Thirty Days of Thankful - My Health

Here's one that is on most people's "thankful" lists.  While I'm not in perfect health, I'm thankful for the ability to manage my asthma so that I stay as healthy as possible.

After being admitted to the hospital in the early Spring with sepsis and asthma issues, I started to take my health even more seriously...  I mean not being able to breath has always been scary, but that trip through the ER and getting admitted was a whole other level of stressful.  So I joined a gym, tried to cut out some extra calories and decided to participate in my health plan's mentoring program.

It's a process...and some days are far more successful than others.  But I feel like it's helped.  The holidays are busy and stressful and I know that no matter how good my intentions are - a little extra dessert will make its way into my life.

Who wants to come walk around the block with me after Thanksgiving dinner?! Ha!

I'm an "Indoor" Kind of Girl...

While I have a lot of tales to tell you - ranging from the hysterical, to the horrifying, to the happy - I think today I'm going to tell you all why I'm an indoor kind of girl this summer.

Most you remember that I am asthmatic.  Right?  And, thankfully, it has been largely under control except a bought with bronchitis about once a year.  Well, this lucky lady got hit with bronchitis/pneumonia twice over the winter.  Not fun!  Of course, looking back I'd happily do it again instead of what happened next.

I went to work one day in April not feeling all to well and through the day had a few people tell me to go home or go to the doctor.  Did I listen?  NO!  I waited until the end of the day and decided that it might be a good idea to go to Urgent Care.  I was there no longer than five minutes when they packed me up to the hospital.

Turns out - I had a 103 degree temperature, was septic, diminished breath sounds, a pulse rate of over 170 beats per minute and sky-high blood pressure.  They thought I was going to code and flat out told me that.  Scary, right?!

I was lucky - I got lots of nebulizer treatments, a super fun IV that I thought was going to poke back out of my hand, and antibiotics. Did I mention that I fought with them when they told me I was going to be admitted?  Yeah, not my finest moment...but I got to go home almost 24 hours after my hospital stay started.  Before I left, I had a fun chat with a pulmonologist who warned me that I am under no circumstances to be outside in heat, humidity or pollen this summer or he'd be seeing me again, and next time I might not be so lucky.

So...who has a few fun craft projects for me this summer?

Asthma

My asthma has hit me hard this summer....

I was a preemie, so I've always had slightly under-developed lungs, but I didn't officially get diagnosed with asthma until I was 12. 

Really - I'm lucky!  With some hard work and really good drugs, I've been able to control it for the most part.  Knock on wood, no trips to the ER for an asthma attack in almost a decade.  But, the heat and humidity have made life really difficult this summer.  Wheezing abounds almost as soon as I leave an air conditioned environment.  Which, frankly, sucks!!  It's awfully hard to go out and "play" if you are limited to only indoor activities that are fairly sedate.

Because of this - I've come to realize that most people really don't understand asthma. I have a fabulous pulmonologist who put my asthma in perspective for my mom shortly after I was diagnosed.  For me - I good day is like breathing through a regular straw.  A bad day? Well, it's kinda like breathing through a coffee stirrer.  If you ever want to experience the life of an asthmatic - try breathing through a straw for a few minutes.  It's exhausting!

I was on the elevator in the parking garage last night and a woman looked at me and asked "not to breath so loud".  Um...lady...I'm WHEEZING.  So sorry, but I have no control over that, mmkay?!  I choose to think that she's uneducated about asthma, not ignorant.  What?  I'm just nice like that!

Now, who wants to go to the movies or out to dinner so I can at least get out of the house?  :-)