medical stuff
After five days of somewhat odd cold/flu symptoms, I finally saw my doctor. I'm usually a fan of "it'll go away on its own", but my annual physical was scheduled, and I wasn't quite foolish enough to cancel it because I was sick.
He listened to my lungs with an "oh.....!"
It's walking pneumonia. Fun fun. It's bizarre, really; I would have described the main symptoms as "being achey, light cough, headachey, loss of apetite", but now I realize almost all of the ache is that my right lung hurts. That concept just wasn't in my mental vocabulary until today, so I just registered it as a non-localized ache.
Our bodies are so weird. (I think the headache is not getting good oxygen supply all the time, since breathing is hard.) The good news is the organism behind this usually responds well to a 5-day antibiotic.
He also added a new theory to my long-standing problem of catching some disease whenever I start exercising regularly (which I did again on July 12). My leading theory is that it's just about system stress; working out too hard takes resources away from the immune system. I think I made it six weeks this time instead of my usual two because I've been trying to take it really easy, just pushing myself a little each day. (A lot more brisk-walking and less jogging or whatever.) In fact, a week ago today, I really didn't take it easy. And the kids had just been coughing all over me. So I blame that.
Anyway, my doctor suggested that it would help to use albuterol (ProAir) before exercising, to let my lungs vent more fully, and that that should help reduce the risk of infection. I guess I need to try to find some research on this... I told him I'd give it a try. (My previously-severe, chronic asthma has been beautifully checked by Advair; for five years now, I haven't needed to use albuterol at all; before that I used it many, many times a day. I don't feel like an asthmatic anymore, so taking albuterol seems weird....)
Anyway. Those are the more interesting bits of today's medical dealings.
He listened to my lungs with an "oh.....!"
It's walking pneumonia. Fun fun. It's bizarre, really; I would have described the main symptoms as "being achey, light cough, headachey, loss of apetite", but now I realize almost all of the ache is that my right lung hurts. That concept just wasn't in my mental vocabulary until today, so I just registered it as a non-localized ache.
Our bodies are so weird. (I think the headache is not getting good oxygen supply all the time, since breathing is hard.) The good news is the organism behind this usually responds well to a 5-day antibiotic.
He also added a new theory to my long-standing problem of catching some disease whenever I start exercising regularly (which I did again on July 12). My leading theory is that it's just about system stress; working out too hard takes resources away from the immune system. I think I made it six weeks this time instead of my usual two because I've been trying to take it really easy, just pushing myself a little each day. (A lot more brisk-walking and less jogging or whatever.) In fact, a week ago today, I really didn't take it easy. And the kids had just been coughing all over me. So I blame that.
Anyway, my doctor suggested that it would help to use albuterol (ProAir) before exercising, to let my lungs vent more fully, and that that should help reduce the risk of infection. I guess I need to try to find some research on this... I told him I'd give it a try. (My previously-severe, chronic asthma has been beautifully checked by Advair; for five years now, I haven't needed to use albuterol at all; before that I used it many, many times a day. I don't feel like an asthmatic anymore, so taking albuterol seems weird....)
Anyway. Those are the more interesting bits of today's medical dealings.