Whew!!
It's 0200 or so, one of those times when I can't seem to get my days and nights switched back around from my night shift job. I have 6 days off this stretch, which is rare for me anymore. I used to get that every 2 weeks, but events and change in units caused that to change as well. It was wonderful, and I miss it, but for other reasons, don't want to change back. I usually get 4 in a row off, max, and that is still pretty great. Age, I guess, stress of my job, and just plain " I LOVE to sleep", sometimes keeps me from switching gears back to the real rest of the world. Not fair to my husband, but he's a pretty good ol guy, and makes do. Much easier for him to do, now that we go to the resort every chance we get and he has friends here to play with while I doze.
It might also be that I think I am at the very tail end of a kootie situation going around that has been one of those that you get for 2 weeks, start to get better, then it comes around and bites you in the butt again, this time worse than the first. It started out for me like it might have been a sinus infection, mostly in my head, but throat sore and coughing because of drainage. I tried to get in to my doc, couldn't because everybody else in the area was trying to get in at the same time, so he called my in a script and told me if I didn't get better to get back with him. Suited me fine, I'm one of those who doesn't go to the doc until I'm half dead. Drives him nuts. But, if he wants to check on me, he can, just by showing up on the floor where I work. And he does. And he scowls at me. He has a pretty good scowl, but it doesn't work very well, because then he grins at me cuz he knows I'm not going to change.
So, I took my meds, started to feel some better, went back to work. Then about a week and a half later, I start coughing and coughing and coughing. This is different, so I make an appointment and go see him. Well. this concerns him, because here I am, actually IN HIS OFFICE. Must be bad. Gives me more antibiotics, then sends me to get chest Xrays to make sure I don't have p-monia. I am set to work that same night, so I pull my report off the computer, and it says there is a density in my upper left lobe that is of some concern, a spiculated area. I had to look up "spiculated", had never heard it before. One of our pulmonologists wandered through and I asked him to look at my report and tell me what it meant. I had already gotten the definition for spiculated, but didn't know a lot more than before about whether that was a bad thing or not. When this doc started patting my arm and writing down that I should have a CT scan, pulmonary function studies, a PET scan ASAP, I got scared. This was a couple of weeks before Christmas.
Rooster had an appt with our MD the next day, so I sent the report with him. I know how things work, knew this would be faster than him waiting to get the report. They started setting up all the aforementioned tests and studies that day. That night, I had another of the pulmonologists look at my report, because this was the one I would go to if it turned out I would need one. He is like nobody else! I choose him, not only because he is phenominal....to his patients, to the nurses, but also because if worse came to worst, he would let me have my Smirnoff Ice while I was in the hospital, AND ...he knows when to let go. Just for giggles, I will tell you his daughter is married to Steve Martin. I got to see wedding pics with Tom Hanks in them, etc. Cool.
He read my report, immediately went and looked at my xrays, and came back to me. He asked me what my plans were for Christmas. When I told him, he told me not to change any of them, this was not urgent enough to cancel plans, all could wait until after the holidays. He also told me that "whatever this is, it is tiny, it can wait".
I already had my CT scan scheduled, so I went ahead and had that done. And, of course, printed out my report for that as well. No mention of a MASS, just scarring and emphysema in my left upper lobe, recommendation to follow it for changes. I smoked for 34 years, so all of this was no surprise at all. I have not had a cigarette since Aug 3, 8 years ago, so I am almost halfway there to the time frame where docs consider you pretty safe after having smoked that long. I called the Rooster, read it to him and explained the big words and he hooted his relief. He was dancing on the front porch when I got home the next morning. I was still coughingcoughingcoughing, so I knew I still need to have the Pulmonary function studies, but it is not as urgent as before.
Merry Christmas. Happy New Year.
Maybe I'll ride a bull named Fu Manchu
It might also be that I think I am at the very tail end of a kootie situation going around that has been one of those that you get for 2 weeks, start to get better, then it comes around and bites you in the butt again, this time worse than the first. It started out for me like it might have been a sinus infection, mostly in my head, but throat sore and coughing because of drainage. I tried to get in to my doc, couldn't because everybody else in the area was trying to get in at the same time, so he called my in a script and told me if I didn't get better to get back with him. Suited me fine, I'm one of those who doesn't go to the doc until I'm half dead. Drives him nuts. But, if he wants to check on me, he can, just by showing up on the floor where I work. And he does. And he scowls at me. He has a pretty good scowl, but it doesn't work very well, because then he grins at me cuz he knows I'm not going to change.
So, I took my meds, started to feel some better, went back to work. Then about a week and a half later, I start coughing and coughing and coughing. This is different, so I make an appointment and go see him. Well. this concerns him, because here I am, actually IN HIS OFFICE. Must be bad. Gives me more antibiotics, then sends me to get chest Xrays to make sure I don't have p-monia. I am set to work that same night, so I pull my report off the computer, and it says there is a density in my upper left lobe that is of some concern, a spiculated area. I had to look up "spiculated", had never heard it before. One of our pulmonologists wandered through and I asked him to look at my report and tell me what it meant. I had already gotten the definition for spiculated, but didn't know a lot more than before about whether that was a bad thing or not. When this doc started patting my arm and writing down that I should have a CT scan, pulmonary function studies, a PET scan ASAP, I got scared. This was a couple of weeks before Christmas.
Rooster had an appt with our MD the next day, so I sent the report with him. I know how things work, knew this would be faster than him waiting to get the report. They started setting up all the aforementioned tests and studies that day. That night, I had another of the pulmonologists look at my report, because this was the one I would go to if it turned out I would need one. He is like nobody else! I choose him, not only because he is phenominal....to his patients, to the nurses, but also because if worse came to worst, he would let me have my Smirnoff Ice while I was in the hospital, AND ...he knows when to let go. Just for giggles, I will tell you his daughter is married to Steve Martin. I got to see wedding pics with Tom Hanks in them, etc. Cool.
He read my report, immediately went and looked at my xrays, and came back to me. He asked me what my plans were for Christmas. When I told him, he told me not to change any of them, this was not urgent enough to cancel plans, all could wait until after the holidays. He also told me that "whatever this is, it is tiny, it can wait".
I already had my CT scan scheduled, so I went ahead and had that done. And, of course, printed out my report for that as well. No mention of a MASS, just scarring and emphysema in my left upper lobe, recommendation to follow it for changes. I smoked for 34 years, so all of this was no surprise at all. I have not had a cigarette since Aug 3, 8 years ago, so I am almost halfway there to the time frame where docs consider you pretty safe after having smoked that long. I called the Rooster, read it to him and explained the big words and he hooted his relief. He was dancing on the front porch when I got home the next morning. I was still coughingcoughingcoughing, so I knew I still need to have the Pulmonary function studies, but it is not as urgent as before.
Merry Christmas. Happy New Year.
Maybe I'll ride a bull named Fu Manchu
posted by Mommanurse at 12:48 AM
1 Comments:
You're wisdom educated me that the stuff we're being told...
that it's a lie that if you stop smoking your lungs are like everyone else's in a number of years. I think many smokers use that lie as a crutch, thinking "well, I still have time to quit and allow my lungs to return to normal."
I'm worried about many of our "continued addiction" loved ones, but know that all the harping and screaming accomplishes nothing but increased stress.
The truth should be out there, pounding away at folks...
If you smoke you are doing irreparable damage, PERIOD.
Shouting from the soap box doesn't work. I think stuff like this might.
Or maybe not.
Glad you're feeling better. So am I.
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