It’s Official

What I thought was just a simple cold has turned out to be bronchitis. I started feeling congested yesterday and rather achy, but this morning was far worse and my chest felt very tight. Been there done that — so I knew I needed to go seek medical help. My wonderful husband Norm took me to the ER since they wouldn’t even look at me at the urgent care place we normally go since they couldn’t do a chest x-ray. We got right into the ER which rather surprised me, but the fact that I was having difficulty breathing normally was probably the reason they put us right in.

After listening to my lungs and hearing no breath sounds on the left side, they gave me a nebulizer breathing treatment which had a good effect. They suspected the flu so they stuck something up my nose, which was extremely disconcerting and rather painful, so they could collect a swab to test for influenza virus. I’m really not a cry baby and I usually handle things pretty well, but after that procedure all I could do was cry. Norm is really good at comforting me when I’m not feeling myself. This is a good trait in a husband. Then three different people tried to extract blood from my arms to no avail. After a chest x-ray confirmed it was not pneumonia, the doctors decided I need not endure any other torture that would be necessary in order to draw blood. I was sent home with a prescription for Levaquin, which is an antibiotic, and albuterol for my nebulizer unit. Both Norm and I are so relieved that I did not have to be hospitalized!

So now I’m home and I’ve had a breathing treatment again. I’ve had this before and it’s not fun but with breathing treatments and medication I can usually fight this at home. I don’t like getting sick and the timing is never good, but tomorrow there is a visitation at the mortuary for Norm’s mother. Unless I feel a whole lot better I don’t think I’ll be there which is really a bummer because I want to be there for my husband. Thank you to everyone who has left sympathetic comments or sent e-mails of encouraging words regarding the passing of Norm’s mother.