Side-effects

Sometimes I see the commercials for prescription medications on television and when they speak in hushed tones about the possible side-effects I wonder if the medication is worth it.

Yesterday I took some migraine medication and we ended up reading the pamphlet, err the Husband read it and I listened for matching symptoms accompanied by phrases like "seek immediate medical care.  The beauty of the medication is my migraine went away.  The  problem was I became incredibly weak and anything touching my skin hurt like the dickens (including the tender kiss of my 4 yo who actually gave a tender kiss,not a tackle hug.).

Fortunately, I did not experience a heart attack (possible side-effect) nor did I get a headache (another side effect), to which the Husband asked, "Isn't this medication to get rid of your headache?" or even nausea.

The side-effects were odd but not frightening and while the pamphlet was full of doctor-ese making me want to ask a medical professional friend to decipher it for me. I apparently didn't require medical attention.  (At least I didn't seek any and I'm writing to you today, so let's assume I am fine.)

Side-effects can be minor or major.  They can be a wrinkle in the day or a major event in life.  Sometimes we have to weigh the possible side-effects versus the expected benefit.

With medications, we usually can read (or attempt to translate) the side-effect information and be warned of the possibilities.  Often in life we can anticipate some of the side-effects (aka consequences) of our behavior and weigh the outcomes.  However, sometimes we are faced with what the Husband refers to as unintended consequences (the things you do not anticipate biting you on the backside).

When we are experiencing side-effects, we can learn from them.  In this case, I will think about how bad my head really hurts before taking a pill because either way, I will be out of commission.  I didn't know this from reading about possible side-effect, only from my experience.

My experience in life has been that I can try to anticipate every possibility and even keep my expectations low but things will not usually happen just as I expect or plan or rehearse them in my head.  Only hindsight is 20/20.

Thankfully, no matter how it shakes down, no matter what the side-effects are or whether I anticipate them or not, I can count on God to be right there with me and you and all of us.

Lord, thank you for walking through all the side-effects in life with us.

-Peace