Our bodies are like a rose. When it wilts, it loses its beauty and its essence. When our health fails, we lose vigor and vitality. I was prompted to write this article after feeling down under the weather the past days – a call for a healthy self-care.
To Rest is Not A Sin
I have this allergic rhinitis where I sneeze almost every hour accompanied by a runny nose. There’s a flu going around too and I think it triggered the attacks.
A few days back I experienced shortness of breath and chest pain and I asked my husband if it’s a panic attack or was it asthma. He told me to monitor the symptoms first. We have a history of asthma in the family and allergies and I used to have skin asthma or eczema. After a consultation with my derma, one of the triggering factors is stress and my first eczema outbreak happened back in college when I was trying to finish my undergrad thesis.
It’s been almost two years since the last time I had an outbreak. But now, I noticed that every time my immune system is low, my soles become very itchy especially when I eat something that contains allergens. It’s just so itchy you pretty much would like to crack your soles open and see where that itch is coming from. After the itch is gone, the soles of your feet will have dry, scaly skin – an indication that it went through a ‘rough’ battle. One of my sisters has this condition, by the way, that started back when she’s just a kid.
Only We Can Feel What Goes On in Our Bodies
I have a high threshold for pain. I can tolerate severe migraine attacks or very itchy feet without taking painkillers. But now, I am also allergic to some painkillers and I am close to believing I really have a weak immune system by genetic composition.
I told my husband I can sense that something is wrong with my body. I am also feeling pain in certain parts of my right breast and I don’t want to give myself a scare but it calls for one mandatory checkup in the family that I’ve been stalling for years now – mammogram. You may read this article about the history of breast cancer in my family.
Healing By Faith and Science
Succumb. Let Science play its role for now. Because for how many years I’ve been trying to leave it all to faith. ☺
Just like me and my husband’s attempts to have a child for 3 years now. He believes it is about time we seek for professional help and be at peace whatever the results may be.
We are scheduled to have a thorough checkup with an ob-gyn tomorrow and I plan to have a mammogram by the end of the month. I am stalling the PE too required at work because let’s just say I’ve been evasive of everything ‘medical’ the past years. Not because I am fearful of the results but I am believing that God will heal me by faith alone.
But then again, I know sooner or later I just have to go through these medical checkups most especially when symptoms are too visible to disregard and they disrupt my daily routine. It can really become too much of a hassle and an inconvenience.
I actually told my husband that I have the will power to still do things despite my weak physical condition because I am very strong-willed. But when it’s your body that starts failing you, that’s where doing things become really hard.
Our bodies are a vessel. Without it, we can do nothing. Our sense of purpose in this world comes from our ability to do things physically and a deteriorating vessel will be of no use. Except perhaps to fulfill a purpose that only God knows and only God will reveal in His perfect time.
For now, God is asking for a healthy self-care. He’s been asking for years. And did I say that I am just too plain stubborn? 😀
Now obeying and resting when God says so,
“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.” – Proverbs 17:22
P.S.
The roses were given to me by hubby dear last Valentine’s Day and methinks they are too pretty to just let them wilt. So here goes my appreciation by including them here. 😊
The Journeyman's Moments 