Thursday, February 12, 2009

A Very Unexpected Week

I have had quite a week. I don’t get real sick too often, so when I think something is really wrong I usually get it checked out. That is what I was doing last week at the ENT doctor. I went from thinking last week that I may be in for some more surgery to being on the brink of death with a sinus infection. I know that sounds a little dramatic, but that is how I felt Tuesday around noon while waiting for my medication at Walgreens.

To back up to Friday’s appointment at the ENT doctor. She looked at the CT scan and said that all my sinuses were clear except for my right side below my eye had a little infection in it. So with much discomfort to me, she irrigated out that side. I believe she really angered it instead of flush it out. I picked up the prescriptions she gave me on Saturday morning from Walgreens. After taking my first dose of medication Saturday afternoon, I started with a cough that lasted until about Monday afternoon and then it went down hill from there. I stayed home from work on Monday because my lungs hurt so much from coughing for the last day and a half. Monday night I went to my second job and ended up agitating the infection even more and left there with a fever, headache, and a lot of congestion. Tuesday morning I got up and went to work because that is where I keep the phone numbers to my doctors. All morning I was cold, congested, every muscle ached including my teeth, had a headache, dizzy, my face hurt, only had about 25% functional mental capacity, and the congestion had moved from my nose to my lungs. These symptoms were every single side effect the medication gave and said to call the prescribing doctor immediately. I called the ENT doctor to see what they would say, but all I got was the nurse’s voicemail. I left a message and waited an hour to get a return phone call. After that hour passed, I called my regular doctor and he got me in at 11:00am. After I made that appointment, I called my supervisor at my second job and told her I wouldn’t be in. By 11:00am on Tuesday I was knocking on death’s door and so he gave me shot in the hip to jump start my recovery. This time I went to Walgreens and waited for my prescriptions because I didn’t think I really should have been out driving around town. Once I got the prescriptions and got home, I ate a quick lunch and fell right to sleep. I didn’t even wake up to watch my new favorite show, which I only get to watch when I get to go home early, the Doctors at 4:00pm. When I woke up at 5:30pm, it was like a brand new day. I could breathe out of my nose again, wasn’t achy and I didn’t have such a headache anymore. I felt like a new woman. Yesterday, I went to work with a horrible cough, but I felt about 90% better. Today is about the same. I should be back to 100% by this weekend. To end the story, my regular doctor thinks I am allergic to something; which is why I keep getting sinus infections even though having the sinus surgery was supposed to prevent that. So finding out what I’m allergic to requires eliminating things. He told me to take out my ear rings, clean my house really well, and even said I should temporarily remove Pepper from the house. Hopefully my Aunt & Uncle in town will be willing to take him for a week or so. He doesn’t really believe my allergist that says I am not allergic to almost everything that grows anymore. He really thinks I am still allergic to cats. As sad as I would be, I think I could get rid of him if it means I don’t get killer sinus infections anymore. It would be even better if my Aunt & Uncle could take him. My Aunt already has said that if I bring him to their house he is no longer my cat, she will claim him as hers.