I know this post is a lot later in the day than usual, but that’s because I’ve been at the doctor’s office all morning. As I’ve mentioned on here before, I have asthma. But as of late, it’s definitely been….well…unchecked! Truthfully, I hadn’t been to an asthma doc since 2005 before I went abroad. At the time, I bought a ton of medication to get me through my travels, and it lasted long until after I got back to the States. After it ran out, I kinda forgot about things…until recently.
Truth? I’ve been having a hell of a time breathing lately! I’ve been experiencing all the symptoms–coughing, draining, shortness of breath, wheezing–you name it, I’ve had it. Even worse? It FINALLY occurred to me that my high heart rate might have something to do with my lack of breathing capacity instead of whatever other possibilities I had considered. In light of all that, I finally went to the doc this morning and got some tests done.
Yup. My lungs suck.
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They gave me an oxygen test which deduced that I was getting enough oxygen, but not 100% of what I should get. Instead, I was at 94%. Still okay but not outstanding. My lungs, on the other hand, are just naturally inflamed and put me in the 57% bracket. In short, I only get 57% of the air that most women of my height and weight get. No bueno, and my doc agreed that it probably is a large reason that my HR sky rockets when I run.
The good news? I got some drugs. And no, not those kind!
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I’m back on my emergency inhaler and my dry steroid inhalant. Those two combined should make my breathing effortless. I’m also on some intense steroid for the next few days to reduce the lung inflammation back to where it should be. After that, the other medications should regulate it.
It sounds like a lot, but I’m actually really, really excited and relieved to have this taken care of. I don’t talk about it a lot on here, but it’s a very scary feeling to be unable to breathe. I was getting exhausted with the symptoms and frustrated with having to self-regulate my breathing so that I didn’t launch into a full-scale asthma attack. And the best part? I won’t sound like I have emphysema anymore! HOORAY!!
What did you do today??