Opinions Needed

[Katydidit34]

I'm a second semester nursing student. I have the most horrendous crap in my chest. It is very heavy and hard to breathe. I have clinical tomorrow and I'm debating on wheather or not to go. I don't have a fever but the coughing is making my chest hurt. We get one and only one absence from clinical and after that we have to spend 6 hours doing computer simulations or something else awful to make up for subsequent absences. I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. Obviously I don't want to compromise the health of the patients but am I really even that sick since I have no fever? I just can't breathe!! Poor me!! LOL!! Sorry, I"m on the pity pot. What do you all think? To go or not to go, THAT is the question??

[Little Panda RN, ASN, RN]

I am also a nursing student and I would suggest you contact your clinical instructor and let him/her advise you as to what they think you should do. I know that if one of us has a cough we would need to wear a mask while taking care of patients. Best of luck and I hope you feel better soon.

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

If you can - I would go to student health or your doctor.

I had something similar in January. I went to the doctor and was told I had walking pneumonia. Yuck.

I used to get bronchitis all the time when I was a kid and I don't mess with stuff like that. Not trying to scare you but I would go.