Living With Side Effects
I went on antibiotics this past weekend for an ear infection. I seem to get the same infection every year at this time. A friend, who’s a PA, visited and prescribed some antibiotics. It appears to be helping, but yuck…
My stomach is really funky – nausea ;(
Of course that’s part of taking medications, right? All medicines have side effects. I once got a script for sinus headaches that listed “headaches” as a side effect, wth?
The pills they advertise on TV are loaded with side effects. Rather than just ignoring or muting, actually listen to one of them next time– its unbelievable.
There’s a fat blocker pill that lowers cholesterol but causes “anal leaking” – I’m pretty sure I’d rather be fat, just saying. That side effect isn’t worth the benefit.
One of my closest friends is battling cancer right now. He’s on chemo twice a month - it’s decreasing the size of his tumor and lessening the cancer markers. Which is great news! But he’s nauseated all of the time and has lost most of his hair. He told me the other day over the phone that he looked like Gollum from Lord of the Rings. But if he’s winning, the side effects are definitely worth it.
Pretty much everything has side effects. And a not just medication, anything beneficial usually has some sort of one off challenge or struggle.
Maturity requires us to stop being selfish and blaming others
Loving requires us to put others’ needs ahead of your own
Physical Health requires restraint and discipline
Building requires plans, preparation, implementation, and work
Budgeting requires impulse control
Living requires dying
Leading requires following
Service requires serving
You get the point, right? Everything has a side effect - a price of admission so to speak.
The question is, “are we willing to live with the side effects required to improve our health”?
