An ‘Urgent’ Matter (Day 2)
Yesterday I went to Urgent Care. I know, not quite how I envisioned spending my Friday afternoon either. Certainly not the Friday before a long holiday weekend. Truth be told I didn’t want to go. I know I’m not unique in my distaste for Doctor’s visits but most ‘ailments’ I try to just ‘fight through.’ It doesn’t help that I physically cannot swallow pills so I’m kind of forced to just ‘fight through’ most things. Headache? Lay down for a bit with a cool washcloth on my forehead. Uneasy stomach? Cramps? Heating pad. Sore throat? Hot tea and honey. In most cases I prefer ‘at home’ or more ‘natural‘ remedies anyway but I’ve grown accustomed to not turning to pills at the first sign of something awry. Nor Doctor’s visits.
It all started Thursday afternoon. After a long day of sitting and staring at my computer screen, (what else is new), I started feeling a dull ringing and pressure in my ears and head. I’ve never been someone who gets headaches or migraines so I thought it a bit odd but figured I was just fatigued from the work week. Well, it persisted the remainder of the day. I struggled to focus, felt a bit foggy with a consistent, distant, dull pressure in the back of my head. I couldn’t even muster the strength to read before bed. So I closed my eyes early Thursday night and hoped for the best when I woke up the next morning. Another tried and true remedy for most of my ailments - ‘sleep it off.’
To my surprise, I woke up the next morning with the same dull pressure in my ears and the back of my head. In fact I even had remnants from a crusty discharge in one of my ears. (I know I know, TMI, but I’m painting a picture here). Okay, something was definitely up. I went about my morning routine as usual, did my workout, immersed myself in my lengthy to-do list for the work day, but in the afternoon it hit me again. That foggy feeling, that throbbing pain in the back of my head. Persistent, irritating, incapable of being ignored.
We dropped Coco off at her grooming appointment and found a nearby urgent care. It’s been years since I needed to locate one of those! The idea of an urgent care always feels so dire to me - perhaps it’s the fact that ‘urgent’ is in the title - but I guess it’s easier than going through the ordeal of finding a doctor’s office, getting an appointment and going in for a full work up. Although considering I spent $140 and over 2 hours there only to receive a clean bill of health, maybe the doctor’s office wouldn’t have been half bad...
To be honest, I was kicking myself as I left urgent care. What a waste. Of time, of money, of effort and energy and time I could have spent doing literally anything else on a Friday. But you know what, it served as a good reminder for me too. My first thought leaving the doctor’s office where I received a clean bill of health was ‘what a waste.’ I was more concerned with the money and time spent than my own health and well-being. Than with the fact that something could have been seriously wrong but instead I walked out with a gold star on my health report card.
Recently I was reading about how your body can physically manifest your innermost emotions. For example, did you know that breakouts on your face correlate to specific areas of your body and where you might be experiencing stress or emotional turmoil in your life? Interesting, right?? While I still don’t feel 100% today, I’m trying to slow down and examine what my body could be trying to express to me. Perhaps what it’s been trying to express for a while...
While I’m still slightly perturbed at my unexpected Friday afternoon activity, I can be grateful for what it demonstrated for me. The importance of slowing down every so often and paying more attention to what my body is trying to tell me. Maybe my natural ‘at home’ remedies aren’t so bad you know? But instead of a cool washcloth on my forehead, maybe it’s a matter of slowing down and checking in with myself more often, identifying the areas in my life that have changed, for better or worse, and understanding what I can and cannot control. Or perhaps what’s trying to control me...Your body, just as your mind, is a very powerful tool and at the end of the day it’s just looking out for its number one priority - Y-O-U. Isn’t it about time you did the same?