Aug 24, 2012

I've been sick!!

I have been rather ill the last while, which is not actually normal for me. First one evening I was on my way home from visiting a friend and I noticed my throat was quite sore.  I thought I better drink more water, am maybe getting a little dehydrated as I know I haven't been drinking enough, it has been very hot, and I ride a motorcycle which tends to make one drier. 

The next morning I was to go on a long day's ride with friends from one of the motorcycle riding groups I am part of. I had really been looking forward to this ride as well as riding with the BC Lone Wolves again. They are such a great group of people!  Unfortunately, I had to change my plans and stay home as my throat was even more painful and I didn't want to be sick on a long ride like that. After texting to let Buzz know I would not be able to go along, I went back to sleep and when I woke up I found that my voice was barely working.  Hmmmm.  It has been many many years now since I have gotten a flu or cold, yet obviously something was going on in my body that I did not like.  That afternoon I went to a walk-in clinic to see a doctor and was told that I had 'viral laryngitis' and that it would go away on it's own in a 2-3 days.

A few days later sees me stuffed up in my head, sneezing and blowing lot of 'phlegm' out of my nose.  I also was coughing and hacking up phlegm from my lungs!  But hey, the sore throat was gone! I decided to go back to the walk-in clinic because I have had lung problems before, including bronchitis and pneumonia and know better than to mess around with that!! So, back I go and see another doctor who listens to my chest a bit and informs me that I do not need any antibiotics as there is nothing at all in my lungs.  I have sinusitis and the phlegm is running down my throat into my lungs and that is what I am coughing up. He says to get a Nedi Pot and rinse out my sinuses and all will be good.  A friend lent me his big syringe that his doctor had given him awhile back for flushing out the sinuses, and all I had to do was wash it before using it.  Hey, I can do that and save $20.00!! Flushing the sinuses was a bit tricky, something I'd never done before, yet do it I did and yes, it did seem to help some.  Still, I had the nasty cough and lots of phlegm coming to light.

Yesterday, I talked to 2 friends on the phone, both heard my cough and both told me what I had already been thinking. It was good to hear the support!!  They both said "Go to another doctor. Get a second opinion!! This guy is wrong!! That is a very nasty cough!!" or things of that nature.  I called my own family doctor to see if I could get in, ya like that would happen the same day!!  Well, it did!! Usually it takes several days to a week to get in, but they fit me in about an hour after I called.  Guess I sounded sick!! haha.  Well, he agreed that I have sinusitis, though he also feels I have either bronchitis or pneumonia.  He gave me a requisition for chest x-rays and a prescription for antibiotics and off I went.

Today I had the x-rays done so will find out next week which it is, bronchitis or pneumonia, and in the meantime I will be working at getting back to my usual healthy self!

I am so grateful that I have friends who care about me, both here in town and even on Facebook!! I so cherish these people in my life!!

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