The Invisible Woman

I have clearly been the invisible woman as of late.  Spring always gets away from me.  I suppose that is why it is nice to slow down during the heat of summer.  The last couple of weeks I have been having some abdominal pain.  At its worst it felt like labor contractions.  The can't stand still or imagine sitting or hardly even breathing type of pain.  It was pain that landed me in the emergency room for some anti-cramping meds, blood work and an x-ray.  The next day I went to my internist and he repeated the blood work and ordered a CT scan.  I had also added on a fever to my laundry list of symptoms.  My doctor could see my pain and was kind enough to prescribe a narcotic pain reliever to help get me through the next few days. 

The next day, the cavalry arrived: my parents.  They took me to my appointments (no driving allowed on narcotics).  They picked up the little ladies from preschool and attended my appointments with me.  Oddly, but thankfully, all of my tests were negative.  He gave me antibiotics since my fever indicated some kind of infection. 

This experience has reminded me how much I value my health.  My doctor had been convinced he would be hospitalizing me when I returned to see him after my tests.  God protected me and my family from that scary experience.  I still have no idea what caused this pain.  It is mostly gone, but not entirely.  It has forced me to slow down this week.  I hate slowing down.  My house is a disaster.  I have not made a single dinner all week.  I have had to rely on Husband to feed the girls, clean the kitchen and look the other way when coming home to this dirty house.  However, at the end of it all we have survived intact.  The girls are in need of a bath.  The floor is in need of a good scrubbing.  We all need a nice healthy dinner soon.  However, we are fine. 

I hope to keep this experience in mind when I am feeling overwhelmed.  Clearly I have been taught a lesson this week by the almighty.  God knew I needed a smack to learn the lesson of slowing down and enjoying my family.  I needed to learn to ask for help.  Husband is not disappointed in me or my efforts this week.  I needed to learn to let go of my unreasonable expectations of myself.   While I would have preferred to miss out on the pain, I would not have consented to slowing down without it.  Thus, I praise God for the experience.