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.

On a less catastrophic note….

I went running this morning, my first time in the dark (very Halloweenish). I did a 3 km loop, but it had a few hills as the kicker. The lungs feel really good, but I will be picking up an ice pack on my way home from school because I’m starting to need it!

Ladies and gentlemen, we have more evidence that I’m positively hooked on running. After Sunday’s 10 km I took 3 whole days off because well, I was hurting a bit and wanted to give my body a chance. And by Wednesday, I could not study. My efforts were futile, I had too much nervous energy in me and I couldn’t sit still. It’s obvious that I need to keep doing something active every day, preferably before I settle in to study. That’s why I need to be really careful not to get injured. Steve already shared some injury prevention tips with me, anyone have any more???

Last night I went to dance class and I daresay that my running is helping! It helps me get through the ridiculously aerobic highland dances and I think I’ve gained a little leg power too because my elevation felt really good last night. Yay for dancing!

It’s the weekend, hurrah! I will be holed up studying for my molecular bio midterm that is on Tuesday. However, I will make sure to go running and (possibly) make a little appearance for Halloween.

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.

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!

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.

grumble grumble

Allergy season yet again! My eyes are a bit bonkers and I’m itchy in my ears and throat. Itchy ears are SOO annoying. The lungs are doing random twichy business but holding up pretty good all things considered. I’m trying to study but having a hard time concentrating, not just because of the allergies but because I’m just foggy-brained and not in the mood. I have a microbiology midterm on Tuesday so I need to get my butt in gear….

On the running front, I ran a very slow 5Km this morning (50 minutes). I ran the whole time though and the morning was GORGEOUS. So yay for that.

Rolling right along

Biochemistry in 24.5 hours. I am definitely starting to feel like everything is coming together. Thanks to all for your encouragement! I think it shall be juuust fine. I am taking tomorrow night off to go to a poetry reading/hip hop show with a friend. I’m not too sure what to expect but it should be interesting.

I have a doctor’s appointment this afternoon, for what I don’t really know. I hate those appointments that feel pointless. I guess I’ll show him my peak flow chart, let him have a listen to the lungies and we’ll discuss my labs that I had done eons ago. I don’t feel too bad today which is really good! The staying indoors strategy seems to be working in my favour so I am sticking with it. It’s not very nice out anyway…

This time next week I shall be home!! Woah..

My umpteenth account of why pollen sucks

I was well behaved yesterday in that I did all of my studying indoors. But still I did not have a good walk home from the library last night. My chest tightened up in a big way all of a sudden and it made me stop mid-stride. When I finally did get home, I was alone and not feeling so hot. However, I lived to tell the tale and even to study a bit of animal physiology after that. Oh yeah and I still woke up with my face all funny this morning.

So what does this mean, that I must be a shut-in until I finish exams and get the heck out of this deathly city?? Lungs, do you mean to say that you are not allowing me to be outside AT ALL? Because frankly, that is not very reasonable of you. I think it may also have to do with the humidity yesterday. Who knows.

10 days until home and 3 exams to go!! Again, apologies for not being able to talk about anything but silly pollen and silly studying.