Why taking time to heal is necessary after illness.

So, you and your family just had the stomach virus. It pretty much knocked the whole family out for a few days but now everyone is back on their feet and ready to take on the world! No need to slow down right?

Wrong.

I'll give you a little backstory about my family's recent battle with Gastroenteritis, commonly called the stomach flu or the stomach bug. My son came down with it first and then my husband and I came down with it a few days later. Me, being a cardiac patient, had a bit more difficulty than the average person. I became extremely dehydrated after vomiting over 16 times in a span of 7 hours. I had to go to the hospital to get my heart stabilized and some IV fluids. I felt much better after the fluids and went home to continue the healing process. 

The glamorous, I haven't slept in 36 hours, hospital selfie

My husband and I didn't have much of an appetite the first day for obvious reasons. The next day (Tuesday) we were both feeling much better- weak but better. By Wednesday we both felt fine, I had some residual weakness from having heart issues, but didn't feel sick anymore. 

This time.. this time right here.. the time that you feel fine, like nothing happened. When those midnight trips to the bathroom as you vomited your guts out feel like a distant memory. These are the moments that I would like you to remember what your body and immune system has just been through!

I mean, THANK GOD, that you take probiotics everyday and lead a pretty healthy lifestyle, right? maybe?

Now is the time to rebuild your immune system and baby it a little. Now is the time to slowly and I mean SLOWLY reintroduce foods to your body. It is the time to take extra naps, rest as much as possible, and REMEMBER what you just went through!

How to strengthen your immune system after illness:

​I like to look at building my immune system like sculpting something out of clay, as a work towards something beautiful. Your immune system was literally just fighting a battle. You might feel slightly betrayed, especially if you did everything you could to PREVENT getting sick, but it happens sometimes! 

Now is the time to replenish friendly bacteria in the gut! All those probiotics you've been taking? Well they just put up one heck of a fight! Some of them were definitley wounded or lost in battle! Now is the time to double up on probiotics.