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When dealing with bad lungies, positive outlook must always go hand-in-hand with caution and agressive treatment. Keeping the bad health thoughts separate from my other thoughts is so incredibly crucial. I have a few ways to remind myself to keep on smiling when everything isn’t perfect, and I will share my favourite little trick with you (it is very simplistic).
On my bulletin board, among my pictures of my favourite people, I have a homemade sign. It is a piece of lined paper holded in half. In blue highlighter, I wrote on it “You will feel better soon”, with a smiley face beside it. I have it up there when I’m in a flare that I just can’t seem to shake and I am starting to get discouraged. I need to always believe that this is true. Sometimes “soon” is actually a long way away, but it always does come to give me a break.
On the flip side of that paper, it says in blue highlighter “Appreciate the gifts of today”, with a smiley face beside it. I flip the sign over when I do feel better, and I have that there to remind me to be grateful and to use every one of my good moments to the fullest.
This paper doesn’t only flip over according to fluctuations in my asthma. Sometimes if I am feeling overwhelmed with school or with anything else that is going on in my life, I need to know that I’ll feel better soon.
Somehow a homemade sign is infinitely more convincing than the voice in my head, and that’s why I keep it there. It reaaally helps me change my thoughts. Maybe it’s a bit weird, but I hope you enjoyed my first tip on staying positive!
As you probably know, I have my two doctor’s appointments today. I am very optimistic about them, in keeping with today’s theme. I have to be downtown early-ish this morning, then at the hospital for lunchtime, head home for dinner, then be at school for 8:30 pm for my lab final. Craziness! I promise I will update. Ciao!
Now that springtime has rolled around again, I am starting to think more about what this time was like for me last year. The return of the itchiness in my throat and lungs as well as the tight and twitchy chest makes the memory quite fresh, actually. Last spring was a particularly bad time for me and the lungs and I really am desperate to avoid repeating the same events.
Springtime back home was actually one of my better breathing seasons, and I was usually a relatively happy camper during March and April. The temperature was just right for my lungs, and the pollen count was never very high because of the arid climate. Springtime in my university city caught me totally offguard last year. I was utterly unprepared and somehow never fathomed that I might run into problems.
Early in April I had a nasty attack following a day spent being active outdoors and I had to resort to prednisone to stabilize it. After coming off the prednisone, I rapidly deteriorated again. I wasn’t too fazed at first, but it was getting to be quite disruptive, and it was the end of the semester and I coming up on exams.
One morning I woke early and just didn’t feel right. I can’t explain it, but some attacks just feel different and you know that you are going to end up needing help, probably sooner rather than later. I told my aunt that morning that “I feel like I usually feel when something really bad’s going to happen”. She had to go to work, but stuck the phone in my hand, stuck her cellphone on her hip and told me to get help right when I needed it. I spent the entire morning sitting in one spot, desperately trying not to move, because not moving was the only thing that was keeping me from going into a total attack. My aunt came home at lunch to check on me and when she found me in that chair she carted me right off to the clinic. At the clinic I saw my least favourite doctor (the one who listens to my chest through layers and layers of clothing), who sent me off with a perscription for prednisone. I went back home and settled back on my chair, the trip had made me worse. My aunt asked me if I could try eating dinner with them, I remember we were having penne. I only ate one noodle, and I specifically remember the effort of bringing it to my mouth and chewing on it being what sent me over the edge. I actually dropped my fork, and my aunt and I looked at each other and it was agreed that we had to go pronto. We get to the ER, and my aunt explains what’s happening. I sit down in the triage chair and promptly clamp up and fall forward. I was brought to resuscitation, given epinephrine, IV steroids, O2 and all the rest. I don’t remember the real rush-y part. The next thing I do remember is being sooo shaky from so many nebs that my aunt needed to bring the water cup to my mouth because I couldn’t even hold it for myself. I was also too shaky to blow my own nose, hold my own neb etc etc etc. I stayed in that night and the next. I had an exam to write the day after I got home (I think. I remember it was Determinants of Health, the easiest exam ever so that was lucky).
I can’t say I really felt better after getting home from the hospital. I think I was more stable, but I still felt very breathless and I was soooo tired. Yet, I still managed to write every single one of my exams and do well, which still baffles me to this day.I actually did have a blog at the time, but it was more a blog about being a med-student wannabe, and I was determined not to go on and on about my asthma; I think I only mentioned it a couple of times. This blog is quite a change of pace then! I went to the clinic for nebs a couple of times and had a couple of questionable attacks but I stayed out of the hospital. Whether or not I would actually be well enough to get home by plane was a real question, but I did make it back on the day I had planned to. Boy, were my parents glad to see me that day. They had been soooo worried, and rightly so.
Upon getting back home, I started to breathe much easier, but then I got a chest infection. Which is totally weird because it was May and well, that just never happens to me. So that put me behind a little bit but after that I recovered quite well. I didn’t have near as many attacks at home and generally felt better, and was using way less medication. After a week’s recuperating period, I started my lab job, which I loved.
So, you see why I am not really looking forward to the next couple of weeks. I enjoy the weather and everything, but I can already feel that I may be heading down the same road. That is why I’ve got all this hope that all my appointments on Tuesday will amount to something and one of the doctors will have a brilliant idea and we can get something together that will help me avoid this whole situation. Yes?
Ooof, lungs are not good. I kind of have that feeling that they are done being good for awhile.
With midterms behind me, I have all sort of loose ends to tie up. Lab reports, assignments etc. I am going to try to spend the day at the library. I’m not certain I will last that long but I’ll play it by ear.
There is no way I am going off my meds tomorrow. I was supposed to stop them in anticipation of spirometry at clinic on Tuesday, but I will just have to call the hospital on Monday and tell them that it’s not possible, they’ll understand. (Well OF COURSE they’ll understand)
Anyway, that’s it. Sorry for the shortness
It’s allergy season!
Tuesday is a long way away 
Happy Friday everyone!
The new dance class was AWESOME. I loved it and an totally switching over to this from the team. We worked soooo hard. I wasn’t sure how I would do with the lungies but since I was dancing for a new teacher and all I felt the need to show off a bit so danced hard until my body was screaming louder than my lungs. This morning both are complaining but I feel so happy! Yay!
It is my last lab rat Tuesday today. I can’t say I’m too sad, although the labs haven’t been as terrible as I thought they would be this semester. Tomorrow I have 2 midterms and then Thursday I have another. THEN I can take a breather. The end of the semester is coming up so fast, this is craziness! The lab final is next Tuesday from 8:30-10:00 PM, definitely not my prime time for test-taking. Oh well.
Gastroenteritis seems to be quietly slipping out the door without having descended upon me. I cannot tell you how thankful I am for this. phew! Must. get. ready.
Gaaahhhh – Gastroenteritis in my household. I am paranoid that I will catch it. Is my stomach just gurgling because I’m hungry, or…? You get the picture.
Lungs are being dumb. I am sort of keeping it under control, but I still think they should stop being so dumb.
Today has been a very productive study day. I had to get out of the house because everybody’s gastro yuckiness was driving me crazy and so I found myself to be one of the nerds waiting outside the library at 10 AM for it to open. As previously mentioned, I have 3 midterms this week. As of today I am starting to feel prepared for them, and this is a good thing.
Regarding highland dancing, I have decided to try something new. I will be attending a new class tomorrow night, and shall see how it goes. I still haven’t told the teacher I have asthma, and probably should do that before I shock her into oblivion. I am hoping that this class will help me to really focus on my technique and build up some stamina. As for the dance team, I’m not so sure about it right now. I find I’m not enjoying it as much as I was, maybe it is the kind of functions we dance at, which are mostly centered around military and police things. I dunno. We shall see.
It’s time to put away the studying for tonight, my brain is swimming. Maybe I I will practice some violin before bed! Oh yes, that sounds like a great idea! Hope you had a great weekend!!
I’m starting to think about summer already and I’ve even been planning how I will stay active while I am at home. I’ve already got a few lung-friendly activities lined up and they are:
1. Cycling. My only bike remains at my parents’ place and I miss it! I plan on cycling to work most days. My lungs are very tolerant of it actually so I should be able to do this a lot.
2. Rock Climbing. My dad and I plan on hitting the climbing wall every weekend, and hopefully get out to the mountains for the real stuff as well. We know a couple of the good spots and we plan on discovering more. Rock climbing is tiring as heck, but it doesn’t tend to affect my breathing that badly.
3. Hiking. It’s impossible NOT to want to go hiking if you live where I do, those mountains are just too awesome and beautiful. Most of the hikes I really like to do tend not to be lung-friendly and have the added danger of being in a completely remote area so I will have to reserve this activity to times where I am in super good shape.
Other things I enjoy doing at home are canoeing, walking, tennis (I’m a terrible player), anything outdoors! I am definitely counting on my asthma being better controlled, as it usually is when I go back home. This is due to the high altitude and drier air, and lack of allergens such as dust mites, mold, and many pollens. I am totally pumped to go home! I should stop daydreaming though, and get to the library. I need to study for my biochemistry and animal physiology midterms next week. Enjoy the weekend!
OK guys, I am really embarrassed to admit this to you, but since I am supposed to be documenting all of my trials and tribulations as an asthmatic striving for independence and all the rest, I am gonna swallow my pride and just tell you.
Mold has always been a problem for me. I struggle much more in damp environments, although I don’t know which molds I’m most sensitive to. I’m very conscious of this fact, however on Wednesday when someone offered me some blue cheese at lunch, I didn’t think twice about PUTTING IT IN MY MOUTH. Blue cheese is moldy, moldy cheese. Penicillium, it is called. Honestly it did not cross my mind even for a nanosecond that this stuff was the same stuff, or close to it.
I had a little nap post-lunch but was woken 20 minutes into it by a coughing fit. That’s not abnormal in itself, but then I was hit by a wave of nausea. Hives across my belly, burning skin on my forearms, you get the picture. I thought about my lunch and it took me awhile to compute what might have gone wrong. Luckily, it is March break so my aunt who is a teacher was home to help me. I didn’t quite know how bad I would get and it was a bit tricky to gauge what I should do. I did the Benadryl thing, took my puffer, zonked out, puffed some more and stuck very close to my aunt. Needless to say I missed my afternoon classes. I survived and feel OK now but not quite back to normal and very tired. This one almost surely warrants a visit to the GP to discuss, but I serendipitously have an appointment with the allergist in 12 days’ time. I also have respiratory clinic on the same day. So think I will just wait until then?! Naaa, I better at least call my family doc.
I PUT MOLD IN MY MOUTH. I chewed it and I swallowed it. I am so dumb. My mother cannot believe me.
Between being the allergy queen and wanting to spend so much time in the glorious sunshine, I have not gotten enough schoolwork done and am feeling a little antsy. I’ve got three exams next week which is just driving me batty! A lot of my anxiety subsided yesterday when I wrote out my study schedule for the next few days. I’m obsessed with having a plan.
First and foremost – the lungs are absolutely fine, no need to dip in to my bag of goodies last night.
The show was not that fun. It was probably the most dull and unappreciative crowd I have ever danced for. So I decided right off the bat I wasn’t going to torture my lungs in exchange for their blank stares. I danced nicely and correctly, but not outstandingly. Maybe that sounds awful the way I’m saying it, but I just didn’t want to feel terrible all night long. It would have been totally different if they had been engaging and excited to see us. As an aside: who in the world hires a pipe band and highland dancers (decidedly Scottish novelties) on the IRISH national holiday? Those are some excellent event-planning skills right there, not.
Important news flash: my job for the summer has been secured! It is the same job I had last year, which is working as a research assistant in a molecular biology lab. BTW molecular bio = genetics (for our purposes). This on the same day as the front page of the newspaper announces “Outlook grim for science research” and goes on to say that funding has been majorly cut in all areas. Somehow my boss managed to grab some of that funding and was able to hire me. I am really really happy.
OK quote of the night from last night:
We are sitting in a Timmie’s in this aforementioned small town. I am halfway done my hot chocolate.
DANIELLE: Hey, look at that, it’s Roll up the Rim time!
KENDRA: OMG where have you BEEN? In a CAVE or something?
Apparently it’s been Roll up time for a long time and I just failed to notice. I’m not a coffee person nor a Tim’s person really and I don’t watch TV so didn’t see the ads. But it did make me feel like a hermit. Which I am.
