It started yesterday, that tickle at the back of your throat.. the one that makes you cough every time you breath. You know the one, it's so irritating that after a while you get a headache.. mind you its not a constant headache, its a pounding every time you cough. I bet you've had a tickle cough like the one I have described. Well I have it, coughed all night as a matter of fact and this morning I feel like someone has put a hot poker in my lungs.
I know what I'm in for.
JJ's been sick for the past 3 weeks, he got sick the third day of school actually and it hasn't let up since. Can you imagine, only back to school 3 days and he gets sick. Don't they disinfect the desks over the summer holidays? Last school year he was sick constantly, seemed like he would just get over one cold or virus and bam he gets hit with another one. Of course he would spread it on to me, and since my immune system is already compromised I would get three times sicker than the average person. I really hope that this year we aren't sick all school year again!
Now I'm going to go have a nice cup of Oolong tea and cuddle up in a blanket.
March 27/05- I woke again in really bad pain just under my breast on the right hand side. It’s so bad I can’t breath properly. I have to take tiny little breaths to get some air. I’m scared that the Lupus has now affected my lungs. I’ve spent another wrestless night sitting upright on the sofa, unable to sleep just passing out in 15 minute intervals.
When N woke up I tell him I think we should go to the hospital. I hate the hospital, so I know I must be feeling bad to even suggest going in. N suggests packing a bag in case they tell me I have to stay and I reluctantly go pack one. JJ is going to his mothers for Easter so that frees us up for a few hours.. but I pack a bag for him as well, just in case he has to stay with her while I am in the hospital.
Fortunately we are taken right into an exam room. N said that the nurse wrote down “no breath sounds on right side” after the initial exam; so I guess that helped speed things up. Our hospital is famous for 12-18hrs waits in the ER to see a Dr. I avoided that today with my symptoms.
The Dr had an attitude problem or certainly rubbed me the wrong way with his questions. He was more interested in giving me a shot of narcotic than anything else. I refused to take what ever it was he was trying to push due to my allergies and told him I could handle the pain, that’s not what I was there for. I wanted to know what was causing the pain!
He orders a chest x-ray. Again he offers me oxycodone, or morphine. Again I declined.
After it was done they left me sitting in the hallway with the x-rays on my lap in a big brown envelope. I peaked. The right side was almost white, the left dark. I’m not sure what its suppose to be all dark or all light, but having one side different than the other, well I don’t think this is a good sign.
Dr. comes back in and says “I think its pneumonia, it looks like pneumonia”. His confidence does not overwhelm me at this moment. He gives me a prescription for antibiotic and sends me home. Total time in ER 3 hrs. Now I think that is a record! Unfortunately, I've had pneumonia before and I just don't feel like this is what I have now. I'm hope resting
