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May. 12th, 2003 12:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rivkaShort of breath again, and a killer headache that may or may not be related to the asthma and its treatment. I can't imagine why they didn't give me an albuterol inhaler to take home yesterday, given that the treatment helped my breathing so much in the ER. I'm going to stay home tomorrow and go to my primary care doctor. Clearly I am not instantly better. I was kind of hoping I would be.
I'm worrying about whether I'm really justified in taking tomorrow off, which is sheer hypochondriaphobia. (Fear of being a hypochondriac, or being seen as one. It's a big problem of mine. Yesterday in the ER, I kept wondering if I was making too big a deal out of my symptoms - even after the acute coughing and wheezing attack I had when I got there, after the stress of walking across the parking lot. And even, some, when I was coughing: Did I need to cough that particular time, or could I stop if I really wanted to? Sometimes I drive myself crazy.)
Anyway: even if I feel okay sitting still and not talking, that's not an accurate description of my workday activity. And the fact is that I don't feel okay sitting still and not talking - I feel short of breath. I need to rest and stay inside and go to the doctor tomorrow, and there's no way Lydia won't understand that.
I got an e-mail of advice from my niece (age 10) and nephew (age 8), who have asthma. My niece writes:
And my nephew writes:
So that's very helpful.
I'm worrying about whether I'm really justified in taking tomorrow off, which is sheer hypochondriaphobia. (Fear of being a hypochondriac, or being seen as one. It's a big problem of mine. Yesterday in the ER, I kept wondering if I was making too big a deal out of my symptoms - even after the acute coughing and wheezing attack I had when I got there, after the stress of walking across the parking lot. And even, some, when I was coughing: Did I need to cough that particular time, or could I stop if I really wanted to? Sometimes I drive myself crazy.)
Anyway: even if I feel okay sitting still and not talking, that's not an accurate description of my workday activity. And the fact is that I don't feel okay sitting still and not talking - I feel short of breath. I need to rest and stay inside and go to the doctor tomorrow, and there's no way Lydia won't understand that.
I got an e-mail of advice from my niece (age 10) and nephew (age 8), who have asthma. My niece writes:
About asthma: if you cough a little, take your inhaler every 4 hours whether you really think you need it or not. Don't skip a treatment unless you're sure you are okay. If you're outside or at work, carry your inhaler. Find out if you really have asthma from your doctor, sometimes you are just sick. Robitussin can work better than an inhaler if you are mostly sick and just have a little asthma. Sometimes my mom gives us both. [Nephew]'s asthma is wheezing. I have cough variant asthma which is just when you cough and cough and can't catch your breath. Both kinds of asthma can be very bad. I cough so often my chest aches. That cough does not go away with a drink or anything.
And my nephew writes:
Sometimes my asthma won't go away and I take steroid medicine called Pediapred. I am taking it right now. Asthma can really make your chest and stomach hurt from coughing. When you take Pediapred it makes you have a bad temper or act wild. Using the air conditioner even if it's not that hot out helps because it cleans the air you sleep in. And that is what you should know about asthma.
So that's very helpful.
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Re:
Date: 2003-05-12 07:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-05-12 07:21 am (UTC)That being said, I am still annoyed. That's MY branch of the Art, and I am not particularly impressed with their followthough...
feh.
still, your doc is on top of things. GOOD.