Another flash back to a post of mine from May 2010.

Being “Sick”

Posted on May 6, 2010

Last week I had just about the worst headache. I think it was worse that my two bouts of spinal tap headaches, and those are pretty bad. I don’t take headache meds, well, mostly because they don’t work on me, and also, I already take 10 different prescription meds as it is for my Sarcoidosis, heart failure and pulmonary hypertension. Adding another to the mix might just cause me to explode!

I was in so much pain, I actually went into bed, something that I never do with a migraine. I decided I will try Accupuncture and made an appointment to see my wife’s acupuncturist that afternoon.

I had never been to her before and when she was taking my health history, she said to me that I don’t look like a man with all those medical problems, that I look healthy. And honestly, I think I do. If you were to see me walking past you (so long as it is a flat area, no incline), I walk at pretty brisk pace, without O2. And I don’t look like your stereotypical heart failure patient.

The acupuncturist also asked me how I was able to work, now that I was sick. I told her the headache was bad, but I would be able to work. She then said she meant sick as with sarcoidosis and heart failure.

And then I realized that I have never thought of myself as “sick”. So I looked up the definition of sick:

sick [sik] – adjective
1. not healthy; ill
2. nauseated
3. deeply distressed
4. gruesome

Am I not healthy or ill? That is a tough one. Technically, I am not. I have sarcoidosis in the lungs and heart, have severe scaring of the lungs, heart failure and pulmonary hypertension. I also have a hole in my heart that was plugged but is now leaking. So, does that classify me as healthy? Questionable.

Am I nauseated? No. Well sometimes, but not every day.

Am I deeply distressed? Ah….. No!

Am I gruesome? Well that one’s funny. No even bothering to answer that one.

Therefore, by the dictionary’s definition, I am not sick and I never considered myself as being sick. Is “sickness” really only a state of mind. I think many people would disagree with me, as they do feel sick everyday physically, and I thank God for not handing me that extra affliction.
So until I am disabled by my afflictions, and I don’t intend to be, I only think of myself as a man with a few medical complications that he can handle and look forward to each day’s adventure and am thankful for everyone, good or bad, because I am still here to experience them all.