History of an Illness
October 25, 2007 on 8:19 pm | In Main |9/25: I drive to Tucson for an afternoon meeting. I am snacking on baby-cut carrots, when I choke on a sliver of carrot. I have a coughing fit for the next half hour. After that, I was a bit hoarse, but otherwise fine.
10/1: Free flu shots at work. So I get one.
10/3: I am definitely not feeling well. Typical sinus irritation plus sore throat. I get this 4-5 times a year, so it’s not a big deal at this point. I do have some chest congestion, which is a bit unusual to get so early after being sick.
10/8: After toughing out the weekend, and feeling worse, I break down and make a doctor’s appointment. The doctor determines I have an “upper respiratory infection”. I was prescribed antibiotic a cough suppressant, and an inhaler (albuterol).
10/9-12: The antibiotic (Zithromax) is really tiring me out. I took off Tuesday, and worked short days for the rest of the week.
10/17: I feel the best that I have since 10/3, but I still have a tightness in my chest.
10/19: My chest is feeling worse. In addition to the tightness, I have distinct pain on the left side of my chest. Coughing fits are driving me crazy. I go in to see the doctor again. The doctor is a bit more concerned this time. I get a blood test, and go to the lab to get an x-ray. I get two more inhalers, one steroidal, the other is an albuterol derivative. I get an appointment with a pulmonary doctor on Monday.
10/20: The inhalers aren’t working. My doctor calls to tell me they did not get the x-ray results. When I tell them I feel worse, they recommend going to the emergency room. I grab my computer bag and a couple of books and go to the hospital. The hospital was empty when I arrived, but it still took three hours to get an x-ray and for the emergency-room doctor to tell me the x-ray is clear. He decides whatever I have can wait until Monday. I did get a breathing treatment at the hospital which made me feel better. I went almost two hours before the coughing fits resumed. I get a prescription for yet another inhaler, and cough suppressant with codeine.
10/21: The cough suppressant with codeine definitely helps get me through the night. I took a dose at 5:30 PM the previous evening, and did not wake up until 8:00 AM. It was a windy night and day, and we discovered a 10 inch branch had broken off from our largest mesquite tree. After blowing $150 dollars on an x-ray the day before, I decide I don’t want to spend money cleaning up the mess. I discover being out of breath doesn’t make me feel any worse, so I am able to complete the clean up.
10/22: I see the pulmonary doctor who tells me the x-ray isn’t likely to show anything unless the problem is near the outside edges, so I am schedule for a bronchoscopy the next morning. The cough suppressant with codeine helps get me through the rest of the day.
10/23: After enduring a not so pleasant preparation to have a tube inserted in my nose, I wake up from the bronchoscopy feeling much better. The nurse tells me the doctor found some congestion, and he took a sample for a lab test, and washed away as much as he could. No report of any carrot slivers. I am prescribed a much stronger anti-biotic and prednisone. I take Cortney out to lunch, wolfing down my meal and then finishing the rest of her meal. At least the procedure did not affect my appetite.
10/24: I go to work, finishing a full day. I schedule a follow-up visit to the pulmonary doctor on 11/5. I find out that my initial blood work from 10/19 is negative for valley fever and white blood cell count. The prednisone seems to be offsetting the antibiotic, so I am left with a normal energy level.
10/25: For the first time in over three weeks, I come home from work still having energy left. I still have some minor non-descript pains in my chest, and minor phlegm clearing, but no coughing fits.
Am I cured? And what exactly was it that was making me ill? Stay tuned.
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