Prednisone sucks.
I'm sitting at home on my couch right now (love my MacBook) when I'm supposed to be at the Tigers game cheering them on to their fourth straight win and sweep of the Orioles (fingers crossed), but no! My stupid bronchitis is back and bad enough that I went to the doctor on Monday and finally agreed to take the hated and despised prednisone even though I hate looking like Jason Giambi. I even got a steroid shot in my gluteus maximus to help things along. Fucker hurt, not when the nurse gave me the shot. Didn't hurt at all, but within 30 seconds my right cheek was making me cry, if I weren't an adult who doesn't generally cry in public over a little thing like a shot.
Doctor also gave me a prescription for an antiobitic, as expected. Yesterday I noticed that my face was red and thought it was a little odd, but didn't really put two and two together. Then last night when I went to bed I noticed my heart was just pounding out of my chest and generally felt like shit. This morning all seemed fine, so off to work I went wearing my lucky Detroit Tigers t-shirt (it's so cute and I get tons of compliments every time I wear it - all the women want one) and carrying my bag with my Tigers chucks, jeans and just in case, my Tigers scarf. Stuff I wouldn't need, sadly.
I noticed when I went to the Ladies room that my face was a bit red. A few people mentioned to me that my face was red, and since I'm a redhead and hadn't been in the sun, this is unusual. I had a meeting at 8:30 and while in there noticed that my heart rate seemed a bit elevated. While sitting there listening to a jackass discussing stuff he should have discussed in his one-on-one instead of wasting four other people's time, I took my pulse. It was 100bpm which didn't make me happy. I kept waiting for Jackass to stop talking, so I could call the doctor. I should have probably just walked out as I was getting nothing out of the meeting at that point, but I'm just too damned polite. Although Jackass did get glared at, and I might have sighed a little bit when he started his third topic. Friggin' idiot.
When I got to my desk I immediately called the doctor and left a message. I thought I would hear back quickly since 100bpm is a tad high. A few more people commented on the color of my face and although I was working I just felt worse and worse. (Todd Jones just got the save on three straight outs in the ninth! Wooohoo! My Tigers got the sweep!)
I was supposed to be at Building A (my beloved old building where I didn't have bronchitis for four straight months) at 11:00 to carpool to lunch at Hockeytown before heading to the game, but instead I called my doctor again and got through to his nurse who said Come on in right away. I called the woman in Building A and said that I was not going. By this point I'm genuinely scared and was near tears (it's okay to cry if you feel like you're dying, even though you know you're not). I closed up my desk and stopped to tell a supervisor that I was heading to the doctor. She immediately offered to drive me, but I said, "No, it's 40 minutes away. I can drive." Then I passed another co-worker who took one look at me and said, "You're even redder than you were." I made it to the doctor's office in less than 30 minutes (40 minutes is when there's construction or bad traffic - I was lucky) and other than the Southfield I didn't speed at all.
They took me in right away, weighed me (gained 7 lbs. since Monday - damned steroids) and took my blood pressure (140/82 - which is very high for me). Doctor came in and asked questions and said, "It's the prednisone." "That's what I thought." He took my bp twice more and it dropped a little - bottom number made it to 74. He told me to stop taking the steroids immediately. I didn't need to be told twice. He also said to take a break from the antibiotics until at least tomorrow, depending on how I feel. I had told him when I got there that I was supposed to be at the baseball game - he's a big Tigers fan too. In fact, when I saw him on Monday, his first words were, "Did you see Your Brandon's home run yesterday?" Oh yeah! Walk-off home run for My Brandon. That's either an indication that I see my doctor too much or he just has a good memory - or both.
Anyway, when taking my bp the first time he asked, "Are you still planning on going to the game?" "No, I feel too awful. Should I go to the game?" "No, I was going to tell you not to go." ;-( He did say that he owes me a baseball game, though. He told me to go home and lay low for the day. He gave me a note for work to get out of the rest of the day and told me not to go tomorrow if I don't feel well then.
My face isn't as red, but my heart is still pounding a bit, although I am feeling better, at least in that regard. I'm still hacking up a lung which is better than feeling like I'm dying. The doctor did make a note not to give me prednisone anymore, although I'm sure I would have remembered.
If you haven't read my last post, please do so, it's a tad more important than reading about me bitching about my presnisone side effect issues.
Labels: bronchitis, prednisone, Sick, Tigers
posted by Kathleen @ 3:33 PM
16 comments
16 Comments:
Well crap... at least they won.
As for the bronchitis, eat one raw garlic clove every morning and night and I'll wager it'll go away. Eat some parsley afterwards and it'll kill the smell on your breath too.
LL - I'm willing to try anything at this point, because I'm feeling sucky, at best. Does it have to be raw, can it be roasted? Or wrapped in an olive, if raw?
You can also take the garlic in pill form - I've seen it at health food stores. Presumably, the pill wouldn't give you that garlic aroma.
Sorry you had to miss the game. That sucks.
Raw is the best way, or so I've read, but like fermi said, you can get it in pill form too.
I don't know why you'd pay for pills when you could just crunch down on all that garlicy goodness though. *slurp*
I doubt it matters though how you eat it, but cooking it might kill some of the good stuff in it, so I'd eat it raw. Swallow it whole if you don't want to chew it, that might work just as well, but you won't get that heavenly sinus clearing aroma.
Of course I can eat raw garlic like milk duds, so...
Prednisone worked miracles for me but the doc wouldn't allow me to stay on it long because of the potential severe side-effects which include shutting your kidneys down! I'm glad to hear you're off it.
apprn? Sounds like the aliens are recommending Aspirin.
Oops, no workee. Now they're suggesting kuycqooy.
Hang in there!
I'm sure the garlic is helpful but I am a firm believer that enough hot toddies will force the bronchitis out of you or you'll be so drunk you won't even notice it. Hang in there, I know what you're going through, I always concentrate on enjoying the drugs and sleep.
Wow, sorry you are going through such a worrisome time. I hope you feel better soon. And you missed a game? Ouch.
Thanks for the nice comments about my short story. I might post the critical feedback I got from the contest moderator if he gives me the thumbs up. I don't want to embarrass him...
That sucks that you're sick again, Kathy. You seem to get ill so much. Is there anything weird in your environment? Mold or anything? I hate being sick. I don't go to the doctor for anything except physicals every two years ... and needles, blargh! I'm afraid of them.
Hi there! It's me again.
I just found the following home remedies for bronchitis on the internet:
1.) Mix 1 teaspoon garlic oil, and 3 teaspoons honey. Take 3 times a day. [found here]
The next four are from a site that seems to be well worth your time: Earth Clinic. They are all very certain about the benefits of apple cider vinegar in treating bronchitis:
2.) 3/3/2007: Huw from London, UK writes, "I have found organic apple cider vinegar [ACV] to be very helpful with a compost allergy and dry bronchitis. Two bottle caps twice a day either in sweet apple juice or just cut with water and honey. It's so effective that I have discontinued Flixotide steroid treatment."
3.) P. from Jackson, IL writes, "I bought ACV [apple cider vinegar] when someone told me that you could loose weight with it. It also lowers blood pressure. I had a virus this year, I coughed so much the doctors put me on Prednisone. It did not help. I have asthma and recently found I have bronchitis. Nothing helped me to stop the hacking, painful cough I had, plus the sneezing and the sinus draining. I started drinking ACV and taking vitamins. It took some time, (two weeks) but finally the cough has subsided. I only cough once in a great while. You cannot use regular ACV because it has been processed, filtered and what ever else companies do to food. You must buy natural ACV or make your own... ACV is good for regulation, drink gobs of water. You won't need much ACV, a teaspoon or so. Oh! I did loose a few pounds, but you have to drink it 3xs a day every day. Unfortunately, I am not an every day person. After reading this site I am going to try taking ACV more often to loose weight."
4.) Anonymous writes, "For a cough that will not stop, make a remedy my brother and I always called Witches Brew. This was from my Great Grandmother:
Mix 1 Tbs Butter
1 Tbs Sugar
1 Tbs Vinegar
Melt it all together, and take while still warm."
Earth Clinic note: You may try substituting Olive Oil for the butter!
5.) 12/10/2006: Shane from Manteca, CA writes, "Wow! I tried the witch's brew (tbsp of butter, sugar and apple cider vinegar)! My cough went away almost immediately! Tastes nasty but it sure worked. Thanks!"
I feel so bad that you missed your game. But the doctor was right - your health is more important!!!
Thanks for stopping by my diary to spend a little time with Heino!
Thanks for stopping by my diary today and spending some quality time with Heino!
Oh Jeeze! I am not a spammer! I thought the comment died so I tried again. Sorry!
Feel better soon, sweetie! ~hugs~
Sal - For some reason I only do hot toddies in SF.
Beth - I firmly believe it's the new (very old) building they moved me to at work. I'm campaigning hard to get back to my old (not as old) building.
MJ - I have ACV at home which I bought when I had shingles two (or was it three) years ago. I also have the local unprocessed honey. I'll try that as the Witches Brew sounds like I'd throw up trying to drink it.
Heather - Trust me, I didn't feel well enough to go even if he said I could have gone. He's a baseball fan, too, so he understood.
Poola - It's okay, DL thought I was a spammer too. Heino was truly scary.
Post a Comment
<< Home