If you're going to live alone and be alone you're going to have to learn to take care of yourself. You have to know what to do in case of a situation and how to identify that situation. In this case, I had to diagnose myself with a virus, specifically a stomach virus and act accordingly.
The time - unknown; early in the morning, several hours before sunrise. I wake up and have to use the bathroom. Unusual, but it didn't rouse too much suspicion. I was feeling dehydrated so I took a sip of water (I keep some nearby.) That sip triggered chills... the sign of a fever. A fever is the sign of a virus. Coincidentally I was talking about what I've learned about self care with my mother and sister days before. The body heats up to kill the virus. Viruses cannot live in high heat. Chiropractor and lecturer John Bergman believes in the body's ability to take care of itself. I've adapted that belief and act accordingly.
I took another sip of water, then all hell broke loose. It was time to evacuate everything from the digestive system. Meanwhile, I'm thinking about what could have triggered this event. My digestive process is anywhere from 10 to 18 hours, so I start thinking about what I had for lunch and breakfast. Chicken and salmon from the food bar comes to mind, but I'm also thinking I may have over dosed on supplements, which is less likely, but still a possibility.
The best and most comfortable place for me to be in such situations, (and I learned this by drinking too much) is on the bathroom floor. If you've been there, you may agree.
While I'm mentally (and aloud) encouraging my body to regroup, I'm wondering if we will be better in time to get to the gig. "24 hours" the voice says. 60% - 80%, depending on who you believe, of the immune system is located in the lining of the gut. It's one cell thick and it renews itself every 24 hours. I'm not certain when that lining was first compromised... but by 5:20 AM we realized we weren't going to make it to work. I called out from the floor of my bathroom - feeling a bit pathetic, but also ready to turn the next several hours over to the body to fix itself.
Looking back, smiling - I think that's kind of cool.
Feed the Fever
Because I recognized what was going on, I put on a sweat shirt, wrapped myself up in a blanket and nodded. I did some breathing exercises until I passed into slumber.
It was about half past noon that I was strong enough to get up and sip some coconut water. Despite the sugar content of most of the brands, I highly recommend it for hydration. I took sips and then, monitored my body for a reaction. (I thought it was kind of cool that I could feel the body heat up when I took that sip of plain water during the night.) Nothing bad happened. I got up and jumped into the shower. Water is magnificent.
I was wondering how much weight I'd lost. Last time I was poisoned by food, was 2008 - I lost ten pounds in sixteen hours. This time it wasn't so dramatic; 5 lbs lost.
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| 2008, Last time Sick got me!! I'm stronger for it! |
After the shower I was still too weak to do anything so I wrapped myself up again and went back to bed. Let Body do its work.
Finally, near 4PM we were strong enough to start rebuilding. Coconut water, followed by the classic lemon water, maple syrup and cayenne pepper mix. All have cleansing properties and cayenne is a vaso-dialator which means it widens the arteries for better blood flow. Next the requisite cup of tea... black caffeinated tea, with raw sugar. Still no food. Probably no need for food for several more hours. I was thinking a 24 hour fast... however I might have some almonds or something before bed... (during which I probably won't sleep much.)
The Body is sore, so there was some stretching, deep breathing and movement to get us back into condition to get back to work.
And then of course, there was this, posted to recall and commemorate this day. I recently learned that it's okay to get sick. Getting sick... or as I say, Sick getting me, is like playing war games. It gives the Body a chance to do battle with an enemy, an invader and by doing that it... The Body, becomes stronger. The Self, aka Me, also gets experience in detecting what's happening and deciding the best course of action. The worst course I could've taken would have been to try and eat. From this experience I could tell that there was more food in my intestines than in my stomach... and once that was out Body could get to work on repairs.
Perhaps, if you ever come across this, and/or ever have a similar problem, this might help. Best strategies to remember, don't eat, don't drink, don't take medications, all of these protocols just interfere with the healing process. Of course, if you'd rather dial emergency and go to hospital, that is your choice as well.
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