I received a peculiar response from heaven tonight.
I purchased and moved into my condo back in 2017. I'm pretty sure the HVAC system that came with the place also came with the condo when it was first built (back in 1978).
The system was never strong enough to cool my home in the summer or heat it in the winter - so it would run non-stop, never getting to the degree I set it at - even when the emergency heat was running.
This had a HORRIBLE effect on my electric bill - but my brother lived with me and helped offset the cost. In 2020 (in March I believe), I went ahead and got a new HVAC system installed.
Since my bedroom faces the rising sun, it's comfortably cool in the summer but gets extremely cold in the winter, so I purchased a heating blanket and then later a ceramic space heater (the kind with the built-in fan to move the air).
After I got the new HVAC system installed, I no longer had a need for the heating blanket and only used the space heater (that way I can keep the rest of my home cooler at night and only keep my bedroom warm - to save on my electric bill).
Later in the year, when covid really became an issue, I began working remotely - and I have been ever since.
Back in early October (of this year), I woke up one day with incredibly intense pain in my head, face and my left-upper jaw. I thought something was going on with my teeth.
It was strange, because I've had tooth pain before, and my teeth weren't sensitive to the touch - but it still felt like they could fall out at any minute. "Maybe I have an infection", "Maybe I was grinding my teeth", I thought. As the hours went on, the pain dissipated.
Next day, woke up again, exact same pain. So at this point, I'm thinking there's something I'm doing - because I had no pain last night. But I still didn't know what I was doing to cause the issue. What was different?
I believe at this point I realized that it might not be my teeth at all, but rather my sinuses - but I still had no idea what exactly was the issue. "I had the space heater on - could that be it?", I thought.
Then I thought, "But how? I've had my space heater for a few years now, and have used it every fall/winter since."
Still not entirely convinced of anything, my brother had an old Mucinex pill - so I took it thinking it might help alleviate the pain. BIG MISTAKE. Gurl, that is not what Mucinex is for.
I felt even worse - so I forced myself to go to sleep - and sleep until I felt better, which I did toward the evening.
So then I did a google search - space heater and sinus pain - and there were immediate correlations. "But why so different now after so many nights of use - after all these years?", and I thought, "I wonder if it's because of my age."
I stopped using the space heater and began using my heating blanket when needed along with a humidifier and haven't awoken in pain since.
This past Thursday, I went to a funeral - I had been driving for about 1.5/2 hours with the heat on (I was initially given the wrong address - wrong city and all - and that increased my drive time). But no issues.
The funeral home required everyone to wear a mask, so I wore a mask. Toward the end of the service, I had a small headache - it reminded me of the sinus pain I had, but no where near as intense (so I wasn't sure if it came from wearing the mask or the car heater).
My drive home was about 40 minutes or so - still had the headache/pain. When I got home I turned on my humidifier and the pain went away after an hour or so - which leads me to think that it was the heater.
The next day, I watched my humidifier as it pumped out mist and I asked, "Is this the Garden of the God?"
If I have to be anxious about anything then I have to be anxious about everything - and I much prefer to not be anxious anything.
(This is due to the Power of God, and not my desires - as it was God who took away the need for me to be anxious about anything before I knew the option existed.)
One thing that I have asked of God is that my default response is to rest in the faithfulness of God - in the midst of me not knowing, in the midst of terror, in the midst of pain.
When I don't understand, sometimes my immediate response is anxiety and concern - I usually come to my senses (aligning my mind and heart) - but sometimes that first reaction is not what I want (being anxiety).
While sitting outside tonight, the heater and pain became something I thought about. I said, "I didn't have any pain before I began using the space heater" - and a spacecraft flew overhead and became extremely bright in response.
Being very curious of the emphasis of the response (which means YES!!!!!) and very curious of the "why" of it all, I came inside and googled, "Why do space heaters affect sinuses?" - to see if there was a known answer.
I went down a rabbit hole and saw other things about being in the house all day and constantly in dry heat.
I understand now my issue is the sum of things: being home 24 hours a day most days of the week, having efficient heat from my new HVAC system, low-moisture in the air - the space heater was the nail in the coffin.
At this point, loving justice continues to be required. I don't use the space heater anymore (unless my heating system goes out - which it did once because of a blown fuse) and I keep my humidifiers running all day because of the dry heat.
If I've caused any damage to myself that I cannot rectify, then I only wait for God to be glorified.
