chest junk... the usual

On Tuesday, I thought that I was literally going to die - or something. I'm not sure I've ever felt the way that I did that day.

I was extremely short of breath. Extremely. As in, walking across a room caused me to sit down breathless like I'd just completed an Insanity workout. It was crazy. My co-workers noticed and picked up my slack. I was grateful for that.

I left work and came straight home and crashed onto the bed while I sucked down a breathing treatment and then several inhalers.

When the hubs got home, we - for whatever reason after years of breathing problems - decided to go buy a pulse oximeter.

When we got back home I stuck it on my finger and watched the monitor display a pulse ox of 83%. I laughed and said, "It's broken. I couldn't function if it were that low."

So the hubs sticks it on and it read 98% on him. I stuck it back on my finger to be informed that it was now showing mine at 79%.

I'm not sure how much you know about oxygen levels, but anything below 90% is considered quite worrisome and anything below 85% is like hospitalization, oxygen hook-ups, and even ventilator talk.

My mother, who's a nurse, and mother-in-law, who's also a nurse, were freaking out. However, for me to go through the ER, I'd really have to be dying. I decided not to go.

Instead, I just talked to my 'regular' doc. He called me in some steroids and told me to take a 30-minute long continuous treatment. That treatment totally sucked. I was all shaky and had a massive headache afterwards, but it totally finished me off. I passed right out.

There was actual a mention of serious ventilator talk. My doc said it's be very unpleasant seeing as how I am conscious, but it would give my lungs a break. My lungs are overworking too frequently and with all the constant fluid build up in them he's worried that my lower lung muscles are essentially starting to be paralyzed. So, I've got to see a lung specialist. I think I'm going to go to St. Louis this time. 

It was bad. I was seriously having a hard time producing coherent sentences and I'm not sure I've ever felt quite that exhausted. I was actually pretty scared. I guess that makes me sound pretty irresponsible and stupid to have not gone to the hospital then, huh?

Pulse ox has been hanging around 88-90 the last few days. Yesterday I started the steroids. *sigh* A very large does of them too. I took the first one last night when I got home and the second one this morning. It has been a long time since I took this high a dose. My body was so achy today! And the irritability has definitely been cranked up. And the hot-flashes. Whew. My like forearms, wrists, and elbows were even hurting after this morning's dose :(

I guess it's the side effects or not breathing... pick the lesser of two evils.