I’ve been sick for nearly a week now. Just regular, head-cold sick, though, with the stuffy head, runny nose and a lung-wracking cough added to the mix a couple days ago.
The funny thing is–well, if there’s anything funny about being sick–is that my MS symptoms haven’t gotten worse these last few days. I totally thought that having a cold meant my MS symptoms would take a turn toward Crapsville. But I’ve only been feeling crappy because of my cold. So yay!
It’s weird to be excited about something like this, right? But for me, it’s good to know that there’s no hard-and-fast rule that says that getting sick will make this other disease I have worse.
It’s helped me realize that the preconception that something like a head cold (or sunshine, physical activity, white wine, or whatever) will make my MS worse is actually unhealthy because it justifies my fear of the unknown and keeps me from doing things I might enjoy. It keeps me from just living.
So not being completely destroyed by this cold is a kind of victory for me. Maybe it will be different the next time, who knows? But I’ll just have to take it as it comes. I’ve only been dealing with multiple sclerosis for a year, but one thing I like to think that I’ve learned–so far–is that dealing with this disease based on preconceived rules is just too limiting, MS or no MS.
