Sick to my stomach

         Why is it, whenever you feel ill, it's at its worst at night? Usually for long periods, through the night. You know, I have recently crossed the world, my day has become night, wouldn't you think that enough to fool the body into being ill during the day, thinking its night. Except no! Night time, going to bed, lying down ready to rest, feeling OK, and off it goes. I gradually begin to feel really ill. It begins the moment my head touches the pillow. You know the sort of ill I mean. The sort where you could easily sink into the mattress, and never rise, except for the groans wrenched from you as you experience, the chills, the nausea and the shivers. All wracking the poor flesh we expect to support us,as we live our lives. Inexorably it spreads through your system, seeming to reach every tender part of you, despite the fact you brian, your will, is trying to forcibly quell every unwelcome pulse of discomfort. Except no, like the tide, it sweeps through every pore, until you no longer know how to lie still, or how to move. Then the have a dilemma, you have the full blown attack.

         With suffering from M.E. or, exhaustion syndrome, as I do, I get these 'flu like' symptoms regularly. Made worse, or precipitated by tiredness, which, without warning, tips over into exhaustion. Of course, having jet lag right now, it's only too easy to do too much, and bring on an attact. Then with hardly sleeping last night, and having to get through the day, here we go again. You realise, tonights the night, no matter how you deplore, or resist it. It is a very unpleasant way to spend the night. A cross between the full blown flu, and a dose of food poisoning, if you can imagine that. 

         Suffice it to say it is very hard on the system, and feels as if you will die from it before you see daylight again. Of course, you don't. I believe you can so weaken your heart that eventually it can cause problems from that direction, but what's the good of dwelling on something so out of your control.you are far to focused on surviving the trembling of your body, and taking care of coping with the resulting vomiting, loose bowels, or both, that follows. Like with migraine, once you can actually vomit, you are through the worst, and can crawl onto the bed, to hopefully sleep a little. The next day, of course, you feel as if you have taken a major beating. Which, you have of course, you feel as delicate as someone with the D.Ts.

          With the title, sick to my stomach, it does not only describe my physical illness, it describes how tired of being unwell you become. I think sometimes, am I a hypochondriac? Always aware of how you are feeling, trying to gauge if you feel up to doing something, or if it's time to slow down, or stop. In addition, as with any illness, you must make an effort to improve your fitness level too. You can't become a mass of overweight, or quivering jelly, instead of muscle. My doctor once said, 'do as much excercise as you can, without exhausting yourself.' Now, thats a clever balancing act.

          So, to that end, even when I feel unwell, or tired, I try to walk. Even if it's only down the long stairs of the flats of my apartment building. Often, I walk to town instead of driving. This works if I am able to have a good sit down between trips back, and forth. It forces you to become a sitter on park benches, or anything else about the right hight. Or, in extremes of heat, to head into cafes. Of course I'm lucky, I take my phone, and my iPad with me. This means. I am never without something to do. I can tweet, Facebook, email, blog, surf the net, write, working on a book, or just read. What did we do before these innovations. Yeah, in know, find someone to talk to. Which, isn't always so easy to do, is it, people tend to be wrapped up in their own lives.

         The other thing I do to improve my fitness levels, is to swim. Now, I learnt to swim late in life, I was nearly thirty, so am not an ace swimmer. I plod along though, and I can do quite a few lengths, with resting in between. It's hard, as with any excercise, to actually get there, flogging yourself down to the pool, when you could be taking it easy. Once there though, and in the water, it feels good to move, to warm up, and get the blood flowing. To set yourself some goals, and to beat your owner record, to keep pushing. By the time you get out, you feel how much good it's done you. You feel like you can run a mile, or leap tall buildings. The adrenalin rush, I suppose, that buzz which most athletes find so addictive. Or, is that only me?

           OK, I suppose this topic can just be 'too much information' or it may help to know you are not the only one who has health problems. Not the only one who must make a real effort to get to the gym, or the pool, to keep fit. For whatever reason, we all need to make an effort with that, not become couch potatoes,e specially with all the more sedentary stuff available to us nowadays. It's important to get children swimming, running, and walking too. It's doubly important as you age. The older you become, the less you feel like doing anything physical, the more effort you should make. You know the saying, 'use it, or lose it', it's very true. I have seen my mother, who has an incredibly strong constitution give up moving. Unwilling to make the effort needed, to maintain some muscle tone. Now, ten, fifteen years later, she cannot walk more than a few faltering steps. I know she's old, but you don't also have to become infirm through inactivity. There are people of the same age, around her, still mobile, still strong. The only difference is, they kept using it!

          I hope it strikes a chord with some of you. I surely can't be the only creaking writer in the world. So remember, your health may be fickle, it may make life difficult, but don't let it rule you. There will days when you think its beaten you, but fight back. Every day is a new start, so begin it as if you  are the healthiest person in the world. Who knows, before many more years have gone, you may be. Or, if not, then at least alive, mobile, and enjoying life.

          Keep the brian active, the body mobile, and the attitypude positive.

          Bonne Chance!

          

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