Le’ Jab
Flu and cold season, Winter is here! No one likes falling ill but parents with school going children suffer since the young ones pick up all sorts of bugs and bring them home to nest. This was of course never an issue before we had children and my Kenyan super genes would leave most ailments running away from, instead of towards me. 😂 After over a decade of not living in your birth country you notice that your body starts to change and ailments, which mistook you for a ninja now slide their way in because they identify you as a local. Hehe. Diaspora residents understand what I am talking about. As a result of the changes in my genetic composition, (I dare anyone to tell me otherwise), the annual flu jab club was swiftly joined but not without a dramatic push.
In January 2016, I was taken ill with a serious bout of pneumonia. The worst strain otherwise known as legionnaires disease. The name alone sends shivers down most medics and if you are a spiritual person, a legion of anything is ‘NOT’ good. I have acquired an insane knowledge of medical terminology from obviously watching numerous medical dramas, (as unrealistic and played up as they sometimes are), and being surrounded by family members in the medical profession. My mother and I call ourselves ‘doctors by association,’ which is very cool and obviously annoying to those around us who have had to hone in their skills with years of studying and dealing with daily medical dilemmas. You can only imagine how alarmed I was when I heard the words; ‘My patient needs urgent hospitalisation. I believe she has has pneumonia with suspected sepsis!’
It clarified what I was feeling before when I rang the NHS direct emergency number and they asked my husband to act fast and get me to the doctor. After sniffing on death’s door and being admitted for almost week; I was left with a weakened immune system. It took months for me to feel like a normal human being. Legionnaires left me a parting gift in the form of scarred lungs. (I’ll try get a copy of the scans and add them here). I was assured that the scarring was not permanent and they would eventually get better.
We now have to have the flu shot every year for the reasons stated above, even though some argue that it does not work. I will take any prophylactic measures available even if some are placebos as I never want the kids or hubby to be as ill as I was.🤞 Before this I used to run and intermittently sprint for 3 miles every other day. This had to stop because the discomfort was unbelievable and I would get breathless within minutes of attempting any exasperating activity. I only started running again comfortably this past summer.
I should add that my circumstances were exceptional as Legionnaires is rare and comes from contaminated water sources and ventilation i.e. air conditioning units. The children have their flu jab at school and this time I encouraged them to come along to my appointment with the aim of tackling their fear of injections.
Very few people enjoy having injections; with this in mind I have been thinking that as injections are sometimes necessary, it would be helpful as parents to show our children that we can be vulnerable, bear the same aversion even as adults and how we cope. This in my view helps break the fear if done in a positive way.
The girls’ were motivating, telling me it was for my own good. One held my hand and advised me to look away as the injection was administered. I told them the main reason I asked them to come was to keep the Kenyan in me from jumping out of the windows as I had mapped out where they were positioned plus any other exits and made my plan to leg it as soon as the nurse looked away. I shared my plan with the child most likely to sing like a canary and tell on me loudly. She did not fail to deliver. As soon as we walked, in she started giggling and blabbered everything out loud for everyone to hear whilst making Daddy aware of my intentions. They thought it was hilarious and cautioned me against bringing embarrassment to the family by having medical professionals chase me down the streets. Chanel brought along her dolly and talked to me calmly as I got the shot whilst Georgiana held onto my strong legs. I was lucky enough to even get a treat for being a good girl. Stickers and a dim sum lunch… of course. Injections are serious and one needs proper feeding after 😂.
They were so proud of me and the story was all they would talk about all week and how they helped mummy conquer her fear of needles.
We watch Operation Ouch, which has been a tremendous help in the children’s understanding of how infections work and spread; I strongly recommend it. The following are just basic reminders on how to guard yourselves this winter:-
When sneezing, cover your mouth and wash your hand immediately after
First thing when you get home, wash your hands thoroughly. I still use the ‘happy birthday to me twice as a guide for how long to wash hands and if you are having an awful day it will lift up your spirit and those around you. The number of times I have, (mostly deliberately), hummed it loud in public bathrooms and watched the warmth get into peoples faces are too many to count and very satisfying. I dare you to try it.😉
Drink a lot of fluids to replace what you lose through mucous and watery eyes when its cold. Most people do not realise how much they lose this way, look it up and you will be astonished.
Strip and shower or bath school going children as soon as they get home. This might sound extreme but germs tend to linger on the hands and surfaces. By doing this immediately stops anything they bring home from spreading around and or coming after you. Kids tend to get immune to some of the ailments around them naturally through constant exposure which explains why you will sometimes catch things as they bounce around unscathed.🤔 p.s. We air kiss when they get home… I have a family of greek smooching individuals who attack my cheeks and face as soon as they all get home, so I had to institute the air kiss for home coming hello’s until later, which has become a family thing. Sometimes if they walk in seemingly grumpy, I air kiss from their heads to their feet, (from a distance), which leaves them in stitches😆.
Dress up warm during the cold months, (naturally). Tip. I highly recommend snoods over scarfs for keeping one toasty and the ones in children’s section will expand to accommodate most adult necks so do not go spending too much on those. I recently picked up the most beautiful thick faux fur snood from peacocks after walking in looking for slime. My savvy eye caught this beautiful pink snood swaying, (yes that is how shop items call me, lol). It was unbelievably gorgeous and obviously has no business being on any 6-10 year old as stated on the tag.
Lastly , (this is just from my African momma observation), has anyone noticed how we all tend to breath through their mouths more when it is cold outside? You go for a walk or walk through the mall and there they are, the army of mouth breathers! (This is the body’s natural reaction to a downward dip in temperature). So when one person sneezes, the germs flies through the air and voila we are all eating it up, YUK, YUK and even more YUK!!! So I say, let’s try and breath through the nose, it filters a lot, and if you ingest whatever is out there, it’s not as much as you would with a mouth wide open …aha… that got you thinking didn’t it?
With love and for high hearted humour cloaked over all the serious stuff…
Ahabi lifestyle… Irene X
