Journal

“Just Man Up,” Round Two

52 Comments

Last Friday I decided to not be sick anymore. It didn’t work. Today I went to the doctor, and based on everything they were able to measure right away there’s no explanation for me being so continuously SOB (Short Of Breath. My mother was a lovely woman, thankyouverymuch.)

In a three-hour ordeal that was mostly waiting we poked, prodded, listened, discussed symptoms and medical history at great length, measured my blood oxygen several times, took some X-rays, and drew blood for further tests. Now I get to wait for results from that. There were no immediate red-flags on the X-rays, which, coupled with the healthy sounding lungs almost certainly means I’m not walking around with pneumonia. Sure, the radiologist still needs to look at the pictures, but at this point if there’s a smoking gun somewhere it’s going to be in the blood work.

I have to confess to being SERIOUSLY pissed. I’m angry enough at all the waiting around and not knowing that I’m ready to put on the “can-do, eff you” hat again and just man up to my regular schedule tomorrow. If I feel like I’m not getting enough air, well, I know that’s a lie so I’ll just keep going. And if I fall down and need to be hospitalized, well, at least there’ll be some proper symptoms for people to argue about.

I hate being sick, but what I REALLY hate is lying around and doing nothing for two weeks.

52 thoughts on ““Just Man Up,” Round Two”

  1. Of course, it could also be metabolic. You are getting enough oxygen… but your cells aren’t metabolizing it properly. But mitochondrial disorders can be more difficult to detect.

    The blood work should determine if your blood is being properly oxygenated, and if you have any iron deficiencies or the like. Or even if you have something like carbon monoxide poisoning or the like. Assuming of course the doctor doesn’t have his head up his behind.

      1. I’m fairly certain I didn’t misspell it… mitochondria are mini-cells living inside us that we inherit from our mothers and which control metabolism. Without them we’d die. Diseases such as diabetes are mitochondrial in origin. They were used fictionally in Madeleine L’Engle’s “A Wind in the Door” though that story mixes significant fantasy elements into it but did include the fact that one of the characters was unable to effectively breathe because of the disorder.

  2. Of course, it could also be metabolic. You are getting enough oxygen… but your cells aren’t metabolizing it properly. But mitochondrial disorders can be more difficult to detect.

    The blood work should determine if your blood is being properly oxygenated, and if you have any iron deficiencies or the like. Or even if you have something like carbon monoxide poisoning or the like. Assuming of course the doctor doesn’t have his head up his behind.

      1. I’m fairly certain I didn’t misspell it… mitochondria are mini-cells living inside us that we inherit from our mothers and which control metabolism. Without them we’d die. Diseases such as diabetes are mitochondrial in origin. They were used fictionally in Madeleine L’Engle’s “A Wind in the Door” though that story mixes significant fantasy elements into it but did include the fact that one of the characters was unable to effectively breathe because of the disorder.

  3. re: SOB 😉

    Don’t you know that the “b” in that acronym is actually a compliment to your Mom? I mean, she’s a Babe In Control of Herself, non? 😉

    I know I am, big as I am…. or I try to be.

  4. re: SOB 😉

    Don’t you know that the “b” in that acronym is actually a compliment to your Mom? I mean, she’s a Babe In Control of Herself, non? 😉

    I know I am, big as I am…. or I try to be.

  7. No amount of “can-do” and “eff you” is going to save you from the bitchslap biology will deliver you if you insist upon operating outside of safe tolerances.

    I’ve seen some really smart people permanently screw up their health because they weren’t prepared to let themselves recover properly. Please do not join their ranks.

  8. No amount of “can-do” and “eff you” is going to save you from the bitchslap biology will deliver you if you insist upon operating outside of safe tolerances.

    I’ve seen some really smart people permanently screw up their health because they weren’t prepared to let themselves recover properly. Please do not join their ranks.

  9. I suggest you work in short shots. Do a little work. Rest. Then do some more.

    Just so you know you’re doing something. But don’t overstrain yourself! Even if it IS psychological you will make it worse.

    (there’s nothing “just in your head” with psychosomatic symptoms. Having had arrythmia because of how stressed out I was and I didn’t know, it really is not a matter of being sane or crazy)

  10. I suggest you work in short shots. Do a little work. Rest. Then do some more.

    Just so you know you’re doing something. But don’t overstrain yourself! Even if it IS psychological you will make it worse.

    (there’s nothing “just in your head” with psychosomatic symptoms. Having had arrythmia because of how stressed out I was and I didn’t know, it really is not a matter of being sane or crazy)

  13. I’m wondering if this might be a sign of heart disease? Not to raise a new worry or anything, but is there a family history of such things? Heart attacks or anything?

    1. Let’s see… heart attack killed Dad at age 56, and his dad at age 68. I had my first (and to date only) heart attack at age 31.

      NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT.

        1. It ties in with my father’s symptoms, and they spent a year treating him for lung problems before someone said “oh, hey, I know why those lung meds aren’t fixing you up, it’s your heart that’s at fault”. In his case, it manifested mostly as a severe shortage of breath. Then again, he’s a lot older than you or me – but that don’t always signify.

          Again, don’t want to be doom-mongering but make sure the quacks check it. It’s better to find out sooner and have to take a boxful of pills to control it than to find out too late, because of chasing a non-existent lung problem.

      3. Yeah, but presumably given that family history they did an echocardiogram or similar while you were there. (I had a sinus infection screw up one of my nerves a year or two back, and it give me pain in the left side of my chest and down my left arm. Got to experience “is this a heart attack” disagnostics firsthand.)

        Also, years ago a woman stumbled into my office and nearly passed out, and for some reason I recognized hypoglycemia. (Which would show up easily on blood work.) That can read like shortness of breath too because glucose is what the oxygen is combining with, so if you have sufficiently low blood sugar it works just like having low oxygen, because your cells have nothing to burn _with_ all that oxygen. (I gave her Dr. Pepper and she perked right back up. If you have some quik lying around, it might be worth a try. Won’t be more than a half-hour fix, but it still might be diagnostic. Has your diet changed recently?)

  14. I’m wondering if this might be a sign of heart disease? Not to raise a new worry or anything, but is there a family history of such things? Heart attacks or anything?

    1. Let’s see… heart attack killed Dad at age 56, and his dad at age 68. I had my first (and to date only) heart attack at age 31.

      NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT.

        1. It ties in with my father’s symptoms, and they spent a year treating him for lung problems before someone said “oh, hey, I know why those lung meds aren’t fixing you up, it’s your heart that’s at fault”. In his case, it manifested mostly as a severe shortage of breath. Then again, he’s a lot older than you or me – but that don’t always signify.

          Again, don’t want to be doom-mongering but make sure the quacks check it. It’s better to find out sooner and have to take a boxful of pills to control it than to find out too late, because of chasing a non-existent lung problem.

      3. Yeah, but presumably given that family history they did an echocardiogram or similar while you were there. (I had a sinus infection screw up one of my nerves a year or two back, and it give me pain in the left side of my chest and down my left arm. Got to experience “is this a heart attack” disagnostics firsthand.)

        Also, years ago a woman stumbled into my office and nearly passed out, and for some reason I recognized hypoglycemia. (Which would show up easily on blood work.) That can read like shortness of breath too because glucose is what the oxygen is combining with, so if you have sufficiently low blood sugar it works just like having low oxygen, because your cells have nothing to burn _with_ all that oxygen. (I gave her Dr. Pepper and she perked right back up. If you have some quik lying around, it might be worth a try. Won’t be more than a half-hour fix, but it still might be diagnostic. Has your diet changed recently?)

  19. Eep! I hope you don’t have one of those hideous chronic fatigue-type syndromes. /o.o\ Hope today’s going better for you!

  20. Eep! I hope you don’t have one of those hideous chronic fatigue-type syndromes. /o.o\ Hope today’s going better for you!

  21. Sending you all the positive energy from Down Under that I can muster. Maybe some Vegemite would help… Get well soon, that’s an order!

  22. Sending you all the positive energy from Down Under that I can muster. Maybe some Vegemite would help… Get well soon, that’s an order!

  23. Alternative hypothesis.

    Alternative hypothesis

    Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go find some hard cover before one of that lot realises how badly they’ve been drawn. If the one in question is Petey, I’m guessing that means nothing short of the Galactic Core.

    (Alas, I don’t have the time budget to shade it, and my wrist’s packing up anyway from drawing double-time. Reference strips, for completeness: Petey and Schlock, Ennesby, Howard, Edward. Bonus points to anyone fannish enough to identify the source of the starfield.)

  24. Alternative hypothesis.

    Alternative hypothesis

    Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go find some hard cover before one of that lot realises how badly they’ve been drawn. If the one in question is Petey, I’m guessing that means nothing short of the Galactic Core.

    (Alas, I don’t have the time budget to shade it, and my wrist’s packing up anyway from drawing double-time. Reference strips, for completeness: Petey and Schlock, Ennesby, Howard, Edward. Bonus points to anyone fannish enough to identify the source of the starfield.)

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