The last couple of days have been really rough. I feel like it has been one of those times that as a mom I really had to dig down deep to find the strength to keep going and get what I needed. On Wednesday I accidentally stepped into a nest of fire ants when getting out of the car at a friends house. The ants hurt when they bit, but the bites didn't get bad until Wednesday night. They were so excruciating that I couldn't sleep and continued that way until today. Benadryl and cortisone cream were not helping. What made this even worse is that my husband is out of town. I made it through Thursday but after another sleepless night I knew I needed to go to the doctor. I felt overwhelmed at asking others to help me, but came up with a small list of people to call and was able to find someone to watch the girls. The doctor immediately looked at my foot (with its 10 swollen bites) and said "these are infected, I think it is a staff infection." No wonder they were hurting so badly. She took a sample to get tested to find out for sure, and sent me on my way with antibiotics, steroids and painkillers. Tonight I can already tell the steroids are starting to work. I am not limping as badly and the swelling is going well. So... here are something that I learned from fire ants.
1. Wear sandals outside in Mississippi at your own risk.
2. When in doubt, go to the doctor. I wasn't sure if I should go or wait it out, and I am so glad that I did.
3. Being a mother is much hardest when you don't feel good, and it is hard to take care of yourself when you have others to care for.
4. It is ok to feel disappointed about missing out on fun activities because you are not feeling well. It is important to take care of yourself and be realistic about what you can and can not do.
5. Even though it is really hard, it is important to ask for help when you need it. It is not fair to assume that people will just know when you need it. I don't know why it is so hard for me to ask for help, but I think it has something to do with not wanting to admit I can't handle something by myself or inconveniencing others. What I realized today as I relied on people to watch my children, bring us food and care for us, was that everything was so much easier and better with the support and love from others. I am extremely thankful that we have such kind friends and neighbors here.
Hopefully I am on the road to recovery and will be back to myself in no time.
Sent from my iPhone
No comments:
Post a Comment