Well, here I am a 2:00 AM. Can't sleep because I am all hyped up on asthma medication.
Here's how I got to that situation.
Last Sunday night, I started feeling bad, coughing,figured I was catching some kind of flu bug. Took a couple of Nyquil capsules,went to bed and coughed all night.
Called in sick to work on Monday. Lynn suggested that I go see the doctor. But do I listen, no, of course not. It's just a virus, I said. There's nothing they will do but give me a breathing treatment, charge me a copay and send me home. So I took some Dayquil capsules, and gave myself an Albuterol breathing treatment, and sucked on Ricola cough drops.
No better by Monday night, so I did more breathing treatment and meds and went to bed. Stephanie brought us dinner that night. Bless her heart!
Tueday morning. Hmmm, no better, not worse. No work. Same as the day before but with more coughing. Pizza for dinner - take out is my friend.
Wednesday, feeling some better, felt like I had to get my timesheet turned in, so I went to work, did my timesheet, answered a few emails and phone calls, ate more Ricola cough drops, then called it a day. I think we had Wendy's for dinner that night. Things in my brain were getting foggy by then. Lynn has had no sleep for two nights, so he sleeps in the camper so he can sleep through my coughing fits.
Thursday dawned. With no improvement. Called in sick to work again.
By Thursday night I now have the whole right side of my head throbbing, eyes, ear, jaw, teeth hurting. I go to bed, at least I know Lynn will have a good night's sleep again in the camper.
Friday morning, Lynn leaves with a buddy to go riding ATVs in the mountains. (This was planned before I got sick and he went with my blessing, so don't think he was being uncaring.) I told him I'd call the clinic and see if I should be adding or changing any meds. I fell to sleep about 7:00 am and woke up about 11:30 am, can't believe I slept that long in one stretch! Neither can the dog, she was pleading to go out. I called the office and said I would not be there, AGAIN.
I called and left a message for the nurse at the clinic and she called back about 1/2 later. Listened to my story, then after conferencing with the Nurse Practitioner asked my how quickly could I get there. I said 5-10 minutes.
Let's see Oxygen Sats down to 90, sinus infection, ear infection, having an asthma attack that didn't clear up after a treatment of Duo-Neb (Albuterol & Atrovent combo), They did get my Oxygen Sats up to 95 though. So two hours later (not just waiting, but being gone over and poked and prodded), I left the clinic with a shot of Kenalog in my bottom, RXs for Duo-Neb, Prednisone, and orders for a chest xray & blood work at the local hospital. By the time I got back home and let a very anxious dog out again, Alan got there. I was in no mood or shape to drive by this time, so he drove me to the pharmacy to drop of the prescriptions, then took me to the hospital for the tests and back home.
Xray showed no pneumonia, but hyper-inflated lungs due to asthma, the NP called in an antibiotic to clear up the sinus infection and the ear infection.
Dear Alan went back to the store and got my meds. Lynn says that was nice, but Alan stills owes me for the the trips for Dr & meds when he was growing up. Ha Ha.
Went back to see the NP today (Saturday) and she said I was much improved, but she was worried that I might have needed to be hospitalized yesterday.
So after a long story, I have learned that Duo-Neb, Prednisone & Kenalog can make one very sleepless. I have also learned that I need to go to the professionals and not try to self-diagnose something that can be life-threatening. And, yes, Lynn is have the last laugh, with "You wouldn't listen to me when I first told you to go, would you?". Yeah, yeah, yeah, I shoulda listened.
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