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down_home's avatar
down_home
Explorer II
Jan 11, 2014

Don't wait to go to Dr.

Since early Dec, I had had a cold a bronchial cold, or so I thought. Wife went to her Dr, rather a fill in, with identical condition and that is what he told her it was and wouldn't even prescribe an aspiring.
Sides hurt etc. Finally I couldn't go. Felt like I was walking knee deep in carpet. So very tired. Went, to hospital, on Jan 2 from Dr office. Bi lateral pneumonia and sinus infection.
Four days and four bags of powerful antibiotics intrevenously got out. Almost 51/2 bags. First bag burned my vein and itched like..., so they changed it. Still on oral antibiotics and nasal sprays etc.for another couple weeks and oxygen.
Coughed up blood and other stuff. Bled from sinus along with discharge. Oxygen level was in the eighties. Normal should be 96 or higher.
I've had similar occurances in the past, including one at Grand Canyon, when I thought I was going to die. Chalked it up to a bad bronchial cold.
It came close this time. Left scar on left lung. I didn't want to go to the Dr and be told it was just a cold and hit with big deductibles and copays, regardless.
When you are sick don't worry about what others think and go to the Dr.

6 Replies

  • bsinmich wrote:
    "Ignore it and it will go away" is a very common attitude.


    This is very true, especially for men. Women are about 5 times more likely to see a doctor in a year. Many men have a really hard time going to the doctor--maybe it's control thing, I don't know.

    About 12 years ago, DH started having seizures. I'm an RN, so you know I just trotted his butt to a neurologist. The neurologist did some quick xrays. When he came back into the room, I knew something was wrong. He said "had something" in his brain and he had already called a neurosurgeon. The next day we were sitting in the neurosurgeon's office. The doctor burst into the room and said, "Well, I guess you know this is probably cancer." :E Well, no, as a matter of fact we had no idea! The neurosurgeon showed us the xrays, which clearly showed a diffuse mass. He recommended a biopsy, but he warned us, "We need to take a look at this. It looks like cancer, and if it's what I think it's not a good prognosis." Holy cow!

    I was completely stunned. DH? Not so much. He hardly heard anything after the word "biopsy". So he decided to put it off for a few months and have it "looked at" later. (I don't even have a smiley for how horrified I was.) I begged him to get the biopsy, but he was busy at work and wanted nothing to do with it. I lost 15-lbs in 2 weeks, from worry. Finally, one night I just broke down. DH was so moved that he decided to schedule the biopsy.

    Now, this doesn't end the way you think. It turned out not to be cancer after all. It was just some scar tissue that they couldn't really figure out. But at least it wasn't something that could kill him...or was it? About 2 years later, DH was diagnosed with sarcoidosis, which causes scar tissue to grow in the lungs and other places. Most people don't get all that sick with it. After conferring with the neurosurgeon, we found out that the scar tissue was actually sarcoidosis, a very bad sign indeed. He also had it in his lungs, his heart, his joints, his sinuses and on his skin.

    For DH, it has been a progressive slide but he's hanging in there. He has a great attitude, despite the fact that he doesn't feel too good. And the one great thing that came out of all this is that DH takes his health seriously now. That "brain tumor" was just the shot across the bow. It straightened him right up and he is downright religious about taking his meds and seeing his doctors. It has probably added 10 years to his life.

    Guys, please go to the doctor!! Your wife or SO will love you for it.
  • "Ignore it and it will go away" is a very common attitude. A friend of ours was told she had possible breast cancer November 30 of 2012. She finally went to a DR. and found she had cancer throughout her body. She lived 1 day short of a year. It didn't go away.
  • Steve S wrote:
    How old are you and what's your weight?
    It sounds pretty scary.


    66 250
  • With your medical issues one would think you would go to Doctor at first sign of a problem.

    Hopefully you are feeling better.
  • How old are you and what's your weight?
    It sounds pretty scary.

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