My First Fever (and why it made me giddy)
I remember it very clearly… because it was only 2 and a half years ago.
That's right. The first fever that both my mom and I can ever remember me having wasn't until I was almost 25 years old. I knew I had some sort of bug because I felt a little crummy and fatigued, but I had no idea that the sweat pouring from me during my interview was not due to nerves, but instead due to FEVER! (I still got the job offer somehow. But that's beside the point.)
You would think that this is me telling you that I never got sick as a kid. But that is SO wrong. Of course I had tons and tons of headaches and migraines, if you recall multiple of my previous posts; I had several colds every year (which all lasted FOREVER...ok maybe 2-3 weeks a piece, but it felt like forever); I had many bouts of nausea and vomiting-related illnesses; and I even had norovirus (I don't recommend this for anyone who has never experienced it. Probably the least glorious 48 hours of your life). And through those MANY illnesses, I never remember seeing a thermometer that read anything above 99.2 F. Sure, by a technical definition, it's a "fever" but let's be honest- it wasn't really doing much.
But on this day- that which I dub the day of my first ever fever- my temperature read much higher. I told my mom (who we were visiting that weekend) that it was 101 because I didn't want to scare her. Even then, she rushed to the next room to get me water and blankets and everyone's favorite fever-reducer, Tylenol. But as soon as she left, I got a huge smile on my face (even despite feeling like I was on death's doorstep) and whispered in Jake's ear, "Hey. I lied. It's 103!"
First of all, sorry for lying, mom. But seriously- what a whack-o I am for LOVING having a 103 fever, right?
But looking back now, I could almost cry to know that my body NOW has the ability to even have a fever at all! And a GOOD one, too! In the same way that you wouldn't drink water right from a stream while camping without first boiling the water, a fever is our body's way of killing the nasty critters that have gotten into our system. And for the majority, if not all, of my life I was incapable of doing that! But why?
TYLENOL. Perhaps the biggest culprit for me. As I've said before, I was kind of perpetually on Tylenol throughout high school due to my headaches. But on top of that, if I had any sort of illness, this was my family's quick go-to cure-all for my entire life. So any time that I MIGHT have possibly had a fever, we squashed the possibility with this antipyretic (the pharmaceutical term for fever preventer/reducer). But I stopped taking (near) daily antipyretics when I was 21. Why did I not get a fever until I was almost 25? This part is conjecture here: I truly believe that it took me that many years to detox the antipyretics from my system enough that I could begin to have a proper immune response. Medications are no joke, guys. And if your doctor isn't discussing proper use with you and potential risks (none of my doctors did), make sure YOU do your research.
SUBLUXATION. Yes. Chiropractic plays a role here (of course! Would I be writing it in our CFC blog if it didn't?). From my very first adjustment, my C1 (the first bone at the top of my spine) has always been a stinker. My C1 has an extra little piece on it that some people have and some don't (just a variation of normal), it's also a big reason why I'm more prone to headaches when it's not in alignment. But on top of that, C1 is a huge player in keeping us in our "brake pedal mode" for those of you who have been in the office. As a reminder, brake pedal functions are things like growth and development, sleep, and immune responses. So if C1 and its associated nerve aren't doing what they're supposed to, that can switch you into gas pedal mode. And when you're stuck in gas pedal mode...well now your immune response isn't near what it's supposed to be.
Who can I almost always guarantee has a C1 subluxation as soon as they walk in our door? C-section babies. Guess what kind of birth I was brought into this world by? Yup. C-section.
But since this fever, I have never been healthier!
Sure, I still get sick! But now, I can actually get a fever! And I have more of a loving relationship with my fevers than I do of despising them. This means that I let them run their course, which in turn means my body is burning off the nasty bugs faster! There are lots of reasons I'm overall more healthy, but this is one of the key reasons.
So if you're scared to let you or your child have a fever, do some reading on the importance of a fever! There are certainly safe limits of when to allow the fever to do its thing vs try to limit it, but generally speaking, we welcome fevers at our house with open arms!