Week 30: Despite receiving the vaccine for the swine, my health continued to decline....

Well you know what they say, especially when things are too good to be true.

I admit to being very, very lucky in having a pretty "easy" pregnancy up until now. It was almost like I was on cruise-control. No morning sickness, energy levels were up, no swollen ankles, baby development measures were normal - I was simply counting down and crossing off the days.

A week and a half ago, during my regular check-up with my OB, I had received the seasonal flu vaccine and the H1N1 flu vaccine. My doctor's office had just received it that day, and after giving it alot of thought and consideration, I had decided to take both vaccines. I was very concerned about this - I am usually not one to take seasonal flu vaccines. I would get the flu in college but would kinda power through it. And about once a year I get a really bad head cold, the kind for which you need a z-pack of antibiotics to get over, but that was it. I was by and large a fairly healthy person.

To a certain extent, I suppose that being made to take a vaccine was an infringement on my civil liberties. I want control over what is injected into my body. Why should I trust the CDC or these other faction groups for say as to what is healthy for me or not? They don't know me, they don't know my body, they don't know my health history. I had a hard time being convinced.

A couple of news stories - I admit - the media, helped change my mind. We just happened to have CNN on the television one weekend and they were talking about swine flu and pregnant woman and how a staggering 1 in 3 pregnant women come down with fatal cases of the swine flu. I had heard the number before - but it was when Tyler asked me pointedly, "...do you hear this?" that I really listened and let it stay with me. A few weeks later, I read in the local paper about a young, pregnant woman in the Midlands who had gotten the swine flu, gave birth to her child, then died. Pretty scary and severe thought to me - what if that happened? What if, God-forbid, I got sick, had to deliver this child early, and then perished? I immediately thought of my child...Tyler...my parents and family...my close friends. I quickly realized that this isn't about me - this is about life, something larger than me. The responsible thing would be for me to take the necessary precautions and measures that are recommended to ensure my health, safety, and well-being. Case closed.

So after having taken the flu vaccines, I was better prepared to face the world. But was only a matter of time before a seasonal head cold came out of no where and walloped back to reality. This sickness developed from an innocent head cold into mild pneumonia in a manner similar to how a tidal wave off the west coast of Africa develops into a Category 1 or 2 Hurricane. One day, you turn on the news and it is a big "wave" coming off the coast (what exactly does that mean, anyway?), and the next, it is a huge storm packing high winds threatening Cuba. Well apparently, that was what was happening in my system.

It all started off with a dry cough one afternoon that had me bed-ridden that evening and for the subsequent four days. I had honestly never felt so awful in my life. I wasn't running a fever (luckily, which would indicate the flu) but I felt like I had the flu - weakness, tiredness, some achiness in my lower & upper back, terrible dry & productive cough, wheezing. Definitely the type of stuff that over-the-counter meds couldn't really handle. When you are pregnant, there are limited types and brands of drugs that you can take, so having to stick close to that list made it even all the more difficult. I couldn't even take nyquil to knock me out so that I could sleep through the night. A trip to see my doctor revealed a serious diagnosis which would explain why I was feeling so badly from a seemingly seasonal cold - I had a mild pneumonia, which can result from the flu or common colds, and furthermore, this pneumonia may have been brought on by my suffering from asthma. What?! I had never been diagnosed with asthma in my life. Allergies - yes, I had always suffered from allergies. Apparently 40% of people who suffer from regular/severe allergies also suffer from asthma.

So, I was prescribed some strong, pregnancy-safe antibiotics that I'm supposed to take for 10 days, along with some other meds that are to alleviate my other symptoms. I'll have to deal with the asthma condition (possibly chronic?) after I fully recover, which may take 2-3 weeks. This is a serious blow to my productivity/preparation for Baby Smyth schedule. While I usually like to remain a busy-body in all aspects of my life, this illness has severely side-lined me, making me take note at how I really, really need to be taking it easy, watching my health, and taking extra care to put my feet up over these next several weeks. Not only does the baby need it, but I clearly need it too.