You're Not Well Yet

That's what my GP told me when I went in for a follow up visit yesterday. On Friday night of last week, 1/15, I went down with a cough and a fever. The next morning, my temp was 102 and I was still coughing. Carol called the cancer doc's office on a Saturday morning and they phoned an antibiotic Rx to our local pharmacy and we got me onto some antibiotics pronto. We have known two cancer patients to die recently (one in pretty good health) and they both died not from cancer, but from pneumonia.

The next few days were some rocky ones with sustained temps around 101 to 102 and peaks over 103. I was about like a sack of potatoes, but less fun. On Tuesday, we got in to see my GP. He diagnosed bronchitis and later said that was the worst breathing he had ever heard anybody do who wasn't in a hospital. He put me onto some steroids and nebulizer breathing treatments. He also sent me over to another place to get my chest x-rayed. The x-ray showed bronchitis from a probable viral infection, but no pneumonia.

On Wednesday, I was well enough to work some at home, and I went back to work on Thursday. Matt came down with the same thing shortly after I did, but also got onto some antibiotics and bounced backed quickly. Yesterday, Carol thought that it all looked like so much fun that she would give it a try, so I get to take care of her for a while.

Anyway, I am fever-free, better, and not coughing nearly so much, but as my GP said, not well yet. He meant for me to keep at the meds and breathing treatments, rest and let my body mend, and keep the fluids going. It's a deal.