Jun. 19, 2009 - Update on my illness
I have been sick for nearly two weeks now. I went to the urgent care center 9 days ago and never seemed to get better. I finally went to my doctor yesterday. Both doctors agreed that the wheezing I was having as I exhaled was a classic sign of asthma. I also developed a bad case of bronchitis and a nasty sinus infection.
Dr. Joe gave me some different antibiotics. Thankfully, he had some samples in his office to give me. Otherwise, they would have cost me over $7.50 per pill. 
He also prescribed some steroids to help clear up the issues with my lungs. It was late in the day when I saw him, and being that I am very anxious to start feeling better, I decided to take the steroids yesterday evening. It is a pack where you take 6 pills the first day, 5 the next, 4 the next, and so on. Even with the codeine in the cough medicine, I was still "buzzed" from the steroids. I didn't get to sleep until after 3:00 AM and I was awake again by 4:30. I took my next dose of the steroids this morning, hoping to give me the energy to get through the day at work.
I had some errands to run, even in the 95 degree heat. Since the wind was really blowing, I was quite winded by the time I made it to my car on the back recesses of Walmart's parking lot. I thought I was going to have to get out the inhaler on the way home. (I hate that inhaler, by the way.) 
That stuff is nasty, but it does help when I'm not doing well.
I decided to lie down for a while after I got home. I never got to sleep, but it gave me a second wind this evening. I dusted and vacuumed the entire house, cleaned mirrors, lamps, etc. I washed the tiled walls of the bathroom, cleaned the countertop in there, washed the trashcan, washed the baseboards in the kitchen, put away the laundry, and straightened up some of the clutter that built up over the week. And I did this all in less than 30 minutes! 
I guess that is a side to being on the steroids. 
Last night when I came home, I was in need of a good cry. There's been a lot of things building up that have me very frustrated. Once I started crying, I saw that I really needed to let loose and just sob. However, as I began to sob, I realized I couldn't breathe! That sense of panic when you can't get enough air hit me hard. DD went running for my inhaler. By that time, I wanted to cry because I couldn't cry, or else I'd risk another asthma attack. 
And we all know that a good cry can do much better than hours spent in a counselor's office.
Work continues to go very well. I really enjoy the job. I've met some really interesting people, seen people I haven't seen in years, met some humorous people, and I've even met a few cantankerous coots too! 
Let's just say there's never a dull moment on the job. 
Comments
Jun. 23, 2009 - Untitled Comment
Posted by AnnieKate
Oh my! You've had a very rough time! It was good to read in a later post that you're starting to feel better. Give yourself time to heal completely, though. TAKE IT EASY while you have the choice, or you may be forced to do so for months, perhaps years, as I am.
Blessings,
Annie Kate
