OK! OK! For those of you who keep emailing me wanting to know where the heck I've been since the end of August, here's the skinny...
The first Saturday in September I got a little bit of a sore throat. On Sunday it moved into my chest and I sounded like a bullfrog with a mouthful of cotton balls. When I finally went to the doctor on Wednesday I joked that I'd thought about holding off for another day or so. She laughed and said that would have been OK because then she could have charged me more for visiting me in the hospital. Funny lady.
Whatever hit me has been going around big time but stuff like that effects me more because of my wonderfully sensitive lungs. You see, back in the late 70s I worked in a chemical plant that manufactured stuff using liquid chlorine. If that stuff happened to escape somehow it would form a cloud containing chlorine gas. Deadly if you get caught in it for a long period of time. Lung damaging if you happen to drive through it on your way back from lunch with the windows down. At the time I just had a slight cough and it appeared to be no big deal. And I never thought to attribute the yearly bouts of bronchitis to that exposure until a couple of years ago when a very smart respiratory doc started asking questions trying to figure out why my lungs are so dang finicky. After hearing where I had worked he realized that the stuff I was exposed to has long-term damaging effects in some people. Yay me.
In my case it has caused Reactive Airways Dysfunction Syndrome or RADS. Breathing certain chemicals, including those in lots of colognes, will send my lungs into asthma-like spasms. Over the years the problem has gotten worse until now I have to carry a rescue inhaler with me at all times just like regular asthma patients. But it's not asthma. Weird, huh.
I've spent nearly two months trying to get my feet back under me. Only within the last week have I been able to stay vertical for more than an hour or two at a time, but I'm getting stronger every day. I still have to watch being out in public too much because my immune system isn't back to full strength yet.
So, thank you all for your prayers and concern and requests to get my butt back in the blogging game. But remember to be careful what you wish for... cuz I'M BAAACK!
OK, that's all for tonight. Until tomorrow,
Peace, Blessings, and Easy breathing to all
Monday, November 2, 2009
4 comments:
WELL HOWDY!! Thanks so much for popping in to leave a note. PLEASE be sure to check the box by "E-mail follow-up comments to..." so that you'll get my response to your comment. I almost always respond personally And sorry for making you do the Word jumble mambo. I wish there weren't A***ole spammers running rampant in the blogverse!
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And no compensation, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteMy sister taught in a school for 5 - 7 year olds. Near the school was a laundry. One day the laundry caught fire, and the smoke was so bad that the children had to be moved from the school. My sister was one of the teachers stuck in the smoke for a while. She now has damaged lungs and needs an antibiotic cocktail roughly every six months to keep her breathing. Compensation? Just prove it...
You've been through a lot, love. Treat yourself gently.
I'm so sorry to hear of all you've been through the last couple of months, and I guess really for years. That is awful. I'm glad you're getting better though. I hope you continue to improve. You have certainly been missed.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're getting better! I've been thinking about you lately.
ReplyDeleteThat really sucks! My allergies are getting to the point where I am only okay inside the house with a hepa filter running. Otherwise, it takes at least 3 different prescription medicines to allow me to spend any time outside.
ReplyDelete