, it was tempting to report that all my breaths were short. I haven't had a deep breath in years, maybe never really. Wouldn't know one if it hit me!

But this blog isn't about me. It's about my caregiving life with my hubby dear. After returning home after a six-hour emergency room visit, my daughter (MY caregiver for the day) gave her dad the low-down on not overworking her momma while she's sick. Her lecture really seemed to influence his behavior these past few days. He has been much less needy himself and more observant of my needs, constantly asking what he can do to help.

One thing I've discovered with my illnesses though is that I need reminders for my care. Not taking my medicine or breathing treatments at regular intervals gets me in trouble every time. Seeing my medical arsenal on the washing machine may have reminded Dean of the seriousness of my condition too. It looked like this:

Living in a household with someone who has memory deficits keeps me looking for memory aids for both of us. I have to be doubly cognizant of remembering appointments, medicine times, getting bills paid on time, etc., etc.

How nice that God placed one reminder for us that happens at regular intervals, making it even easier to remember. How important to remember our "weekly date" with Him! He actually blessed a certain day and placed it in the Ten Commandments, so we would never lose it. What could be easier?

My Elephant

All I want for Christmas is not to have this cold! (as in the "sick" kind)

So many others have had it though, I shouldn't complain. After all, I've managed to dodge the bullets since last July, so guess it's my turn to cough my way into oblivion and fill the wastebasket by my bed with enough Kleenexes to sink a battleship.

I've seen a television commercial, one of "drug dealing" ones, that illustrated the feeling of having C.O.P.D. with having an elephant sit on your chest. That is such an apt description of what breathing feels like with my deformed chest cavity too, even without a cold.

Fortunately, my lungs are not diseased, but they are wimpy. So when I get a cold, it tends to visit me longer, because I haven't got the lung capacity to cough all that mucus out of there like most people. I don't count the length of my colds in terms of how many days, but how many weeks.

Until my weeks are up, I'll just keep using my nebulizer and hope I only go through one box of tissues. And isn't that all we can expect out of life. Using the tools God gives us for spiritual survival on this doomed planet and pray for the day when our "tissue days" are a thing of the past.

Revelation 21:4 says "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."

Wardrobe Changes

There's one good thing about seasonal weather changes, and that's the wardrobe changes that it requires. At least in my part of the country--the good ol' Midwest. I especially love switching to the warm weather clothes in the spring because it means no more winter for awhile. But the changes for cooler weather are almost as welcome.

I've recently called my long jeans into service again. And the exciting part is how loose they fit around my middle. Summer is usually my time for dropping a few pounds, but this summer I have really made an effort to slim down and get fit. www.myfitnesspal.com has been a big help in providing an excellent online food and exercise diary. Check it out and see for yourself. It's a free account.

Another fitness tool to check out is called your Bible. It will help you be fit for heaven, a much worthier goal. And you guessed it, it's free. Don't wait for the weather to change though. Just like we see signs of winter approaching, we see signs of Christ's Coming already here. But it's not too late to start getting fit. Let your Bible be your guidebook for better spiritual health.

In His Arms

The nurse came today to evaluate Dean after his fall this weekend. She usually comes on Thursday, but I knew she'd want to see him before then, since he has complained of pain in his ribs again. I think it is getting better each day though, so the damage must be minimal. I was glad I wouldn't have to take him to see a doctor. Am not feeling up to much myself with this cold still raging in me.

I was just looking at my old calenders  to see how many colds I have had the past few years. I've been marking them down. The amazing thing was that I never had a cold that interfered with taking care of my parents the year I was caregiving for them. But after both of the funerals were over, I caught three bad colds almost on top of each other.

Now it could possibly be explained that I was operating on adrenalin and it might have boosted my immune system. But I actually did get one or two mild colds that year during times that my care wasn't needed as badly. Once when my sister was here to help.

No, I think it was God putting a protective hand on me. Giving me the strength and health I would need to do intense work that I still can't believe I was able physically to perform. God was very close to our whole family when we needed it. I picture Him carrying us in His arms and leaving only one set of footprints in the sand, as a famous poem depicts.

How close we are when we are in someone's arms. I know He's still walking beside me now and the future holds no fear. He's going to see us through it.

Me and my oxygen in North Carolina in 2011--lots of footprints here!

Battle Position

I'm taking a cold lying down today. Seriously, I don't feel like getting off this pillow, so guess I'll stay and do battle in a reclining position. The only thing that gets me to rise is a coughing spell or to blow my nose, and these are becoming more frequent as the day progresses. My colds morph me from a well person, almost instantly to a very ill and frail old lady. I've been on oxygen so much today, I may float away into a cloud by tomorrow.

I can only hope for a short duration cold. But that is the exception, rather than the rule around here. So, guess I'll get back to my battle station and pray myself well. God knows when the caregiver needs care. Being the Sabbath, I think I'll rest on that promise.

Unplugged

Yesterday the worst caregiver nightmare happened. Not only am I battling a cold and had just been to the doctor for it, but as I was leaving a grocery store, I tripped and fell. My foot was hurting so bad, I was sure it might be broken or at least severely sprained. After another trip to the doctor and X-rays, I was told to stay off the foot till Monday after the radiologist sees the X-rays.

You know you're a caregiver when your daughter's first reaction was "Who's gonna' take care of Dad?" I couldn't really blame her, it was my first thought too.

Then last night the worst oxygen user nightmare happened. My bi-pap machine quit working. I looked in the manual and it said to notify the service provider. After determining which one and paging two different people in the middle of the night, the solution ended up being simple. Just unplugging and plugging it back in the wall. Voila. Everything was reset on the right track.

Sometimes we just have to get unplugged and plugged back in to get on track. I can picture God saying to me yesterday, "OK, I'm going to unplug you for just a split second, and then plug you back in. And you'll be as good as new." I can bear a short unplugging, knowing that my Main Service Provider is also the source of all power. I just needed to get back on the trust track.

Sleeper Cold

You've heard of forced labor. Well, today I practiced forced rest. With this sleeper cold I have, it's tempting to go about the day's housework and activities as if everything was normal. But of course, I know that the dry, hacking, ribs-breaking cough is enough to exhaust my body as much as any physical exertion. Even though I can pretend the coughing isn't really that big a deal. If I keep busy I won't even notice that it's there. Until it gets so bad I end up with pneumonia or bronchitis.

Isn't that how we treat some kinds of sin in our life? It's an annoying occurrence, but it really doesn't call for much concern. If I stay busy enough, it won't seem so bad. Besides, it could be far worse than it is. I'm sure it will just go away on its own, without any particular action on my part.

But will it really? That's what I like about the Sabbath. It's a time of rest that enables me to notice the "coughs" in my life and do something about them. Not a forced rest, but one that is highly recommended by the Great Healer himself.

The Most Effective Cold Remedy

Most people have the luxury of having a respiratory episode sneak up on them. They have at least a day or so to get used to the idea that their symptoms are indeed leading up to a cold. Not me, I know it from the first scratch or tickle in my throat. One hour I sound fine and feel reasonably human, but the next hour I transform into a nose-blowing, coughing, gasping-for-air miserable invalid.

My family saw that in me today. I morphed right before their eyes and now I am just trying to hang on to some shreds of humanity and praying this is not one of my worst colds. The kind that puts me in the hospital. But if I'm lucky it will only mean a few sleepless nights with remnants hanging on for a couple of weeks. I've already whipped out the nebulizer and taken an antihistamine and an expectorant. My lungs are just too wimpy to handle these onslaughts like a normal person. Oh, I've drunk gobs of water too. That and rest are the only two natural remedies that seem to touch what I experience with a cold.

Oh, I've forgotten to include my most effective ingredient for cold survival. Lots of prayer. It's only natural, but it works the best of them all. My prayers and those of my loved ones. I wouldn't have the courage to face this without them. Thank you, Jesus, for the prayer remedy.

Keep on the Meds!

This is a critical time in the life of my cold. I am starting to feel better, and it gets easy to skip medications for my lungs, or at least pace them out further apart, just due to getting busy with life again. But when I get lax with the medicine regimen, I am in danger of my lungs drowning in mucos/phlegm. Not good for me, because if a cough produces mucos that gets caught in my throat, my lungs are so wimpy, I start to choke. I can't cough it up.

We are drowning in a world of sin too, and if we get lax with the "medicines" God has provided for us to take on a regular basis, we will find ourselves without the power to get that sin out of our lives. The "medicine" regimen God has put us on consists of daily prayer, Bible study, and sharing our faith. Let's don't get apathetic or too busy with life to follow His program. We all have "wimpy lungs" when it comes to fighting sin.

So, when temptations start letting up, it is not the time to slow down on God's program. We must persevere on our God-given "meds" as long as we're in this world of sin.

Remedies

Mr. Nasty Cold still has his grip, but so far I haven't bowed to his power over my lungs. I'm using a nebulizer (machine to deliver drugs to my lungs, like for asthmatics), a cough expectorant, and antihistamines. Although I hate using so many medications, it's the only way I can keep from going to the hospital with my colds. Did I mention I have restricted lungs from scoliosis?

Just for the record, I'm also using the natural remedies of water, diet, fresh air, rest, and trust in God. And when this cold's over, I'll try getting the sunshine and exercise part again. We don't often think of these as medicines, but they actually do aid in our recovery, and more important they work as prevention!

I've always been amazed at how resilient our bodies are and yet how delicate its composition. Today, the seventh day to "remember" our Creator (see the Fourth Commandment), we often look at God through nature, but part of that nature is our created bodies. How wonderful that of all creation, our bodies can be "born again", or recreated. What a wonderful God we serve!

Another Voice

This cold I caught the other day has stolen my voice! It has made communication with my hard-of-hearing husband nearly impossible, because no matter how many times I repeat myself, he still cannot hear me. So, we have come to the place where we aren't doing alot of talking with each other. Loud whispers, when necessary, are about all I can muster.

I missed writing this blog last night; just wasn't feeling up to it. But tonight I suddenly thought that even though I can't talk with my mouth, I do have a second voice. The written word can be just as useful to communicate as the spoken word. Is that what God was faced with when we caught the "sin cold" and could no longer hear each other? He now speaks to us through the Spoken Word.

I'm so glad God did not give up trying to reach us when we became inadequate to speak face-to-face with Him. We may miss the direct approach they enjoyed at first in the Garden of Eden, but no one is to blame but ourselves. Let's listen to God now--in whatever way He can reach us...through the Bible, observing nature, good friends, and our conscience. All tools that God has placed at our disposal, if we will just use them.

Fighting a Cold

If there's one event that stands out in my daily life, it's coming down with a cold. Therefore today an outstanding event occurred. I'm coming down with a cold! And I do mean DOWN. Due to my restrictive lung disease, an average person's worst cold in their life, rates as one of my average ones.

There's just no way life will go on as normal for me the next few weeks. I will be using a nebulizer and  prescription meds to conquer this thing and not end up in the hospital. Natural remedies don't seem to make a dent in my recovery (and believe me, I've tried them all). With the exception of drinking lots of water to stay hydrated, and resting, at least as much as possible for a caregiver. (Lots of microwave meals this week for hubby!)

It's taken years to master my cold remedy regimen, but I think I'm prepared to tackle another bout with my worst enemy, Mr. Nasty Cold. I got to thinking about another regimen we all had better master though. How to handle Mr. Nasty Temptation. He tries to get us down on occasion too, but do we know how to minimize the effects of his unwelcome visits? And most importantly, do we have the necessary tools on hand to manage this ugly intruder called sin? We must be prepared and ready to fight the enemy, whether it's a nasty cold or a nasty temptation. Check your medicine cabinet NOW, call the "Doctor", and get ready for the fight!