I'm lying down on my bed, tapping away on my laptop, with tears streaming down my cheeks. The fan whirs in the background, I can hear faint popping sounds of fireworks from far off, and my mother is clattering pans in the kitchen while she prepares our lunch. I'm sniffing, and getting a headache from the combined effort of crying and not sobbing.
I should be a normal healthy adult, but I'm not. To all outward appearances I'm hale and hearty. I dare say if I had a blood test done, I'd be given a clean bill of health. Yet I have the immune system of ... of ... I don't even know what to compare it to. I don't know anything or anyone with my problem.
(One long overdue hullabaloo when Mum asked 'what's wrong?', and lunch later...)
The only thing I can assume is that my immune system was destroyed when I had an incredibly bad bout of glandular fever at 16. I was sick for a month. The glands in my neck, groin, underarms, and throat were swollen, my tonsils were so enlarged that I had 0.5cm space between them, my liver and spleen were swollen, my fevers varied between 102 in the day and 104 at night, I couldn't go from one room to another without sitting down upon arrival, I couldn't sleep more than a couple of hours a night, I couldn't eat more than a small bowlful of liquidised vegetable soup, and it could only have been worse if either my liver or spleen ruptured, which would have resulted in death, or so I'm told.
Now let's forget that it took 6 months to build up my strength again, to turn from yellow [because with a swollen liver you get jaundice] to a natural colour, to recover to a reasonably normal state of well-being. Let's consider how often I used to get sick as a child, and with what: 3 times a year, with cold, flu, or a cough.
Since January, I have had: 2 bladder infections, labyrinthitis, 2 bouts of thrush, 1 cough, 1 bout of hives [allergic reaction to I have no fucking clue what], a repetitive strain related pain in my left arm [elbow to fingertips], and the current bout of cigarette smoke allergy. Count: 7 months; 9 problems.
That's not the only problem. What? There's MORE?! Yes, yes there is. I don't just get sick often, I get sick badly. I don't get a sore throat for several days that might turn into a cough if not taken care of. I get a sore throat for a day, a cough the next, and a chest infection the day after. And take the bladder infections, for instance. Most people get a burning sensation when they pee, and a frequent urge to run to the bathroom for about 3 days, then it gets painful, and then they develop blood in their urine. Dear old me gets all of those in the time period of 2 to 4 hours.
Did I mention that it's usually on a Sunday afternoon? Yep, that's what usually happens, along with public holidays [Merry Christmas!], and sometimes if I'm really lucky, at 7pm on such days.
This sort of disaster happens with every one of my ailments. When I had hives this year, I was misdiagnosed twice: first I had highly contagious measles, then I had a somewhat contagious fungal infection. Finally 2 doctors agreed it was 'just' an allergy.
And that, ladies and gents, is perfectly normal for me, and has been ever since I had glandular fever. Why? I have no fucking clue. Actually, I do, just a little. Apparently, glandular fever [aka Epstein Barr Virus, Mononucleosis shortened to Mono in the US] delivers such a hit to the immune system that many people suffer from a weak immune system for several years after that fact. It's been 10 years. 10 years, folks! A decade. A decade of spending money on doctors and medicine and constantly getting sick. In the 6 months after I had glandular fever I got a super-flu bug. I was sick for 3 weeks, hoarse for over a month, and missed a week of sixth form, when I had Pure Maths at Alevel, and missing just the one hour was enough to make you struggle to catch up. I missed 8 hours. No matter how much I tried to catch up, I couldn't. It was all downhill from there that scholastic year.
Did I mention that it's usually on a Sunday afternoon? Yep, that's what usually happens, along with public holidays [Merry Christmas!], and sometimes if I'm really lucky, at 7pm on such days.
This sort of disaster happens with every one of my ailments. When I had hives this year, I was misdiagnosed twice: first I had highly contagious measles, then I had a somewhat contagious fungal infection. Finally 2 doctors agreed it was 'just' an allergy.
So here I am, 26 and something wrong with me on a monthly basis. I was overjoyed because up until last week I hadn't had anything for 2 months. Cue two things after each other. I have no words for the frustration. Argh. And argh again.
Just in case any reader thinks this, let me shoot it down: fibromyalgia and ME, also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, are not what's wrong with me. I have no unexplained pains, I have no debilitating symptoms that floor me for days or weeks.
My problem is the frequency of getting sick, and the prolonged recovery of each problem - because as if getting sick often wasn't bad enough, I also take long to get over each thing.
If I ever become rich, the first thing I'll do is fund extensive research into the immune system, particularly in cases of diminished immunity.
The last thing I have to say is this: Bahumbug!
Sincerely,
Macs
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