This has been a really tough winter for us. First, the Husbandly One brought home the flu for Christmas. We were extraordinarily lucky that neither of the kids got it, but he got the H1N1 version... and I got the other one. For once, our kids took care of us, and wasn't that a switch??
While the Husbandly One was initially much sicker, getting a dangerously high fever one night, high enough that I was ready to drag his stubborn hide to the emergency room, he recovered much quicker than I have. We both took Tamiflu to reduce our symptoms, and the kids took it as a preventative, and we got through it.
But the flu hung on to me a little longer. And when it finally left, we discovered it left friends.
Say hello to Mr. Secondary Infection. Oh, and Mr. Bronchitis. And let's not forget Mr. Lingering Cough!
But, I did start feeling better. And I was kind of getting back into the groove when what is known here in Central Texas as Cedar Season hit... early. And this year? It was a doozy. Think... CEDARPOCALYPSE.
Yeah. That bad.
Guess who's allergic to cedar pollen in this house. Well... all of us, actually.
But guess who it knocked completely flat?
Yeah. Me.
The Impertinent Daughter got a sinus infection. The Husbandly One got a sinus infection. The Impossible Son hovered on the edge of a sinus infection, but seemed to avoid it. Barely.
Me? Well, I have asthma. Asthma that has been remarkably quiet in the four or so years since I started taking Dexilant for gastric reflux. I haven't had to take asthma medications in all that time. Except the rare use of my rescue inhaler because of nearby grass fires, etc. It's been wonderful! It was like having my life back!
Until cedar season hit and all of a sudden, I couldn't breathe any more. And the next thing I know, I'm back on Advair, I'm back on the nebulizer, I'm back to using my inhaler every four hours, and shaking like a leaf all the time.
Finally, the Husbandly One whisked us all away to Rockport for the weekend to see if it would help. And it did. I was finally able to draw in a deep breath for the first time in two and a half months, and we were all better for the clearer air.
It made coming back home a real bummer though.
And... I was back at the doctor's again today, because... now I'm coughing up yellow stuff, and for someone with asthma... that is a very bad sign. So... now I'm on a antibiotic because the doctor informed me, as have many over the last few weeks, "You are absolutely not allowed to get pneumonia!" Which would just be the total capper to the season, right?
*sigh*
The thing is, the very frustrating thing is, after you've gotten your life back, and you're used to doing things again, like getting out and doing stuff with your family, and going places, and just... being outside without worrying it's going to set you off or make you miserable... you kind of get to liking it and wanting to do it as much as possible.
And when you can't... it's very discouraging. I have things I want to do. My son will be starting his track season next week. I would really, really like to go to his meets without worrying that I'll either have an asthma attack, make myself sicker, or have to go home after an hour because I'm too tired to stay awake. Not to mention how crap-tastic that would be for the Impossible Son, because he wants his mom there. He wants his mom cheering for him, taking ridiculous photos of him, and just being his best cheerleader ever. Not curled up in bed at home.
My doctor, and my sister, who is a nurse and more than familiar with me, and with allergies and asthma in general, have pointed out that this was a huge shock to my system and I've got to give it time to... recalibrate.
My family needs me, and I need them.
Can you tell I'm frustrated? Because I am.
I won't let this beat me. But... it's very frustrating, inconvenient, and... did I mention frustrating?
Just breathe. Just breathe. Just breathe....
Showing posts with label asthma monster. Show all posts
Showing posts with label asthma monster. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Breathing... it's a GOOD thing...
Well, this is a milestone of sorts.
This is the first time in years that I've made it through the entire month of November without getting pneumonia
"is chuffed*
Really, this is quite an achievement for me! Seriously. I've been wrestling with the Asthma Monster for well over twenty years now, and the last ten have sucked majorly. Seeing the gastroenterologist last year was the best thing that ever happened to me. Seriously.
Well, second best. The best thing that ever happened to me is meeting the Husbandly One. Period.
Anyhow, it wasn't like I was having major heartburn all the time. Just... every once in a while. Though there were foods I couldn't eat without getting major heartburn, like ... spaghetti. So, I never considered acid reflux an issue connected with my asthma, even after my dad was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. That's why, when I had the major stomach pain last year and had to see a surgeon, I thought he was kind of nuts for suggesting that acid reflux was causing the majority of my severe asthma problems. But I took the medication he prescribed, because I was in serious pain and figured it couldn't hurt.
By the time I got to see the gastroenterologist three weeks later, it was as if I didn't have asthma any more at all.
It was the weirdest feeling, too. Not feeling like everything in my chest was too tight. Being able to draw in a deep breath and it didn't hurt. Coughing, and actually being able to clear my airway!
And it's still that way. Still. That's why I was throwing such a hissy fit about the Dexilant, the medication I take for acid reflux, because it feels like it's given me my life back, you know? I mean, THO and I finally decided to just skip the insurance and pay for it ourselves, and the drug company sent us a discount card that means it only costs $60 to refill it, instead of $150, which is a win in my book any day!
So, this year, I admit, when November rolled around, I was still kind of resigned to first getting bronchitis, and I did get a mild case of it, which would lead into pneumonia by the middle of the month. Usually just before Thanksgiving. Or immediately after, because driving into Houston is just asking for trouble on my part, as many of you very well know.
And... that didn't happen this year. If it's not the pollen and crap blowing around on the strong cold fronts that start in November here, it's turning on our heater that does it. But... not this year. And trust me, I'm not questioning it, I'm deliriously happy about it! This is a good thing!
So... I'm going to sit here and just... enjoy the breathing regularly without discomfort thing. Because that's just... totally awesome.
This is the first time in years that I've made it through the entire month of November without getting pneumonia
"is chuffed*
Really, this is quite an achievement for me! Seriously. I've been wrestling with the Asthma Monster for well over twenty years now, and the last ten have sucked majorly. Seeing the gastroenterologist last year was the best thing that ever happened to me. Seriously.
Well, second best. The best thing that ever happened to me is meeting the Husbandly One. Period.
Anyhow, it wasn't like I was having major heartburn all the time. Just... every once in a while. Though there were foods I couldn't eat without getting major heartburn, like ... spaghetti. So, I never considered acid reflux an issue connected with my asthma, even after my dad was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. That's why, when I had the major stomach pain last year and had to see a surgeon, I thought he was kind of nuts for suggesting that acid reflux was causing the majority of my severe asthma problems. But I took the medication he prescribed, because I was in serious pain and figured it couldn't hurt.
By the time I got to see the gastroenterologist three weeks later, it was as if I didn't have asthma any more at all.
It was the weirdest feeling, too. Not feeling like everything in my chest was too tight. Being able to draw in a deep breath and it didn't hurt. Coughing, and actually being able to clear my airway!
And it's still that way. Still. That's why I was throwing such a hissy fit about the Dexilant, the medication I take for acid reflux, because it feels like it's given me my life back, you know? I mean, THO and I finally decided to just skip the insurance and pay for it ourselves, and the drug company sent us a discount card that means it only costs $60 to refill it, instead of $150, which is a win in my book any day!
So, this year, I admit, when November rolled around, I was still kind of resigned to first getting bronchitis, and I did get a mild case of it, which would lead into pneumonia by the middle of the month. Usually just before Thanksgiving. Or immediately after, because driving into Houston is just asking for trouble on my part, as many of you very well know.
And... that didn't happen this year. If it's not the pollen and crap blowing around on the strong cold fronts that start in November here, it's turning on our heater that does it. But... not this year. And trust me, I'm not questioning it, I'm deliriously happy about it! This is a good thing!
So... I'm going to sit here and just... enjoy the breathing regularly without discomfort thing. Because that's just... totally awesome.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
That's what weekends are for, right?
It has definitely been a tumultuous weekend for Central Texas, let me tell you! I mean, we finally got a break in the temperatures, seeing the low nineties rather than the triple digits, but... we can't go outside because of all the smoke from wildfires! There are three currently going that I know of around us. First, the Bastrop Fire, which has burned over 30, 000 acres and destroyed close to 600 homes. That one, as I mentioned earlier, is about 30 miles away from us, but is still affecting us, as we are wreathed in smoke and everything smells like ashes. And it's not even close to being contained. The Delhi fire is about 15 miles away, and of course, sending smoke this way, and according to the map, is only 45% contained. The Pettytown fire is supposedly 90% contained, but... well... if the wind picks up again, who knows?
Saturday, when this whole business started, the Husbandly One had gotten the ambition to clean out the garden shed, which needed it badly. Basically, we had pretty much just shoved things in without so much as a "where should this go?" And when we started, it was lovely and windy, and we had no idea what was going on around us. We noticed it was hazy, but figured that after a summer of blasting furnace heat and no rain, soil was being picked up and blown around, plus whatever pollen had survived to this point. And we knew there was a fire warning on, so hearing sirens didn't alarm us unduly. And I figured the breathing problems I was having was due to dust and pollen being blown around.
And when my daughter said, "Hey, look, is that a thunderhead?" we looked and thought, "Oh, thank goodness, rain on the horizon!"
It wasn't. It was this...
That's the smoke cloud from Bastrop, by the way. It was huge.
We didn't find out about it until after 9 o'clock, when I'd gone to sit out on the back deck and saw this weird orange glow on the underside of the "cloud" we had noticed earlier. I was sort of idly checking Facebook on my iPod Touch and saw a post by a friend who lives close by worrying about the fires coming close to her home and thought, "Huh?" So I checked local news and nearly had heart failure!!
She and her family are okay, for now. They live close to the Pettytown fire. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for them and offered a hidey hole for them if they need to bolt. I sincerely hope it isn't needed, not because I don't want them here, but because I don't want them to lose what they've built.
This is what I saw this morning, when I left to pick up the kids...
That's from the front yard.
That's from my back deck.
It's not any better right now. Just... lighter. And everything reeks of burned soil. I'm staying indoors, but I have to tell you, the Asthma Monster is rearing it's ugly little head again, after an absence of nearly eleven months. Major. Suckage.
Oh, by the way, InHumane Care called yesterday. They used a robo-caller, because I guess they didn't want to give me the chance to chew them out. Anyhow, this robot calls and in a happy, cheery little perky voice told me that my prescription request has been denied, and that I should try alternatives and have a nice day!! MAJOR. SUCKAGE.
So, yeah, back to Dr. Tummy and the Pharmacist Who Won't Quit. I hope we can beat this, I really do, because I have to tell you, this is as depressing as hell. And I'm FURIOUS.
SO. That was MY weekend! How was yours?
Saturday, when this whole business started, the Husbandly One had gotten the ambition to clean out the garden shed, which needed it badly. Basically, we had pretty much just shoved things in without so much as a "where should this go?" And when we started, it was lovely and windy, and we had no idea what was going on around us. We noticed it was hazy, but figured that after a summer of blasting furnace heat and no rain, soil was being picked up and blown around, plus whatever pollen had survived to this point. And we knew there was a fire warning on, so hearing sirens didn't alarm us unduly. And I figured the breathing problems I was having was due to dust and pollen being blown around.
And when my daughter said, "Hey, look, is that a thunderhead?" we looked and thought, "Oh, thank goodness, rain on the horizon!"
It wasn't. It was this...
That's the smoke cloud from Bastrop, by the way. It was huge.
We didn't find out about it until after 9 o'clock, when I'd gone to sit out on the back deck and saw this weird orange glow on the underside of the "cloud" we had noticed earlier. I was sort of idly checking Facebook on my iPod Touch and saw a post by a friend who lives close by worrying about the fires coming close to her home and thought, "Huh?" So I checked local news and nearly had heart failure!!
She and her family are okay, for now. They live close to the Pettytown fire. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for them and offered a hidey hole for them if they need to bolt. I sincerely hope it isn't needed, not because I don't want them here, but because I don't want them to lose what they've built.
This is what I saw this morning, when I left to pick up the kids...
That's from the front yard.
That's from my back deck.
It's not any better right now. Just... lighter. And everything reeks of burned soil. I'm staying indoors, but I have to tell you, the Asthma Monster is rearing it's ugly little head again, after an absence of nearly eleven months. Major. Suckage.
Oh, by the way, InHumane Care called yesterday. They used a robo-caller, because I guess they didn't want to give me the chance to chew them out. Anyhow, this robot calls and in a happy, cheery little perky voice told me that my prescription request has been denied, and that I should try alternatives and have a nice day!! MAJOR. SUCKAGE.
So, yeah, back to Dr. Tummy and the Pharmacist Who Won't Quit. I hope we can beat this, I really do, because I have to tell you, this is as depressing as hell. And I'm FURIOUS.
SO. That was MY weekend! How was yours?
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Not. Happy. At. All.
Dear Humana Health Care,
After finding out that you've refused to cover a medication that I very much need, a medication that has pretty much given me my fucking life back, I have only one thing to say to you.
Futue te ipsum et caballum tuum.*
No love,
Jo
*Fuck you, and the horse you rode in on.
After finding out that you've refused to cover a medication that I very much need, a medication that has pretty much given me my fucking life back, I have only one thing to say to you.
Futue te ipsum et caballum tuum.*
No love,
Jo
*Fuck you, and the horse you rode in on.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
