I finally broke down and went to the doctor. I don't have health insurance, so I went to the student health center. I was REALLY impressed. They have actual doctors and a full pharmacy.
The doctor asked me a TON of questions about my asthma, and I realized that every doctor in the past has just glossed over the fact that I have major trouble breathing at times. They usually look at my chart and say, "Asthma, eh?" and then ask if I need an inhaler before rushing me through whatever I'm there for.
This doctor went through my original complaint (bronchitis) and then asked me about fifty questions about my asthma. Then she showed me how to use my inhaler properly. Apparently, you're supposed to wait five minutes between the two puffs, or it doesn't work right. In seventeen years, not a SINGLE doctor had told me that. Ever. Ugh!
She noticed I was breathing funny while talking (as in taking a breath every three words), so she ordered a lung capacity test. She had me inhale deeply through my nose and then blow out through my mouth as hard as I could. This little bar in a tube would go up, sort of like those Strong Man things at a fair, and measure...umm, something. I forgot.
My goal number was 350. So, first try. I hit 50 and had a coughing fit. She told me to breathe deeply and concentrate all my force. So, I did, and I hit 150. My lungs felt like they'd caved in, and my eyes were tearing up. I actually started crying a bit. She put her hand on my back to support me (so I could put ALL of my force into it) and had me do it one more time.
That's when I blacked out.
I came to within a minute, and then (after assessing that I was okay) she told me I'd only hit 260. She looked pretty worried and said that the numbers were TERRIBLE. She put me on a super inhaler and medicine and told me to drink a glass of water every hour to help get the crap out of my lungs. On top of that, I'm on strict bed rest until Tuesday. (BORING) I'm supposed to go back on Tuesday, and if I can't hit 350 without feeling like I'm going to die, she's going to put me in the hospital on Ventalin until my lungs resemble something close to normal.
Instead of being worried, I actually feel great. It's nice to finally know that this is getting addressed and that it will get fixed eventually. Even if I do okay on Tuesday, she's going to explore the possibility of putting me on a steroid of some sort. I feel relief instead of anxiety, which is the sign of a good doctor. I was HIGHLY impressed with her.
Also, the total cost for the visit plus all the drugs was $50. That's without insurance. Most of my friends with insurance pay $35-65 for an office visit and then $10-15 copay on drugs. Because of the cost and the wonderful care I received, I plan to use the health center until I graduate, and they said I can request the same doctor every time. Yay!
The coolest part, though, was when she was going through the checklist of asthma triggers. I kept saying, "Yes," so I finally asked her if I could see the sheet. I pointed to the two things that don't trigger it (cockroaches (never been around them) and food) and told her to check the rest. I was amused, but she wasn't. I think it has a lot to do with me turning everything into humour so I can survive it, but she was coming from the doctor standpoint. Oh well. I thought it was funny.
She finally loosened up near the end. She asked if I smoked, and I just gave her a look. She said, "Right... you'd be dead by 40. Good girl." Yay, humour.
The doctor asked me a TON of questions about my asthma, and I realized that every doctor in the past has just glossed over the fact that I have major trouble breathing at times. They usually look at my chart and say, "Asthma, eh?" and then ask if I need an inhaler before rushing me through whatever I'm there for.
This doctor went through my original complaint (bronchitis) and then asked me about fifty questions about my asthma. Then she showed me how to use my inhaler properly. Apparently, you're supposed to wait five minutes between the two puffs, or it doesn't work right. In seventeen years, not a SINGLE doctor had told me that. Ever. Ugh!
She noticed I was breathing funny while talking (as in taking a breath every three words), so she ordered a lung capacity test. She had me inhale deeply through my nose and then blow out through my mouth as hard as I could. This little bar in a tube would go up, sort of like those Strong Man things at a fair, and measure...umm, something. I forgot.
My goal number was 350. So, first try. I hit 50 and had a coughing fit. She told me to breathe deeply and concentrate all my force. So, I did, and I hit 150. My lungs felt like they'd caved in, and my eyes were tearing up. I actually started crying a bit. She put her hand on my back to support me (so I could put ALL of my force into it) and had me do it one more time.
That's when I blacked out.
I came to within a minute, and then (after assessing that I was okay) she told me I'd only hit 260. She looked pretty worried and said that the numbers were TERRIBLE. She put me on a super inhaler and medicine and told me to drink a glass of water every hour to help get the crap out of my lungs. On top of that, I'm on strict bed rest until Tuesday. (BORING) I'm supposed to go back on Tuesday, and if I can't hit 350 without feeling like I'm going to die, she's going to put me in the hospital on Ventalin until my lungs resemble something close to normal.
Instead of being worried, I actually feel great. It's nice to finally know that this is getting addressed and that it will get fixed eventually. Even if I do okay on Tuesday, she's going to explore the possibility of putting me on a steroid of some sort. I feel relief instead of anxiety, which is the sign of a good doctor. I was HIGHLY impressed with her.
Also, the total cost for the visit plus all the drugs was $50. That's without insurance. Most of my friends with insurance pay $35-65 for an office visit and then $10-15 copay on drugs. Because of the cost and the wonderful care I received, I plan to use the health center until I graduate, and they said I can request the same doctor every time. Yay!
The coolest part, though, was when she was going through the checklist of asthma triggers. I kept saying, "Yes," so I finally asked her if I could see the sheet. I pointed to the two things that don't trigger it (cockroaches (never been around them) and food) and told her to check the rest. I was amused, but she wasn't. I think it has a lot to do with me turning everything into humour so I can survive it, but she was coming from the doctor standpoint. Oh well. I thought it was funny.
She finally loosened up near the end. She asked if I smoked, and I just gave her a look. She said, "Right... you'd be dead by 40. Good girl." Yay, humour.
VIEW 5 of 5 COMMENTS
mistressmissy:
wow i want good doctors. too bad theres no place like that around here i could go to. i dont think ive seen my real dr in like 4 years becuz she's always out of town or out of the office whenever i had to go. what is with that shit? bah. feel better.
rumpusparable:
damn girl. well, you're right. it is AWESOME that you have a doc finally that's really thinking about this & working with you. rock on for good doctors, they're hard to find!! i hope this new stuff works for you, as dull as the bedrest is gonna be.... take good care of you!!