A Vicious Cycle

My Daddy died twelve years ago the 24^th of this month.  When he was admitted to the hospital, it was overflowing with patients.  My mother and I had to sleep in the lobby on chairs during the first few days he was there.  I got a blanket from one of the nurses and slept on the floor some of the time.  He was there for ten days before he died.

During the time I was sleeping on the floor, I picked up a staph infection.  It basically affects the area in and around my nose when it flares up.  It took three doctors and numerous tests to decide what it was and the best treatment for it.  It took almost six weeks for it to be controlled.

The next couple of times it erupted, it really showed off!  The whole area in and around my nose was broken out with blisters and it spread nearly down to my top lip.  It was awful looking and I hated to be seen.  I was in the workforce at the time and tried to keep it covered as much as possible.  I would have hated to be around someone who looked like that and knew that the people in my building were not happy to be around it either.  The only reason I even went to work was because the doctor said I was not contagious…………and the fact that my employer was not understanding of people being out of work and would probably have fired me.

I mention this because the cold/flu or whatever this crud is has made it flare up again.  If you will notice, it is close to the time that I originally developed it.  For the past twelve years, when I have had a flare up with this strep germ, it has been in the month of September.  I find that really odd.  It is like it has an anniversary schedule and is sticking to it.

Someone was talking the other day on one of the MS websites about having certain symptoms in certain months of the year.  Some people were making fun of him, but others seemed to agree that their symptoms seem to come in cycles.  I am talking, of course, about those of us who have relapsing-remitting MS.  Although the symptoms seem to change and come and go, it always gives you something to deal with and never leaves you alone.

As far as medical science has progressed with all kinds of diseases, I really wonder how much it really knows.  Quite a few medical facilities have all types of websites that tell the what and why of different diseases but rarely understand actually having that particular disease.  All of us with MS have talked about this many times.  Although doctors seem to understand what is happening to us, they don’t really understand how it affects us.

So, here I sit, blowing my nose, coughing, sneezing and putting  medicine on my infection…………it will get better……..I just wish it would hurry up and decide to do so!!!!!!!!!!!