Rough day

Oh my, having a peek-a-boo around the blogosphere, I see that a few of my fellow asthmatics are also having a rough day. Breathe easier everyone.

The day started out ok but tight-ish. THEN. During my lab today we had  a bit of downtime so I was sitting in the hallway studying. Some girl walks out of the lab, opens her locker, sprays herself with perfume, touches up her makeup and walks back into the lab. Oh man don’t get me started, you’re in a *lab* the E. COLI DON’T CARE IF YOUR MAKEUP IS PERFECT!!! So that was unnecessary. I started to tighten up, fast and quite badly. I was all alone in the hallway and I just kind of sat there with my head on my knees. I wanted to stay there forever and not move. Buuut my cells were going to be ready soon and I still had one last thing to do with them. I asked my lab partner if she would be ok doing the last 2 steps and my TA said it was ok so I sat in the common area for a bit then walked the 3 blocks home. I contemplated going to the clinic (right next door to the lab) and asking for a neb but the clinic is a freaking CESSPOOL right now and the thought of sitting among 40 H1N1-ers didn’t really appeal to me.

Ever since then I’ve been getting better, then worse again, then better then worse. I’ve been studying for my molecular biology midterm which is actually going OK. It’s tomorrow and I think I’m ready. My roommate is a little concerned because she keeps hearing me use my puffer but hey. By the  way, about the asthma thing she is totally cool and I’m really comfortable being open about it. She looks out for me but not in the smothering way so it’s all good.

The only thing is that I want to sleep tonight! Oh please oh please let me sleep tonight! And I wish I had yelled at that girl but didn’t have the guts nor the breath.

A non-running update

Y’all know I do things other than run and suck on ventolin, right? Good. Well, mostly the other things include having my nose stuck in a textbook, inhabiting the biochemistry lab, and avoiding my laundry.

Yesterday’s lab was epically long. We were in there for 7 hours but thankfully we got our result by the end. I like the lab but it’s also… stressful. Ah well we do what we can!

Yesterday evening I ignored my computer to study for my microbiology midterm, which was this morning. I daresay that I overstudied, which is fine because it’s much better than understudying. I think I did really well but I forgot my calculator for the exam which is a major doh! moment. Thankfully, my hard-ass biochemistry prof from last year insisted we learn to calculate/estimate logarithms in our heads, so I didn’t panic and was able to figure out the microbial growth problems, phew!

Now, only 4 midterms and 2 major lab reports until the semester is done!! That kind of seems like  a lot but if I think about them one at a time I don’t feel like freaking out so much.

I landed an interview to do a research project with a really awesome doctor/professor next year, as part of my honours thesis. I’m super pumped!!

Also, I’m attending 2 lectures this week by Nobel prize laureates, which I totally don’t have time for but am super excited about anyway!! Wooooot.

OK, so I have to spend the rest of today catching up on laundry, groceries, room cleaning and just general straightening out of my life. Then, it’s on to studying for molecular biology midterm, which is in precisely 7 days.

Quelle journée!

Phew, it was one of those long days!

This first bit may be too much information for you, if you don’t wanna know about what comes out of my lungs, do not read on. So I was standing around in the kitchen at breakfast, eating an orange while talking to my roommate, when suddenly I inhale some of the juice and start to choke. After the startling bit is over, I continue to cough a little bit. And then. Then I had this sudden massive rumbling cough, and I coughed up like a whole mouthful of thick but sort of fluffly white phlegm. Taken aback, it took me a moment to realize how freaking good that felt. So I encouraged the coughing for a few minutes and was able to clear some more. And for the next few hours I was on a cloud.

It’s a good thing I was on a cloud because I had a class, then a midterm. The cellular physiology midterm went super well. It was a bit on the easy side but whatever I could use a bit of easy amid my courses!! Next I had my massive Monday lab, which didn’t turn out to be too bad. By the end of it I was starting to feel tight and I could really feel it on my walk home. I was kind of grumpy about that because I thought I had fixed my lungy problem with this morning’s phlegm fiasco. I got home and made dinner and sucked on some ventolin.

I went back to school because there was an info session for next year’s honours projects. Even though I was feeling tight still, I brought my pool stuff for after  because I had planned on a swim today. Of course the fact that I brought my swim stuff meant that I absolutely had to go to the pool, so I did. I love being in the pool, but I had to get out after 8 laps because I just wasn’t feeling it, I was too tight. Sooooo I came home, which is where I am now.

The lungs are being not very nice this evening, and I don’t know why. I wish they would get over themselves. Grr. It’s not a huge deal, and I’m not concerned about it, but it’s a little much for running or swimming.

The 5 km vs. 10 km debate is still not settled. People have not been very warm on the 10 km idea at all. And now I don’t feel so good so it’s harder to think a 10 km is realistic. I guess I really do have until Sunday to decide.

Monday is my worst day scedule-wise, so now the rest of the week is looking pretty peachy!

Update

I went for a swim instead of a run this morning. Wanna know why? Because, I wanted to test out my new goggles, which is, I realize, a really juvenile reason for going swimming but there you have it. I will run tomorrow and report on the leg situation then. For all my poking and prodding, I think I’ve determined that whatever it is/was that had gone awry in my leg, is healing up. Yaaaaaaaay.

So, I have no idea why my lungs are being so darned productive this week. When I say productive, I mean in the mucus sense, not in the sense that they are doing all my homework (ha ha ha I kill myself). BUT, I’m not really worried about it for 2 reasons. 1) I’ve not yet had a fever and 2) I’m only coughing up white stuff. And white is my normal colour! And yes it’s really gross that I have a “colour” but whatever it is very reassuring to me.

In other news, I’m studying for cellular physiology because I have a midterm on Monday. This class is much easier than it sounds and I’ve seen most of this stuff about a billion times so I’m finding it hard to take it seriously. Still, you gotta do what you gotta do!

I hope you all have a wonderful easy-breathing weekend!!

Holeeeeeeee crap.

400 molecular biology students in some Canadian university are micturating a brick right now about the most brutal exam that ever was. The questions themselves were fine, but how can they expect us to answer 15 multiple choice, 6 medium-long answer questions and 4 essay questions in 80 minutes? I’m scared that I was nowhere near coherent enough….

People around my were either crying or ranting, or hyperventilating. Not good.

I, for one, am going running. Then I am locking myself in my study cave as I have another exam in less than 48 hours. Chin up, breathe, phew. See you Thursday afternoon.

Delayed effects of the run

Last night I was much tighter that I really should be while on prednisone. I fully expected to be feeling the effects of the run a few hours later and lo and behold -I did. I was a little bit worried but feel much better this morning. I’ve got my eye on another charity race that takes place on October 25th.

I’ve got a laboratory practical exam in about an hour then two more midterms this week. It’s a bit of a crunch, but I’m thankful to have most of my midterms before Thanksgiving weekend (this weekend) so that I can just relax and enjoy it. Some of my friends have a huge block of midterms after the long weekend, booo. So far the studying is going pretty well, and it’s all coming together so I’m feeling good about it.

Gonna TRY and go for an easy run tomorrow morning before class if all is well. Happy start of the week all!

Oh yeah and a little shout out to my peeps back home: HAHAHAHA you got snow this weekend!

Oh hi, thanks for telling me you are painting the walls… NOT

My roommate has some sort of agreement with the landlord that he paints to subsidize his rent or something. What I didn’t know is that he is painting OUR APPARTMENT, TODAY. Thanks, I’m gone to the library. Also, this said roommate also inexplicably sprayed himself with Axe last night and then went to bed (?) I opened the door to my study cave only to be hit with this wall of disgustingness which wasted no time in tightening up my airways in a big way. So, I had to tame that beast before I could go to bed, meaning I got to bed pretty late.

But, in less complaining news, the microbio exam is done!! I was kind of nervous but when I was handed my exam I was like “oh yeah, I’m a science student, midterms are what I *do*”  And I just did it and it was no problem. So in that regard, I think I have re-found my groove.

After class I will go back to my place just long enough to get changed into my running stuff and go for an easy jog. Happy Tuesday!

PS, my other roomie (the girl) and I still get along really well. The living situation is still all good, despite these 2 recent blips.

I shoulda knocked on wood.

I guess yesterday’s nondescript yucky allergic feeling was actually a cold coming on. Or maybe they were two separate things. In any case, I have a cold. Maaaaajor bummer.

I’m short of breath on walking, but not tooo terribly. I won’t do a run today obviously even though I wish I could. Now I’m very perplexed as to what the best thing is to get me ready for this race. I’m not sure if I should rest so as to not offend my lungs, or if I should gently challenge myself to get my lungs back  into shape. Anyone? Anyone???

Worst case scenario, I walk the 5km race. There will be thousands walking, no big deal. I can enter a 5km later on in the fall to achieve my goal. But man would I love to run it.

About school, the thing my life is ACTUALLY about. I have a six hour lab tomorrow and a microbiology midterm on Tuesday. I am spending my day preparing for these 2 things, and I really reaaallly hope I’m in good shape by tomorrow afternoon.

Vegetable soup, decongestant, ventolin, TEA, and fuzzy socks today. Tomorrow I face the world.

I’M FREEEEEE!!

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG

I’m going to go hang out outside now, so there.

(Animal phys. was awesome)

Oh my goodness I am at the end

Hey! Well I go and write my very last exam this morning. I am so looking forward to it. Animal physiology, here I come and I am ready to beat you to a pulp. After that I need to go to the french bookstore to stock up on reading material for the summer (no french bookstores out west!) and I’ll walk around a little bit because I will be free! See you on the other side…