Cold and "a cold"

When you're paralyzed lots of things in your body don't work the way they're supposed to. The body's "thermostat" is one of the things that paralysis really affects.

Right after my accident I was always incredibly hot even though it was the end of November. Sometimes people would cover me up with blankets when I was asleep and I would wake up in the night burning up. I kept my hospital room in the ICU at a cool 65°F and sometimes nurses or other hospital personnel would change the temperature on the thermostat. Again, I would wake up in the middle of the night and be so uncomfortably hot, but I was unable to call for help or do anything about it.

Now fast-forward seven years from my accident. I still have major "thermostat" issues, but over the years they've gradually shifted to the other extreme. Where I once was always hot, now I'm always cold, except in the summer. From September to April I'm usually usually perpetually cold, even when the people around me aren't! When I feel cold it's so hard for me to get warm, even if I'm already under several blankets. I love having my face covered with a blanket because it helps keep me warm, and I often sleep with three or four blankets on me in the winter, with a blanket covering my face all night to keep me warm.

Another thing that helps keep me warm is having my head covered with a blanket. Sometimes people refer to me as "the flying nun" when I'm sporting my "blanket on the head" look. But what I always say is, "A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do to keep warm!" I know it's a comical thing to see, so I thought I would post three pictures from the past week of what I looked like when I was feeling cold.
Now to the portion of my post that I entitled "a cold."I'm remarkably healthy for someone who is paralyzed. I've only had two colds in the seven years since my accident. (Although I occasionally might get a sore throat, but that doesn't happen very often.) I got my first cold two years ago when I was around my sister Sharon's kids. My throat was very sore and I needed a lot of suctioning because there was so much fluid in my airway.

My sister Sharon visited this past week, and I got another cold from her kids! (A small price to pay to be able to see my nieces and nephews, though!) My cold has spread to some of the other people in the house, but fortunately it's only been the adults and not the kids. (Knock on wood!) It's a strange sensation to feel the need to cough, but to not physically be able to. I think I'm on the mend, but I will be glad when everyone in the house is feeling better and "cold free!"