OK, that wasn't much fun.
Jun. 26th, 2009 12:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
reynardoHow I spent the last few days:
Sunday - cough, run down, really feeling out of it. Have HUGE course to do Monday-Wednesday (sponsored by my mother) so make difficult decision (oh all that wonderul food!) and decline![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
17catherines Shakespeare invite. Still feel lousy.
Monday - course - brain leaks out ears, having trouble concentrating.
Tuesday - course - scrabbling to keep up. Me. It's an IT course. Most of the concepts are terribly straghtforward. Why? Still feeling run down, exhausted walking 10 minutes from car park to session and back.
Wednesday - about three hours sleep. Feel even worse. Course. Start by marking example test I'd been given. Whaddayamean "insufficient marks for a pass"!!!!. Make use of real pseudoephidrine in form of cold-and-flu tablets, coffee (and with what we paid, why-the-F is it cheap instant!!!!) and juice. Better on new test. Hopefully passed the lot - won't know for three weeks. Stagger to car park and getlederhosen to drive home - those that know me will realise how off I must have felt. About an hour to stop my brain from completely dumping, not achieved even with the application of standard cure. Take anti-asthma medicines ('cause my chest is acting up as well as the rest of me feeling like crap). Go to sleep at about 7:30 pm.
Thursday 3am. Chest burning. Hurting. Breathing not easy. Get up, apply third-line anti-asthma meds (steroids), plus rest of Asthma Plan stuff, sit up for 2 hours and wait until it's sunk to a level I can sleep in. Crawl back into bed and sleep until noon.
Get up at noon, make doctor's appointment (first one available tomorrow 11:30). Handle afternoon stuff with chest still feeling like crap, but not wheezing. Use level 3 plan again. Make nommy dinner, eat nommy dinner, feel chest getting tighter and sorer. Dammit, if it had got this bad by dinner I could have gone to a med centre in plenty of time, but by 10pm the closest thing is Monash. Realise that it's not so much that it's bad now, but if it gets worse at 3am again I'll be in panic mode. Make executive decision, take heavy non-fiction book, ensure have Medicare card, kiss husband and head to Monash Medical Centre emergency department. (I didn't really have the strength to drive to the 24 hour places across town).
Checked immediately to make sure breathing isn't desperate, then asked to wait (and considering the state of some of those people waiting, was quite happy to let them go first). Make good use of serious non-fiction book. Three hours wait, where I consider that they must be good, because while they take note of the lady who moans loudly and begs for immediate assistance every time one of the staff goes past they don't thus put her to the top of the queue. I figure the teenage boy who's in with his parents deserves to go on pretty high on the list, because for a teenager to admit he's feeling that bad means he must feel absolutely rotten.
Taken into emergency area and checked. No wheezing, chest very tight (to the point of painful-as-hell), headache from hell. Doctor offers Serious Painkiller, I decline at first because I'm expecting to get out in a short while, but then he mentions "we got a positive on the clotting test - just a minor one but a positive, so you'll need a scan which we can't do until 8am" so I take them.
Now I quite understand that the doc had to duck out every time there was a beeping in the corridor (especially when the beeping became a sudden siren sound indicating nasty code down the corridor) but the cubicle I'd been put in originally had then been taken when I was taken to another room for a O2 test, so I was in the Plastering room. The bed's got the sides up so I'm on a chair. Wait for chest X-ray (clear, no TB, no pneumonia, no pleurisy, no nasties, only one heart). Resist temptation to "borrow" a couple of plaster bandages, for late-night experimentation onlederhosen. Wait for anti-asthma drugs. Finish book, and actually can't concentrate very well or see very clearly so re-starting it not a good idea. Fall asleep uncomfortably on chair. Wake up when senior doc comes in for consultation. Fall asleep again with head on the end of the Plastering bed. At 5am, nice lady from Bed Allocations comes in, sets up plastering bed for me and tells me that there will be a bed for me at about 7am. Sleeeeeep is goooooooood.
Wake at 8am as they put up the sides of the plastering bed and use it to wheel me to Short Stay ward. Breakfast is waiting but even worse coffee than the training course. Seriously consider next time bringing my own, completely forget I have emergency Earl Grey Teabag sitting in handbag. (Just remembered it now). Feel terrible for lady across who is in extreme pain, feel frustrated at lady diagonally across who is turning up her television very loud to hear the latest about Michael Jackson. Respiratory doc comes in, we go through the meds I've given myself, and the ones they've given me, and my asthma plan. Alas, my plan is about 5 years old, and very very conservative - I could have doubled the steroids and had 4 times the Ventolin quite safely!
They've re-taken blood too, (and put in a canula. Ouchie). And the re-test still only shows a very very low level of possible clotting, and this low level indicates more likely a viral chest inflammation/infection, so they'll do a ECG to ensure it's not the heart acting up. Which is done, and clear. It looks like the over-a-week total build up is from the inflammation coming on slowly, exacerbated by being run down and frustrated about work stuff and money stuff and stuff...
So - final diagnosis. Nasty asthma. Bad asthma. *smack* Go home take these, see your doctor and update the plan and the drugs I need for it. Take painkillers, take it easy over the next few days. Fluids, rest, painkillers as necessary, steroids at serious level (if I start looking like Arnie, now you know why) and no marathons.
And phone calls to my poor benightedlederhosen lead to the discovery that the dog's anti-arthritis medication is working too well. The table in the kitchen that used to be a safe haven for food is no longer safe. And the dog has decided that he doesn't like mixed dried legumes - but he had to drag the packet outside to double-check.
Sunday - cough, run down, really feeling out of it. Have HUGE course to do Monday-Wednesday (sponsored by my mother) so make difficult decision (oh all that wonderul food!) and decline
17catherines Shakespeare invite. Still feel lousy.Monday - course - brain leaks out ears, having trouble concentrating.
Tuesday - course - scrabbling to keep up. Me. It's an IT course. Most of the concepts are terribly straghtforward. Why? Still feeling run down, exhausted walking 10 minutes from car park to session and back.
Wednesday - about three hours sleep. Feel even worse. Course. Start by marking example test I'd been given. Whaddayamean "insufficient marks for a pass"!!!!. Make use of real pseudoephidrine in form of cold-and-flu tablets, coffee (and with what we paid, why-the-F is it cheap instant!!!!) and juice. Better on new test. Hopefully passed the lot - won't know for three weeks. Stagger to car park and get
lederhosen to drive home - those that know me will realise how off I must have felt. About an hour to stop my brain from completely dumping, not achieved even with the application of standard cure. Take anti-asthma medicines ('cause my chest is acting up as well as the rest of me feeling like crap). Go to sleep at about 7:30 pm.Thursday 3am. Chest burning. Hurting. Breathing not easy. Get up, apply third-line anti-asthma meds (steroids), plus rest of Asthma Plan stuff, sit up for 2 hours and wait until it's sunk to a level I can sleep in. Crawl back into bed and sleep until noon.
Get up at noon, make doctor's appointment (first one available tomorrow 11:30). Handle afternoon stuff with chest still feeling like crap, but not wheezing. Use level 3 plan again. Make nommy dinner, eat nommy dinner, feel chest getting tighter and sorer. Dammit, if it had got this bad by dinner I could have gone to a med centre in plenty of time, but by 10pm the closest thing is Monash. Realise that it's not so much that it's bad now, but if it gets worse at 3am again I'll be in panic mode. Make executive decision, take heavy non-fiction book, ensure have Medicare card, kiss husband and head to Monash Medical Centre emergency department. (I didn't really have the strength to drive to the 24 hour places across town).
Checked immediately to make sure breathing isn't desperate, then asked to wait (and considering the state of some of those people waiting, was quite happy to let them go first). Make good use of serious non-fiction book. Three hours wait, where I consider that they must be good, because while they take note of the lady who moans loudly and begs for immediate assistance every time one of the staff goes past they don't thus put her to the top of the queue. I figure the teenage boy who's in with his parents deserves to go on pretty high on the list, because for a teenager to admit he's feeling that bad means he must feel absolutely rotten.
Taken into emergency area and checked. No wheezing, chest very tight (to the point of painful-as-hell), headache from hell. Doctor offers Serious Painkiller, I decline at first because I'm expecting to get out in a short while, but then he mentions "we got a positive on the clotting test - just a minor one but a positive, so you'll need a scan which we can't do until 8am" so I take them.
Now I quite understand that the doc had to duck out every time there was a beeping in the corridor (especially when the beeping became a sudden siren sound indicating nasty code down the corridor) but the cubicle I'd been put in originally had then been taken when I was taken to another room for a O2 test, so I was in the Plastering room. The bed's got the sides up so I'm on a chair. Wait for chest X-ray (clear, no TB, no pneumonia, no pleurisy, no nasties, only one heart). Resist temptation to "borrow" a couple of plaster bandages, for late-night experimentation on
lederhosen. Wait for anti-asthma drugs. Finish book, and actually can't concentrate very well or see very clearly so re-starting it not a good idea. Fall asleep uncomfortably on chair. Wake up when senior doc comes in for consultation. Fall asleep again with head on the end of the Plastering bed. At 5am, nice lady from Bed Allocations comes in, sets up plastering bed for me and tells me that there will be a bed for me at about 7am. Sleeeeeep is goooooooood.Wake at 8am as they put up the sides of the plastering bed and use it to wheel me to Short Stay ward. Breakfast is waiting but even worse coffee than the training course. Seriously consider next time bringing my own, completely forget I have emergency Earl Grey Teabag sitting in handbag. (Just remembered it now). Feel terrible for lady across who is in extreme pain, feel frustrated at lady diagonally across who is turning up her television very loud to hear the latest about Michael Jackson. Respiratory doc comes in, we go through the meds I've given myself, and the ones they've given me, and my asthma plan. Alas, my plan is about 5 years old, and very very conservative - I could have doubled the steroids and had 4 times the Ventolin quite safely!
They've re-taken blood too, (and put in a canula. Ouchie). And the re-test still only shows a very very low level of possible clotting, and this low level indicates more likely a viral chest inflammation/infection, so they'll do a ECG to ensure it's not the heart acting up. Which is done, and clear. It looks like the over-a-week total build up is from the inflammation coming on slowly, exacerbated by being run down and frustrated about work stuff and money stuff and stuff...
So - final diagnosis. Nasty asthma. Bad asthma. *smack* Go home take these, see your doctor and update the plan and the drugs I need for it. Take painkillers, take it easy over the next few days. Fluids, rest, painkillers as necessary, steroids at serious level (if I start looking like Arnie, now you know why) and no marathons.
And phone calls to my poor benighted
lederhosen lead to the discovery that the dog's anti-arthritis medication is working too well. The table in the kitchen that used to be a safe haven for food is no longer safe. And the dog has decided that he doesn't like mixed dried legumes - but he had to drag the packet outside to double-check.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-06-26 03:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-06-26 03:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-06-26 04:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-06-26 04:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-06-26 05:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-06-26 05:21 am (UTC)And that you can get some good coffee soon, too (if you don't have some at home). *smile*
no subject
Date: 2009-06-26 05:26 am (UTC)That sounds remarkably sucky, at least you were seen-to in a timely and appropriate manner -- and the ECG being clear is awesomely good news too.
I do hope you're feeling like yourself again soon though.
*hugs* & *snuggles*
no subject
Date: 2009-06-26 06:09 am (UTC)Take it easy and take care of you.
no subject
Date: 2009-06-26 06:28 am (UTC)*huggles*
no subject
Date: 2009-06-26 06:39 am (UTC)But hey, if I can keep you feeling guilty for a while...
no subject
Date: 2009-06-26 07:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-06-26 07:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-06-26 09:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-06-26 10:40 am (UTC)love
Catherine
no subject
Date: 2009-06-26 11:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-06-26 11:44 am (UTC)Or the nearest Melbourne equivalent.
Be well... or better. Talk soon!?
no subject
Date: 2009-06-26 12:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-06-26 01:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-06-26 02:07 pm (UTC)However, I have the doctor's permission to use a half glass of Baileys' to get the jitters under control and cut the Ventolin-laden heartrate at bedtime. Believe me, I'll be using it.
Call sometime sounds good. Perhaps tomorrow evening?
no subject
Date: 2009-06-26 02:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-06-26 10:06 pm (UTC)You're a naughty girl. I like that.
Hope you're better soon,
-m
no subject
Date: 2009-06-28 03:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-06-28 12:01 pm (UTC)An emergency tea bag? That is so many kinds of awesome.
You have my deepest sympathies as to your current ill-health. My right tonsil currently feels like it is having several needles piercing it, but that is nothing compared to severe asthma.
no subject
Date: 2009-06-28 06:11 pm (UTC)