Well it’s been about 5 days and I finally feel like I’m back in the land of the living. Still battling a nasty cough and sore throat, due to an apparent upper respiratory infection. And to tell you the truth, I’m kind of tired of these infections. Two years ago, on almost the exact same day while on vacation, I developed my first upper respiratory infection and if you’ve never had one, it’s like the flu and a severe cold all in one. The body aches and fever of the flu, the cough and congestion of a cold. Consider me lucky, I guess. At least now I can always tell when spring is almost here. I’m like the groundhog with his shadow, except it’s me and my mucus. I never thought I’d say this but, I think I’d rather be a groundhog.
So I went to the doctor yesterday to get some meds so I can kick this thing and SURPRISE! I have asthma. Or, my doc THINKS I have asthma, which is why I can never seem to kick these respiratory infections on my own. There are a bunch of other reasons why she thinks I’ve developed mild asthma, some having to do with my allergies but I have to go back for testing so she can make sure. In the meantime, she prescribed me an inhaler and there was talk of spacers, and one pump or two pumps, and using it at night and before excercise and…well I’m pretty sure she was just talking really fast and I was barely comprehending anything. I’ve never used an inhaler. I have a hard enough time taking pills. I mean, I’m the girl who buys CHEWABLE vitamins! So this was scary stuff for me. And when she asked if I had any questions, the only one I could think to ask was, “if I don’t really have asthma, and I take this, could I die?” Denial is the first stage.
So that was fun. But I’m resisting the urge to Google the shit out of “asthma” until I see the test results. I don’t want to freak myself out only to find out that I just have severe dust allergies and that maybe I should just hire a friggin’ cleaning lady already. So we’ll see what happens. In the meantime, I just need to figure out how to stop coughing.
But... Will There Be Cake? 
I have had asthma my whole life, but it sounds like I”m the opposite of you. It was extremely severe in my childhood and has gotten much better as I’ve gotten older. I haven’t had an attack since 1992 (knock on wood). I still have to take proair as needed for tightness in my chest, and flovent and serevent as long acting inhalers, but I very rarely can’t breathe. I was allergic to everything under the sun and allergy shots helped alot. Hopefully you have a good allergist and asthma do and they can help you get it sorted out. It’s a very manageable ‘affliction’ so don’t worry if you do have it. It’s sooo much easier to treat than it was in the 1970’s when i was a kid. They used to give me an adrenaline shot at the hospital when I had an attack!
Wow! That would be quite the shock… I hope you get everything sorted out, and on the bright side, asthma is totally treatable!
Sounds awful! Hope you are starting to feel better!
I had severe allergies and mild asthma as a kid, its gotten better as I got older. I hope you get some clearer answers soon.
As a New Zealand health researcher, I think I can answer several frequent, common questions posed in the letters from many suffering patients who communicate with you.
Especially about asthma.
I strongly suggest that ailing patients with asthma – and many other debilitating illnesses that just do not seem to respond to ‘conventional’ treatments:
Use GOOGLE.
Then “LOG ON ” and research this doctor.
Who’s name is:
Dr. F. Batmanghelidj M.D.
This outstanding U.S. physician has discovered – with thousands of patients and in over 20 years of research- that tens of thousands of patients living in Western countries are – without being aware, or being told – of it – quite simply – dehydrated.
And THAT is the basic cause of their problems.
” De-hydration” means that you, the ailing patient – and tens of thousands of others like you – are suffering needlessly.
Due solely to a simple deficiency ( lack) of water in your bodies.
And that your asthmatic symptoms are often caused by your body’s reactions to receiving “insufficient water” .
The outcome being that you are suffering; in pain; and possibly with other symptoms .. especially your asthma – simply because you aren’t putting sufficient plain, ordinary water into your body.
WATER which is absolutely essential to nourish and feed your billlions of cells.
As any animal instinctively knows..
The percentage of WATER making up your tissues,organs, fluid and organs in your human body are as follows:
Your Brain – is 75% water. Your Heart – is 75% water.
Your Lungs – are 86% water.
Your Kidneys – are 83% water.
And so on..
Did you know that..?
All your vital organs – and especially your lungs – are crucially dependent on THE AMOUNT OF PLAIN WATER you replace into your system.
And GOOGLE research will show you that you only have to be slightly DE-hydrated (short of water ) by a mere 2..3..or 4 per cent down from optimum, which doesn’t sound much, to have real health problems.
And be in severe physical distress.
Unfortunately all the lab. tests you’ve had up till today were not assigned to look for the known symptoms of mild dehydration.
So the lab. didn’t find it. Didn’t report it to your doctor.
And thus your doctor was in the dark too.
When your dehydration becomes a mere 5% depleted -that is, down from what it should be – this reduction can be VERY dangerous to your health.
The many symptoms, and various illnesses, caused by unsuspected dehydration, are scientifically outlined in Dr. Batmanghelidj’s published books:
Among which are the titles:
” YOUR BODY’S MANY CRIES FOR WATER”. and
” YOU’RE NOT SICK – YOU’RE THIRSTY “.
RE-HYDRATING your body – which simply means to REPLENISH IT WITH JUST ORDINARY PLAIN WATER – ALWAYS WITHOUT ADDING TEA OR COFFEE) – is
“just what the doctor ordered “.
And – best of all – it will cost you exactly nothing.
So:
( 1) Read up all about ‘THE WATER CURE” on your own computer.
(2) Follow the leads given above.
(3) Try THIS no-cost, absolutely-free ,method for yourself. In your own home.
(4 ) And in a few weeks time, you can report to others how much better you feel.
In so many, many ways.
And it WON’T be “all in your imagination ..!
Malcolm.