The first time I saw my current pain specialist he asked me the normal questions, “Do you smoke, drink, or do drugs?” When my answer to each question was no, he asked, “Not ever?”
“No,” I replied.
“Not ever!” he exclaimed in disbelief.
“No,” I said with a chuckle. “Why would I do that to myself? My heart works at 50%, my lungs at 50%, my hemoglobin is at 6.5, my liver and kidneys are always being watched . . . why would I do that to myself? I might as well get a shovel and start digging my own grave.”
When living with Sickle Cell Anemia, choosing to live a healthy lifestyle is the wisest one to make. Having Sickle Cell unfortunately means enduring certain complications. Despite this, you still have the control talked about earlier. Are you going to intentionally do things that will harm your body? Smoking, drinking, recreational drugs, and a poor diet are all things that are harmful to your health. If your lungs have only 50% capacity from Sickle Cell Disease, imagine how much less capacity they would have if you smoked? 40%? 30%? 20%? How many years would those tar-filled lungs take off your life? Many! However, not polluting you body with recreational toxins, how much better will your chances be at living to be fifty, sixty or perhaps even eighty? Your chances will be much improved.
Taking proper care of your body also means getting the appropriate amount of sleep, drinking plenty of water, following your doctor’s advice, taking your medications as directed, and all the other things discussed. It takes work, but the responsibility is yours to do all you can to prolong your health and your life.
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