The older I get, the worse getting sick is. I stayed home from work today. I awoke with a wicked headache, swollen neck glands and a nauseous feeling that just wouldn’t go away.
I don’t remember getting sick when I was in college, living a life of wanton debauchery. Why then do I get sick now? I drink rarely, I get a good night of sleep and I exercise.
Sleep? Cuts into partying. Exercise? With this hangover?
What can I say, I was a frat boy it went with the territory. When I consider how easily that senior citizen succumb to the slightest sickness, or have minor things become life threatening issues I wonder how quickly my immunity will decline.
What role will my genetics play on my health. On one hand my Grandfather (100% German) lived to 92, on the other my Mother’s side of the family (100% Irish), has suffered far too many early deaths.
Where will I fit into the equation? Nobody likes to consider their own mortality but eventually we all have to come to grips with it. We start out in life feeling like we are invincible, nothing can touch us.
What we eventually realize is how fragile life is, and how little control we actually have over it. Oh sure, we can control factors — what we eat, how much we exercise, etc. but when all is said in done, its out of our control.
Tags: Deaths, Debauchery, Fragile Life, Frat Boy, genetics, Hangover, Headache, Health, Immunity, Mortality, old, Role Play, Senior Citizen, sick, Sleep, Swollen Neck Glands
September 23rd, 2007 at 4:52 pm
Well just an interesting update — On Friday I was feeling back to normal, no problems at all. The storm was over, or so I thought.
Saturday I woke up with a dry scratch in the back of my throat. It started small, about the size of a grain of sand and grew through the day to a large pearl.
And then the fever hit me like a freight train. A nice sustained 104.5. I was delirious, ht, cold, woozy. It sucked hard.
I cranked the AC down and put a fan directly on me in bed, sleep was a welcome relief.
I woke up the next morning, the fever had broke but my throat was still sore, so it was off to urgent care for me.
Diagnosis - Strep throat. This is the second time strep has caused me to miss a poker night, I am beginning to think there is a conspiracy.