I hate, hate, hate my lungs. They are asthmatic. And right now, for the third fucking time in the past six months, they are also bronchitic. I am drugged out of my fucking mind on antibiotics, two different allergy meds, inhaled steroids, and my albuterol inhaler. The immediate effects of all this crap are that I can breathe (most of the time, except when I am coughing my lungs up), but my guts are rebelling form me from the antibiotics, and my hands are shaking from the albuterol, so please forgive my typos. The long-term effects: who really knows? I hate messing with my body chemistry in any way; I’m one of those people who hates taking even an aspirin unless I’m desperate, but well, I’m rather fond of breathing, and so I’ve decided to give the drugs a try. My dad has taken daily oral steroids for years, and his belief is that they have contributed to his current orthopedic problems, and Lord knows that I don’t need any more of those what with the holes in my left ones and plates and screws and post-traumatic arthritis and all, so the less drugs I take, the happier I am (in principle, anyway; unfortunately, the reality of the situation is rather different from the principle at the moment).
Curse you, genetics (dominant in this case from Dad, and recessive from Mom), for predisposing me to this pulmonary crapola! Curse you, environment, for containing the crapola that triggers my pulmonary hell! Curse you, job, for stressing me out and contributing to my other triggers! Curse you, boss, for not having the rest of the team help with my work (as I am ALWAYS called on to do when they are out sick), so that I come back to a desk full of crap, which stresses me out and contributes to the coughing!
I’m sick. I fucking have bronchitis and am on five different drugs in an attempt to control the symptoms until I can fix the root cause, or at least as much of it as will ever be fixed until someone finds a cure for asthma. I want to go home, but it won’t solve anything, it’ll just delay it until tomorrow. AAAARGH! This SUCKS!
Oh, dear . . . My mother’s been on that stuff for 30 years for bronchial asthma, so I know what you’re going through . . . They are coming out with some better meds, with fewer side effects, these days, though.
Have you tried a bit of bread eaten just before you swallow your antibiotic? Sometimes a “buffer” helps. I don’t know what kind of antibiotc you are on, so I won’t recommend milk. Milk will cause you to puke if you are on some anti-biotics, I know, I learned the hard way.
**Z_C, ** I’ll spare you the gory details, but stomachache isn’t my current digestive issue. These particular antibiotics can be taken with or without food; it’s several hours later that I have the problem.
I’m really disgusted with the lack of help at work, though, on top of everything else. I’ve constantly had to field issues for other people’s cases while they do everything from close on a house to hang out with their vacationing moms. I don’t begrudge them the opportunity to do these things; it’s just that I’ve been putting in quite enough overtime already, which contributes to my stress level and therefore to my lung problems. It’s just that I feel like there’s never any payback. Whatever I don’t get done is there waiting for me when I get back. I’m really on the point of calling in sick again if I feel this scummy tomorrow; let my boss actually do some workload management for a change. I just wish the whole office weren’t already so damn nervous about how slow it’s been (in terms of new business, anyway; the usual work goes on as always); we all feel like every day we take off, whether vacation or sick, is scrutinized in terms of who is most productive and should be kept if they have to lay people off. But that’s a whole other Pit thread.
I have more than 3 weeks of unused sick days. Let someone else cover my back for once.
Ah…I see :eek: my sympathy. Yeah, why don’t you take a bit of time for yourself so you can convalesce? Try to find a way to sleep upright to speed your healing up maybe? You’ll heal faster if you rest, and baby yourself. Push fluids etc.
A few years ago, I had “recurrent”? (I don’t know what it’s proper name is, recurrent or chronic) bronchitis for six months straight. I just could NOT get rid of it. It was HELL. I had to sleep almost completely upright. I curled up, very slightly reclined in a chair. Not fun.
Good Luck, I’ll pray you get better soon, and that you find a way to relieve your stess.
Eva, it’s horrible isn’t it? I’m in my third week of bronchitis and I’m ready for it to be finished right now thankyouverymuch.
I was diagnosed with asthma 20 years ago and I’ve been using the meds on and off for 20 years. Last week my new GP did spirometry and lo and fucking behold! I don’t have asthma and probably never did. Nobody has done regular lung function tests, they’ve just prescribed the meds. I’m really rather cross about it all.
But you take care, take time off and rest. You won’t handle stress well while unable to breathe.
Eva, that sucks. I can relate to having intractable chronic health problems - mine are different than yours, but have been really troublesome the last several months, too. I hope you’re better soon.
Since lunch improves your outlook, I hope you can make the next ChiDope Lunch Bunch.
Can you lend me one? I’m in my second week of asthmatic bronchitis, and could use someone to mother me. (My actual mother is in Las Vegas; my dad took her as an anniversary gift.)
I’d be happy to. In fact, I’ll lend you my real life Jewish mother. Maybe she’ll drive you less bonkers than she’s driving me. She does make a mean chicken soup.
I went in to see my doctor for shortness of breath (SOB) about three weeks ago. I also had some heart symptoms (felt like I had a fast heartbeat, like a constant adrenaline rush).
Did an EKG, a cardiac stress test, and blood work-up (for the heart thing), and blew into a cylinder for the SOB thing.
My heart and blood are fine (yea!), but my lungs have a below normal capacity. So my temporary diagnosis is exercise-induced asthma, and I’m leaving the office in 15 minutes to see a doctor and to take more tests and to perhaps confirm that diagnosis.
So, inhalers and steroids may be in my future, too.
I have asthma too, and until very recently in my life it was not very well managed by my doctor. I have since been put on corticosteroids, which help me immensely.
I once had bronchitis, and didn’t know it. My colds have always lasted longer and been harder to endure due to my asthma, so I just thought it was flu. But when the fourth week rolled around and I couldn’t exhale anymore (take a deep breath and then let just a little out, then continue breathing like this), I finally went to the doctor. One lung was completely filled with infection and had actually started causing me pain (which I attributed to heartburn); the other was only 3/4 filled.
I was never so thankful for drugs in my life. And I most certainly did not work at all during this time. There was no way I could have even walked to my car in that condition.
