A few months back, my mom and I booked flights to South Korea to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday. It was an exciting journey for our family because it will be the first time that all of us (my mom, dad, sister, me and my husband) would get to travel abroad together. Planning the itinerary, preparing documents for our visa, checking out accomodations, contacting people we know from Korea, researching - I was so into it! I was so into it that I even set aside my time to prepare things for our baby. I thought to myself that I would get back into baby-preparation-mode when we get back from Korea.
But a few days before our flight, I got sick. I had fever, colds and cough. My mom got worried because of course, she wants me to be okay. Brian also got worried because I would have on-off fevers during the night. Then, we finally decided to go to the doctor to have myself checked. That was a Saturday. Just 3 days away from our scheduled vacation. My OB Gyne just gave me medicines for my colds and cough. She also gave me clearance that I could fly given that I won't have fever by that time. I was a bit relieved.
The next day, that was a Sunday, Brian and I weren't able to go to church. I woke up with a fever and Brian noticed some rashes on my face. We finally decided to go to the ER just to make sure that I will be okay. When we got to the hospital, I was immediately taken care of by the doctors. They placed me in an isolated room in the emergency. Doctors came in and out of the room and I kept hearing something that I didn't want to hear. They were suspecting that I have measles. And that I have to be admitted for monitoring. That was two days before our vacation. Imagine my desperation to get well!
My mom and my sister went to the hospital as soon as Brian told them that we were in the emergency. They both assured me that the doctors might just request me to stay for a night in the hospital to monitor me and the baby. I was a bit relieved by the idea. I thought to myself that in a few days, I'll be okay and we'll all be spending a nice Spring vacation in Korea. So we stayed. Brian's parents came over immediately as soon as they heard the news and I was just so happy to see people being there for me and praying for me and the baby.
Then came the next day. My face was full of rashes. I wasn't able to sleep the night before because I was having a hard time breathing. My upper back was aching and I requested Brian to ask for an oxygen tank. I never imagined myself relying on that tank so that I could breathe. The doctors immediately requested for an X-ray to be done on me. I was a bit hesistant because x-rays are a big no-no for pregnant women. But we trusted the doctors so I went for the procedure. Maybe they requested the x-ray to be done because I was complaining that I can't breathe and that my upper back hurts. And during that second day at the hospital, I felt worse. I felt weak. My body temperature was swinging from 38-degrees to 39-degrees. It was bad for the baby because his heart rate was going up. I was being constantly monitored and constantly given medicine to bring my body temperature down. My mom was also constantly wiping me with a cool towel to help bring my body temperature down.
Then came the day we were supposed to leave for Korea. I was still in the hospital. The doctors have confirmed that I have measles and pnuemonia. But it was good to hear that they said that I'm out of the danger zone. All I need to do is to rest and make sure that I won't relapse with pnuemonia. My measles are now manageable and the rashes are slowly fading. My OB Gyne even checked on the baby through ultrasound and he's perfectly fine. He was "lounging" in my belly with his legs crossed. But the fact still remains that I'm still in the hospital. Brian and I were a bit disappointed that we won't be able to fly to Korea.
I got discharged the day after. I was advised by the doctor to stay indoors for a week and make sure that I would have less contact with people. He said that I wasn't contagious anymore but that contact with other people could make me sick since my immune system is still down and recovering. Korea was really out of the picture. But when Brian and I got home, I was just relieved to be out of the hospital. I was relieved that my baby is okay.
Brian stayed with me at home for the week. I was so thankful to God that He gave me Brian to take care of me during this particular time in our lives. He was always there to assist me when I needed something. He made sure I was resting well. He made sure I was comfortable. He would even wake up in the middle of the night just to soothe me when I would have cough attacks. He even cooked for me. I was just so thankful to have someone like him beside me. Of course there would be times when we would still think of Korea but our health is our priority.
After all these experiences, I realized that sometimes, our plans don't go the way we want them to unfold. It's disappointing and frustrating at times but at the end of the day, it's really God's plans that pushes through. We may think that our plans are good - sometimes self-serving - and that it's fool-proof but really, who knows what will happen in the future? I guess the past days have been a wake up call for me to slow down. Maybe God is telling me to refocus my priorities. Maybe God is telling me to look at His bigger picture and not just at the tiny details that I like.
Right now, I'm more than excited. Excited for the future that God has in store for me. Excited for the baby. Excited for the vacations that we will have together. Brian and I may not be able to travel now but I know that God has something way better in store for us in the future.
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