Last night I went to the Emergency Room because I couldn't breath very well. When I say not very well, I mean my chest was hurting from trying to inhale a full breath consistantly for the second day in a row.
Arrived at the ER room around 1:30am. I was checked over for vitals and then given some breathing treatments; a blue plastic tube I had to inhale from blowing mist out the other side. It was Albuterol and it finally opened my lungs up so I could breath. I was also given an I.V. of steroids to help open my lungs.
If you have no idea what this feels like, imagine being punched really hard in the chest then someone laying a very heavy weight on the same spot, while you lay on your back, unable to get up. As you try to fight this, you have little energy because your body is being oxygen deprived.
They repeated the breathing treatments two more times and I could breath fine after the first one. However, the readout said I wasn't getting a good oxygen mix in my blood supply so they admitted me into the Hospital, where I spent the night, being wheeled around, talking to administrators, and trying to breath with an uncomfortable tube in my nostrils giving me a 3% oxygen boost.
It was an odd experience even though I felt fine. Thoughts of how my dad went through his days in the hospital came to mind. I felt like I wasn't in control of my surroundings and I didn't like the feeling. I imagine he didn't care for it either.
Around 9 am the Dr. Came in, checked me out and released me from the hospital. My body decided to start doing it's job and producing good amounts of oxygen in my red blood cells. It was really just a super asthma attack that I am not used to getting, caused from my surroundings here in Oklahoma.
So, I am okay, no worries. The new Dr. is a Pulmonologist and he has me on some new treatments so this doesn't happen again hopefully. Today I have Nate with me but I feel kind of useless 'cus I am so tired (you try sleeping with a plastic tube in your nose).
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Yikes, So you know the pain of not being able to get a breath? Not fun at all is it?
Glad to see you are ok but I told you to stop snorting cat hair. That stuff will kill ya.
bwahaha cat hair.
holy shit beau i just found out about this. I wanna call you but i dont know if the old phone is the right phone or not. ? I hope you are having a good last day in okieland before you hit the aussie sunsets. Im so sorry you got hit with this now, but i guess its better now than on the plane. that would suck bigtime, and it sounds like its going to suck anyway. I have a really cool portable dvd player but its here and you are there. It sounds just exactly what would help fix this plane situation...or just bring a really great book, get your schedule organized, write a will, balance your checkbook, recheck your insurance policies against inflation market rates, write a business plan for a topless casino lounge, you know....those kindsa things you think about doing but never can find the time. Then of course theres sleep. deep wonderful sleep. ah, im jealous already. gimme a call if you can okay sugar? i hope you are alright.
Be safe flying. Make sure you've got drugs with you to cope with another attack on the plane to Australia. That's one long flight to do if you start feeling like shit again. Anything this doc can give you for an emergency situation? Feel better. Hey - look on the bright side. If you start sleeping during the day, your body will already be on Melbourne time.
Thanks guys. Kelly, I have a whole pharmacy in my bag that I may be looked at for drug smuggling so I should be good. But honestly, I never had problems over in Australia. It seems to be the Oklahoma air that seems to get to me, that and nate's dumb cat. :)
I'm glad you feel better. I had pleurisy once, I think--similar to what you described, only constant, rather than acute. Felt worse when I was in the swimming pool--like someone sitting on my chest.
Oh! Wait! Now that I think about it, I was not yet diagnosed with asthma! They didn't treat me with anything. And my heart rate was 45, which they were all marveling at, while I was worried sick that it was slowing to a stop.