Okay, goodnight now.

Iva

So, white hair at 25 years old? I’m technically not 25 years old for another 3 days, but within the last 2 weeks, I have found, and successfully pulled out TWO white hairs. I went from dark brown, to white. What happened to the grey? Seriously. Sounds kinda stupid, but it’s disturbing to be turning white at my age. Maybe it was a fluke, after all, I’ve been totally stressed out lately.

One reason I’ve been stressed out? My 7 month old kitten ate 24 inches of string and had to have major emergency surgery! Then, she refused to eat and lost almost 2 pounds, which is a lot for a 5 pound, 7 month old kitten! She’s doing better now, but oh if she knew what she put her loving family through! lol.

Well, off to bed so this is going to be another short post. I promise I’ll start posting more, and publishing more of my articles here. It’s my March resolution!

Iva

At my place of employment, all of the nurses had a conversation about the H1N1 Swine Flu one day during our lunch break. We all agreed that for the average person, the H1N1 vaccine probably posed more of a health risk than just catching the virus. This new vaccine contains Mercury, and has caused death for approximately 80 people who have taken the vaccine around the world. No, 80 is not a lot, but a lot of people haven’t actually died from H1N1 Swine Flu either. Think about it. Over 300,000 people die annually from the seasonal flu. Do you hear about every single case on the news when someone dies from seasonal flu? No. When every single person who dies from H1N1 Swine Flu is reported to the media, it seems to the public that the virus is killing more than it actually is. Get my drift? It causes an unnecessary panic.

Personally, I do not know anyone, including any health professional who has gotten or plans to get the H1N1 Swine Flu vaccine. They all agree that it’s just not worth it. H1N1 Swine Flu is in most cases, less severe than the seasonal flu. It usually doesn’t last as long in duration, and has milder symptoms overall than the seasonal flu. Plus, people born before 1970 may already have some natural immunity to this new virus, as in years passed, there were several flu strains that were very similar to H1N1 Swine Flu.

Personally, I have H1N1 Swine Flu right now. I went to the doctor today and tested positive for it. I will tell you how I feel. Today is the third day that I have been sick. The first day, I had chest congestion and a slight cough. The second day I had a little more chest congestion, a cough, and a mild fever. Last night, I had a fever around 101 degrees Fahrenheit, and the chills. I woke up this morning to chest congestion, coughing, and nausea. I’m not saying that this virus is pleasant at all, because it isn’t. I was prescribed Tami-flu to take twice a day for five days. Hopefully, the Tami-flu will lessen the severity of my symptoms, and shorten the duration of my illness by 1-2 days. For nausea, I was given Phenergan, and for my cough and congestion I was given some Vicodin. (Helps suppress an area in the brain that triggers the need to cough). I have had seasonal flu before, and so far, knock on wood, the H1N1 Swine Flu has not been as bad for me as the seasonal flu that I have had in the past. I’m trying very hard to make sense right now as, yes, I am taking all of my medication, including the Vicodin as prescribed.

Hand-washing is the most simple method to prevent infection from H1N1 Swine Flu. The virus is spread through airborne droplets from coughing or sneezing in the air up to six feet away. You can also be infected if you touch an infected surface such as a doorknob and then touch your eyes, nose, or mouth. The virus can live for 2-8 hours on surfaces outside of a human body. If soap and water are unavailable, use an alcohol based hand-gel and rub into your hands for thirty seconds.

If you or a family member living in the same household is sick, take every precaution not to spread the virus within your home. Use separate linens and towels while sick, and try to spray your bathroom with Lysol before exiting. If possible, restrict infected persons to a “sick room” and even have them use their own bathroom until they are well. Wash linens and eating utensils well with hot temperatures and do not hug infected linens to your body before placing them into the washing machine. Dispose of used tissues immediately into the trashcan, and Lysol telephones after use.

I believe that personally, the best treatment is to rest, drink LOTS of fluids, and keep your fever down. Rest, sleep and fluids are essential to healing, and not allowing your temperature to increase to an unsafe level will protect your body from damage due to denaturing of proteins in your organs including the brain. Remember to wash your hands often, and seek treatment at your local emergency room or doctor’s office if you think you have the H1N1 Swine Flu. If you have other health problems, this virus could be life-threatening. This article is my own personal opinion and should not be used as a diagnosis, or plan of treatment. Always seek professional medical advice and a thorough check-up if you believe that you are sick. Good luck, and I hope that no one else catches this virus! For more information, you can check out the Centers for Disease Control at www.CDC.gov.

I have loved you since the first moment that I met you. I remember that day, over 10 years ago, and I know that you remember it too. I didn’t think you were interested in me at first, but I thought about you all weekend long. You were all that I talked about to my friends, and they were  sick and tired of hearing, “Do you think he likes me too?”. I was only 14 years old, and you had just turned 16, but we started “going out”, and made it all the way through high school. You held my hand when Papaw died. He was my father, and I’m so sorry that you never got to meet him. He was a gift from God to me. He died only a month after I met you. He held on long enough to find a man that he could give me to. He knew that you would take care of me and be the best husband that I could ever ask for. You were there for me when Daddy and Charlie died three months apart. Not only did you help me, but you helped my family through the difficult times from losing three dear members of our family so close together. I remember your first car. It was a Buick LeSabre. It was bluish and the fabric on the top was coming off and blew around in the breeze when you drove it. I remember watching out of the living room window as you came to get me for the first time after you got your driver’s license. We used to go to the mall and take small trips during the days, and ride around in your car in the evenings. Those were wonderful times. You used to write me notes in school that you would hand me in the hallways in-between classes. You would give me a quick peck on the lips as the minute bell rang and I would sit in my seat and read your love-letters. On Valentine’s Day you always gave me something extra special. Do you remember the year that you gave me a stuffed bear and that huge balloon filled with roses and candy? I remember when you told me you had enlisted in the Army and I was so afraid for you. I went to your BASIC training graduation and I stayed in the hotel for four days with you before you had to leave and go to Airborne school. When you graduated from that, we drove home together and you had a couple of weeks before going to your first duty station. You helped me move out and go to college which was only an hour and a half from your Army base. That was another gift from God. I remember when you told me that you were leaving for Iraq and my heart sank in my chest. I wrote you a letter every night before bed and mailed it the next day on my way to class. I cherished letters and phone calls from you which did not come often as you were in war fighting to protect our country and everyone’s freedom. When you came home you had lost so much weight, and we went to eat at Huddle House. I stayed with you a few days at the base before having to go back to school. I took a semester off and we got married that next February. We moved into our first apartment together and the next day you were locked down on base for a week. That December we were in the living room watching television when you got a phone call. I went to the bathroom and you told me through the door that you were being deployed to Iraq again in 6 days. I was so scared. I remember crying and feeling like my world was coming to an end. We missed our first Christmas together. We missed our first anniversary together. Those were 6 hard months of my life, being without you, but they were even harder on you. You were in a foreign country, at war again, and away from your family. A couple of months after you got back you were gone again for 3 more months training other soldiers. We were able to talk on the phone, but I missed you holding me as we slept. Then, you were gone again for a month for training. A few months later, you were deployed to Afghanistan. We missed another Christmas, another New Years, another anniversary, another Easter, but we were still as much in love as always. I had moved back home where we had grown up together since your contract with the Army would be up soon. I remember being in the middle of my Psychology class when I got your phone call. “I got blown up today”. You had driven over a buried road-side bomb in Afghanistan and was badly wounded. I tried to get my Passport, but I couldn’t come see you. You had a brain injury, an injury to the spine in your back and neck, and shrapnel wounds. You stayed in a tent outside the hospital for a month because they had so many injured and not enough beds inside the hospital. Now, you’re permanently disabled, but you still work as hard as you can. You were stop-lossed. The Army kept you longer than you had signed up for, but you finally made it home. We’re living with my Mamaw now to take care of her, and we are all happy together. You have stood by me through thick and thin. I had a fever for months and was sick, but no doctor could figure out why. I was so depressed that I was starting to lose hope, but you never let me give up. YOU gave me hope. I knew that you needed me, and I pulled through. I want you to know how much I love you. I could never live without you. I am so grateful to have you in my life. YOU are another gift from God. He knows that no man could love me as much as you do, nor take care of me the way that you have. You are the only man that I have ever been with, and I am the only woman that you have ever been with. That is special in these times, and it is very romantic. I will never be with anyone else. I love the way you hold me at night and make me feel so safe. You caress my hair and kiss my neck. I feel so loved and protected and want you to know that no one else could ever make me feel the way that you do. I love to lay my head on your chest and hear your steady heartbeat. You hold my hair when I am sick and rub my back when I am scared. You comfort me, and your gentleness is amazing. I never have a need that is unspoken for. I do not have to worry about paying the bills or providing for my family as you take care of all of that. I just wanted to write this letter so that the whole world could see how much you mean to me. I love you with all of my heart and soul and will always be happy as long as we belong to each other. You are my life, my love, and my everything. You are the man of my dreams, and I was blessed the day that we were married. I am yours for all of eternity and you will have my devotion and my love, forever. I love you dear husband. No matter what, do not forget how much you mean to me, and how much I love you.

I love you!

Love,
Your Wife