Scott and I have realized that people still are not able to understand what happens to my body. I will try to explain in the easiest way that I can.
What happens to me is my body fighting something within itself. I am not suffering from a typical allergy that causes problems when you are exposed to something. Something in my body went haywire and it is nothing that I did or that anyone did to me. Yes - if I am exposed to something that I am sensitive to it can cause my body to continue a spiral when my immune system is triggered. For example, you come to visit me in the hospital. You are using scented products that you don't even smell on yourself because you have become accustomed to that scent on you body. That scent may be an irritant to me, which starts my immune system and then can spiral into anaphylaxis for me. That does not mean that your scented hair spray caused me to go into anaphylaxis per say, but it did irritate my body which can trigger a problem. The heart problem may have been brought on by my autoimmune disorder but my heart is not causing my anaphylaxis.
Many of you want to pray for me, which I welcome. Understand that I want to be totally in God's will and ask that you only pray for God's will to be done. I know that I am exactly where God wants me to be. This is all part of his grand plan.
We do feel a need to ask that if you are wearing anything scented that you please not visit. I have been taken off one of the medicines that helped keep my airways open and have become even more sensitive to scents. I would never hurt anyone on purpose but it has become a real problem. If you have an allergy attack that makes your face ache, you probably go take an ibuprofen. I cannot do that. When I get mucus congestion in my sinuses, I can't go take a Sudafed and Mucinex. When I have pain it stresses my body, which raises my blood pressure. Both stressing my body can - once again - trigger my body to go into anaphylaxis.
I can barely comprehend all of this myself and certainly do not expect you to either. On a lighter note, I do not have any problem tolerating body odor! LOL! So feel free to visit me when you think you stink! HA!
Many people ask if there is anything they can do for me. Yes - there is. Pray for my family to have peace with what is happening. It is so much easier for me to be the sick one. I cannot fathom how I would feel if this were happening to one of them. Pray for my doctors and nurses - it is so discouraging when you can't "fix" what is wrong with your patient. There are so many residents and medical students that God has already used my body to teach them. I think that all of us enter the medical profession with the idea that we are going to make people better, but in reality you help people deal with what they are destined to bear. I have met some very special people on this journey. Nurses and doctors have cried with me, prayed with me and laughed with me. My purpose could be to teach them how to show that love to a patient. It is not for any of us to know or question.
Again - I would never hurt anyone on purpose. I love your visits. Just help me stay safe.
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