About an hour past midnight, the stomach cramps were going away, and I was finally sleepy enough after reading for a couple of hours. The thermostat was set at 78º because that’s about as warm as I can tolerate it when going to sleep and because it’s better for the environment. I usually have to sleep with no covers on at this temperature, so when I got the urge to get a blanket to cover myself with, I knew that whatever had caused the stomach cramps was not sending me into a mild fever. For better or for worse, I like to let my body fight off whatever it’s fighting off on its own. I see pain as the body’s warning system, and it is something that shouldn’t be quickly dismissed using pain medication. Likewise with fevers: as long as they’re not high fevers, I think you should just let them run their course. Fever is the body’s way of preparing the battleground to make it easier to defeat whatever is infecting you. So I listened to my body and put on a blanket to “feel” comfortable even though I knew this meant an elevated body temperature. Later in the morning, I began to feel the cold sweat that usually signals the end of a fever. My body was now taking steps to bring the temperature back to normal. I felt relieved but still a little weak and with little appetite. It wouldn’t be until late in the afternoon before I felt 100% again.

I’m probably one of a few people that, in the middle of feeling like crap, you can’t help but marvel at the body’s immune response.