When did it become necessary to be your own doctor? In the "Good 'ol Days" you used to be able to make a trip to your family doctor to help you figure out what's was bugging you...no pun intended. Now with HMO's, PPO's and all the other O's you practically have to be an MD in order to get yourself diagnosed properly or a guinea pig!
Even though there's the wonderful world of internet with millions of advice and medical websites it still amazes me how us patients get lumped into groups, like there's only 5 different things in the world that could be wrong. What ever happened to viewing symptoms, ruling out signs.
Are we creating strain resistant bacteria by assuming medicine "A" will cure all?
I recently have been through the ringer trying to figure out what is wrong with me. All started with what seemed like allergies gone awry...causing wheezing usual breathing strains for the 4 times a year when seasons change. But alas, I only had an expired inhaler.
We all know where this is going..trip to the Dr's office to play the "I've been through this before so can I have the inhaler already game?"
Of course it's not that simple. Well long story short...wheezing turned coughing...to sever coughing to absolute snowball!
2 inhalers, 2 shots, 2 kinds of medicines later and 1 x-ray later....pneumonia. (even though I have no fever) Or so the Dr. thought. Turns out nope...but take the course of medications anyways.
Now 2 weeks of sever coughing, if you've never had that it can be quite painful for your ribcage and the muscles around it. We're talking total inflammation...oh and I lost my voice.
This being very ironic since I feel like Dr's don't really listen to you when your in the office.
Today as a result of the medication cocktail they have me on I got to experience severe vertigo, listlessness (according to my husband) and passing out with pain in my chest. Not fun!
Super mommy was on her way to the ER as directed..by her Dr. Go figure.
After a nasty nasal swab test (BTW very painful..they lie...Google it!) to test for whooping cough...which I'm pretty positive will be negative since I have no symptoms other than a cough...minus the Whooping. They figured since I've had this for 2 weeks it's Bronchitis gone bad. Duhhhh...
So off one medicine the one I'm to take for pneumonia, but my x-ray says I don't have (which is good) and on to a different medication. Oh and finally medicine for the ribcage pain when I do cough or breath deeply...yeah!
What a crazy few weeks....finally am starting to feel better...can breath, can talk a little in my "Sexy Voice" and thinking clearly.
Probably a good thing I wasn't born a guinea pig....he started to wheeze and the vet prescribed the wrong medicine. He died.
