I've become all too aware in the last week or two just how complacent I've become about a few things.
You see one of my old tutors died from pneumonia when he was in hospital.
I've had pneumonia so many times now, and in so many different guises that it's become a running joke. Over the years I've checked myself into hospital with it and not even bothered contacting my friends because I know that it'll be fine after a short course of antibiotics.
Pneumonia only really kills people that have significant other problems with their health that mean that they can't fight it off. Strangely though I've got a real blind spot in remembering that I am in fact one of those people.
I have a compromised immune system so I have a markedly increased chance of having real problems with infections like that and I really need to remember that.
My immune system has been compromised deliberately I should say because it was doing it's best to try and kill me. Long term effects of the treatment I had in the regime for a bone marrow transplant 9 years ago has led to my immune system being unclear on what is actually my own tissue and what isn't.
As a result my body is rejecting its own lungs. Pisser!
I wonder if my not taking these things as seriously as I maybe should as being a defensive tactic though. If I start taking it seriously maybe then is when I'll actually be in real trouble. Who knows?
No comments:
Post a Comment