It's gray, rainy and foggy today. Exactly like my mood! I am having to push myself to get anything done.
Last Monday, at my cousin's memorial service, a couple of people were, "fighting a cold", when I asked how they were doing. It should have been no surprise to me when I woke up Wednesday morning, sneezing, runny nose and a scratchiness to my throat. I haven't had a cold in six years and I was just bragging about it to one of those very cousins, last Monday. I shoulda known better!!
By Thursday, I had laryngitis and no voice. Red, sore throat. I Vicksed, and I took Coricidan, and Flonased, to no avail. Friday and Saturday, the same. I felt worse on Sunday than I had on Thursday.
I had an appointment today (Tuesday) to run up to the doctor's office ( 6 miles away) to get my blood drawn before my yearly appointment on this Thursday. I had heard a weather report that freezing rain was expected, so instead, I had the doc's office fax over my blood draw request to the little hospital just a half mile from here. I went at 10:00 yesterday morning.
The nurse in my doctor's office uses a butterfly needle for the blood draw. No such nonsense up at the little hospital. They use the BIG needle that sucks the blood outta your arm. Yes, it is quicker to get 3 vials filled up, but every time the nurse leaned over to get a new vial to pop on the needle, she also leaned the needle further into my vein. So, within a couple of hours on getting home, the spot was still bleeding, and the bruise had started marching up toward my bicep and down toward my forearm. Plus, my whole upper arm ached.
However, within those couple of hours, I signed into my Patient Portal and there were the results of my blood work. I find it seriously funny, when I used to ask, "When will I know the results," they used to answer, "You doctor will have them in three days." In reality, the results have gone to the lab, been centrifuged and posted on the network computer within 2 hours. Why the three day answer? Because that's how long it takes the doctor to get around to look in his computer to see them.
In actuality, my doctor will read them just before he walks into my exam room on Thursday. THUS--the reason I get them, go over them, record them in my Excel spreadsheet and compare them to last years, BEFORE I go to my appointment. If there are any major changes, I want to know so I can ask the doc about it.
Now last year, he said I had the blood work of a 55 year old. This years results are nearly the same with my bad cholesterol being one point lower. Does that make me a 54 year old? HAH!!!
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You may think all this makes me obsessive about my health. Not so. It's just that I don't exactly trust any doctor, so over these many years, I have researched every med prescribed to me. Researched every procedure done to me. All of that seems to bring a certain comfort and less stress to me. To see the report before the doctor does. I want no surprises!!!
I even watched a video of a hip replacement surgery BEFORE I had mine. I wouldn't suggest you do that because it is a pretty ugly surgery; bone fragments flying around the operating room, the leg totally disconnected from the body, except by tissue and skin, but for some reason, knowing what was going to happen, made me feel a lot better. Plus, afterwards, it made me aware of WHY that hip hurt so damn much and I knew, my pain wasn't unusual. LOL
Besides all that, I think every one needs to be their own advocate and ask questions, like, "Is this test really necessary," and I feel so dismayed when I have asked people like Pearl or Dar, "Which med do you take for high blood pressure?" and they answer, "The pink one." ARGGH!!!
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Today, I am feeling a bit better from the cold. My throat only hurts on my left tonsil, my runny nose is drying up and I have my voice back--well kinda. My living room looks like a total mess, but I have my big long folding table up in there, as I am laying out long pedigrees to take to be printed on long sheets of landscape paper at the print shop. Maybe tomorrow I will take them. Not today, in the rain.
Then I can put them into the genealogy books (2) and get those bound. 2 more books to print. One with an extra generation added, so that will mean another set of pedigrees to be created, put together and printed.
This work is probably the only reason I have gotten through this cold without totally giving up and just going to bed. LOL A nice distraction.
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I watched the first half of the Super Bowl. My favorite part was George H. W. and Mrs. Bush for the coin toss. I love those two. I HAVE to watch "Mercy Street". "Victoria" and "The 6 Wives of Henry VIII" on PBS, so I missed the best part of the Super Bowl--the ending. Oh well--I didn't really care who won, so it's not to matter. I am happy these shows are on PBS on Sunday night because I have missed watching "Downton Abbey".
A) I'm glad you keep such good track of your health..it's important! B) I'm glad you are feeling better and C) I watch Victoria too and really like it!
ReplyDeleteI never thought Queen Victoria was a pretty girl or woman. Ah--but their love for each other was real.
DeleteGlad also you're feeling a bit better. What I thought would be a cold turned into bronchitis, ugh. I'm better too though, so God bless us both. :)
ReplyDeleteI've never been my own health advocate but perhaps I should be. You're a smart woman, my 54 year old friend.
xoxo
I did a great deal of coughing Sal, but it never really got into my chest. It was from the nasal drip, as they call it. Of course, all the coughing made my throat raw!!!
DeleteGlad you're feeling better. Take care of yourself. We recently binge-watched all of downton abbey in about 8 days. Even the husband liked it! I would completely watch it all again.
ReplyDeleteI did that last Spring. I have all seasons on DVD's.
DeleteH is like you. He never was until I got sick. Now he's on top of everything, he keep files. At least if there's an emergency, and I'm not conscious, he won't have to count on memory under stress, though they should have it all in the computer. Still, like you say, we should all be our own best advocate. Don't count on anyone else.
ReplyDeleteHope your throat is better.
I became more so when Fred got sick--before that, I knew nothing about diabetes or heart disease or COPD. I guess that is why, when I had my AFib incident, I told them to just go ahead with the cardio inversion and get my heart back in rhythm and wasn't a bit scared. I saw Fred go through it and it seemed no big deal.
DeleteThese days it's extremely important to be educated and involved in your health care. Good for you. I did genealogy for a while and found it very interesting.
ReplyDeleteGenealogy is like a mystery and finding clues to help find people. I love it!
DeleteColds with laryngitis are plaguing people on this side of the state, too.
ReplyDeleteI love being about to read my blood tests, too. These days we also have to bve our own advocates.
Hope you're feeling better soon. We have sunshine in our forecast so you probably won't be far behind.
Actually, that makes me feel better--to know it is a common condition going around. I'll be fine!
DeleteUgh, colds! Why don't people, who are contagious, wear a mask??????? Heck, I wear one, when I go to the grocery store, and I am not sick. I don't want to get sick, from other's germs.
ReplyDeleteGlad you had the distraction, to help you get through the worst of the cold.
Me too! I want to know what's going on with me! I want to be told, a running dialogue, when a procedure is being done. Etc. Some people don't want to know anything. I do.
Married to a pharmacist, I have the med info. Which is handy.
I fully agree, we have to do searches and be up on what's being done to us, and someone wants to do, to us.
Sorry about what happened to your arm, from the blood draw.
I go to our hospital for blood draws. They do it, all the time. And thus, they are excellent, at it.
Glad you have those new shows to watch. I never even watched "DA".... Yeah, one of the 3 people in the US, who didn't watch it. lol.
I'd love the sets, costumes, and "that great old gal actress." But not the sadness, which has to be part, of a long running program. I'm just a chicken, about the sadness. And no great plot, can be without sadness.
Freezing rain here! wheeeee! Not! Oh well, nothing to be done about it.
That "great old gal actress" is my alter ego. I post photos of her, with my own words, on FB all the time. LOL.
DeleteSince I been watch Henry VIII and six wives. Plus Victoria...more history question been popping into my head.
ReplyDeleteI too have a cold and maybe a little vix wouldn't hurt.
Coffee is on
Vicks rubbed on my throat feels soooooooo good!!
DeleteThat reminds me Britt told me to put Vicks on the bottom of my feet with socks for coughing. Of course, I forgot. DUH
Deleteyou are so right about the bloodwork. i almost have to get it done in my doctors office because they are the only ones who will do what i tell them to do. at labcorp they think they know better and stick me three times before they listen. i know just how and where to get what they need. if you understand that!!
ReplyDeletei am not a big fan of football but i watched the game and really enjoyed it. seeing the bushes was awesome - but he looked weak, and not well and that was difficult to see!!!