Having an asthma attack. Feel XXXXXX. Mind if I have a pity-party?

I got this ***** little virus on Sunday. A little fever, fatigue, sore throat. It went away by Monday afternoon. Even went to work Tues. But... wham... by that evening I could tell I was getting tight.

By this morning I was tight as a drum. Lord... I haven't been like this for almost two years. I took a nebulizer treatment. Went to work and almost passed out. (Note to self: A big hit of albuterol and atropine without breakfast is not always a good idea.) Couldn't walk the length of the hall. Couldn't phonate too well. (That is to say, my little old patients couldn't hear what I was trying to say.) Walked over to the MD's office (happily in an adjoining building.) She sent me home. I'm on Solu-Medrol dose pack. Fluticasone inhaler, DuoNeb nebulizer treatments, and antibiotics. None of which has really had a chance to impact on the crap in my chest yet.

Coughing up from my toes, and occassionally bringing up little flecks of mucoid concrete. Geeze I feel horrible. O2 sat was a little low in the MD's office. (not alarmingly low... just not my usual.) Max expiratory flow rates are about my average. Very harsh bronchial breath sounds without a lot of wheezes or crackles.

Steroids and albuterol have me just jazzed and vibrating and I can't sleep even with 3 doses of opioid anti-tussives. Had to leave bed to do another treatment. Drinking a gator aid.

Going to try to go back to sleep.

Please tell me it will be better tomorrow.

Thanks for listening. sucks being sick.

Maybe God lets us get this way so we can remember what it feels like to be a patient. So... let's chalk it up to one of those "character building moments."