All these "ailments" got me thinking of my illnesses I have endured in my 23 years and how they have made me who I am today. You see I may have been blessed with a "FIVE" head (Yes.. you read that right... My forehead is so large it takes five fingers to cover it... thus the "five"head was created) or even a nose that has no true practical use which as led me to become a mouth breather out of pure survival need. But the one thing I did not receive was a the gift of a great immune system.
I have Asthma. I know most of you actually picture a partially overweight kid sitting on the sidelines sucking on an inhaler, breathing like a pug when you think Asthmatic 7 year old Kelsey and for the most part you are correct. Except in my case I was lucky enough to be raised in beautiful West Texas where the wind and dust stir up the fun things like Black Lung and Tuberculosis so I was always found "chillin" with the older kids in my mother's classroom. See I couldn't "play" outside in the wind because about 10 minutes into it I would be laying on the ground gasping for air like a fat little fish out of water. Nemo had his special fin... I guess I had my special lung...
Now don't let this Asthma thing fool you... I was like the coolest wheezing kid around... I had a sweet inhaler, a portable breathing machine and my mom even took me to Dillard's one time to find a sweet cosmetic bag for the meds... ya.. jealous yet?
The time I got to spend inside with those pre-pubescent years led me to who I am today... I developed an unnatural love affair with school supplies and organization (yes I do obsessively buy storage magazines and yes I would probably need an inhaler if I walked into a container store), I totally was able to find the "snack drawer" Mrs. Leventhal hid (hello childhood obesity) and most importantly I had time to develop my sense of humor. Ya that's right... when all the other "athletic" kids were outside practicing those kick-ball skills I was inside working on my sweet jokes.
My health history isn't just limited to my asthma experiences... I have been blessed numerous times... I can't forget the time I was pushed out of the back of truck into an ant-bed and broke my arm... or the time I went in to get a shot for the common cold and was called 45 minutes later by the doctor himself to say "Ughh sorry Ms. Carlile we had a mix up with your chart... I am going to need you to come in and get an Epi-Pen because you may or may not go into anaphylactic shock shortly!" AHHH GOOD TIMES!
You see when you live in my world... any illness can turn into something BIG... when everyone else gets the flu... Your girl gets Mad Cow Disease. When everyone else gets a sunburn that peels in a few days... I have an allergic reaction to the sun resulting in SECOND-DEGREE Burns (ex. Family Camping Trip of 2010). The list goes on and on... You name... I have probably had it... Toothpick in the belly that went unnoticed by my mother for years... CHECK... An arm broken while walking around in my mother's heels that I had to make a makeshift bandage for... CHECK...
4 dry-sockets after my wisdom teeth removal after being prescribed medication that landed me in the ER... CHECK...
I am a lucky girl... what can I say. As for all of my Facebook friends that have fallen ill... sorry and I hope you feel better soon... but look at the bright side... you could always have a chunk of skin ripped off by an industrial grade sticker that results in a staph infection on your face...
So until then... go get some Ny-Quil, curl up in a snuggie and read my blog... They always say Laughter is the Best Medicine and I can a test to that... It has cured me so far :)
This is Mrs. Stell saying "It ain't easy being wheezy!"
Oh my word! One word, drama..
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