Jan 26 2007
Lungs
I wasn’t feeling well the last couple of weeks and on Monday evening I really wasn’t feeling well. Very tired, a fever, coughing and totally out of breath after doing little physical activity. I made an appointment with my doctor and yesterday I went to see him. He examined me and told me I had either a bronchitis or a pneumonia.
He prescribed me antibiotics and an inhalator for my lungs and I had to make an X-ray, to see if it was actually a pneumonia.
I always think it’s funny they hand out these gowns here, I’ve never had a gown in the Netherlands. Ever. And believe me, I made a lot of X-rays over the years, although I never had anything broken apart from my nose.
When I’m wheezing I think about my mother, who was out of breath too, but worse. It’s strange how your perception of things change after you experience them yourself.
[After my visit to the clinic my car broke down again and had to be towed to the garage. I waited for an hour for the tow truck and was completely cold and miserable. Then I found out I left my house keys with the car keys and so had locked myself out of the house. Had to go downtown to Alison’s work to pick up her keys. Not a particularly good day, no.]
Saturday, 27 January, 2007 @ 14:31
Get well soon! xo
Wednesday, 31 January, 2007 @ 06:47
Oh poor you… and do you have pneumonia? (That would make this all the more tragic-heroic, wouldn’t it?)
Wednesday, 31 January, 2007 @ 10:27
I haven’t heard back from my doctor, so I guess the X-rays were good and I don’t have pneumonia. The bronchitis that I have in that case is still there, I cough a lot, am still out of breath but feel slightly better. Car is still at the garage.
Wednesday, 31 January, 2007 @ 23:03
Sucky day indeed!! :(
My mom does x-rays!! :P
Tuesday, 6 February, 2007 @ 12:12
Been there, done that. Both bronchitis and pneumonia. Rest, man, rest! The pumps have never done much for me, but the antibiotics have always made me all better. I just wish they’d treat my anxiety at the same time – I’m completely panicked at the idea of not having enough air, so bronchitis leads to panick attacks and this leads to crying, which in no way helps the bronchitis. It has even led an incredibly dumb doctor to think I was some junky trying to score meds. Duuude – I studied acting! If I wanted meds I would perhaps not *fake* not being able to breathe! Grrr. Lots of rest and patience, it’s the only way! Take good care of yourself (or it will turn into pneumonia… which I’d always thought would be painful, but no – when I had it it was easier to deal with than bronchitis, pain-wise).
Tuesday, 6 February, 2007 @ 12:26
Oh, and instead of gowns… what? Just your normal clothes? (What I don’t like is seeing Herb go in for surgery wearing one gown and see him come back with another… I tease him and tell him they put him to sleep and then play Puppetry of the Penis!)
Tuesday, 6 February, 2007 @ 17:06
For radiology you just wear your underwear (bras probably have to be removed since they contain metal, no experience with that) but the only person that is present is the X-ray operator.
You undress in a little changing room with doors on two sides. One side you enter, you lock that door, undress, wait until they knock on the door and then leave through the other door, that exits in the X-ray room. Every X-ray room has 5 or so changing rooms, which is plenty.
For surgery you do get a gown, and they probably take that off in the OR, I don’t remember. During the only real operation I ever had, to fix a vasectomy that went wrong, I got morfine and got a bad reaction to that in combination with other meds, and don’t remember anything anymore (apart from the pain afterwards, and the fact that I was so high I checked out of the hospital without telling anybody.)
Wednesday, 7 February, 2007 @ 10:49
I’ve noticed that if you behave as if you belong in the hospital or anywhere in it, nobody asks questions. That’s how I chose not to care about visiting hours, and that’s how I know anyone can get out of there no questions asked. Well, y’know, an iv drip dragging behind you is a telltale sign, but short of that…!
Wednesday, 7 February, 2007 @ 10:52
We’re quite prudish here. When I go to the gynecologist, I don’t need a disposable sheet to hide myself (from who? me? I actually go there for the doc to have a look, y’know! And I’ve seen it! Regularly!) but they always put one on me anyway. Ridiculous.
Wednesday, 7 February, 2007 @ 12:15
In Europe they’re not so prudish. I even once attended a internal exam of my girlfriend and the doctor made me take a look at the cervix. No sheets there.
Are we entering the “Too Much Information”-stage already?
Thursday, 8 February, 2007 @ 10:16
LOL! I had a German teacher who was maybe 28 and went to the Maritimes with her Canadian boyfriend. She stood on the beach and changed. Oh the looks she got! The shock! The horror! It’s hilarious how cut off “we” can be from our own bodies. As far as I know, no one has ever died from seeing skin…
Monday, 12 February, 2007 @ 15:44
Even worse: I watched closely as the doctor paced my gf’s IUD.