So for a while today, I began to feel hopeful. My nausea was still there, but not nearly as persistent as it had been in recent days, particularly yesterday. This time, there was no vomiting, and there were not even any really close calls. That might not sound like much, but it was a welcome relief for me.
However, it was not a comfortable day. First of all, my sleepless issues stepped up. I got a few hours last night, then took a series of what you might call catnaps during the day. Perhaps as a result, I never really was able to shake off the fatigue, which remained persistent for the entire day.
Maybe a few hours into the morning, a new and unique problem arose: I felt this strange discomfort in my chest.
Again, this was something new. I don't remember ever having felt that way before. It made sleep, and even getting comfortable, much more difficult. And the discomfort - which was admittedly relatively mild - nevertheless was a source of worry, because it was in my chest. My girlfriend asked me how I was feeling, and when I told her about it, she wondered if it was a heart attack. She has a nursing background, and so when she said that, I began to worry.
Shit! Possibly a heart attack? I'm not even 50 yet. It feels way too soon for me to experience those kinds of issues.
Just like yesterday, there was this sense of weakness and fatigue, as well as lightheadedness. But one thing I made a point of doing was eating. Beginning with some berries in the morning, then chicken soup and toast later in the afternoon.
My girlfriend insisted that we go to the doctor. I got an ECG, but the readings were normal. In fact, he said that everything appeared normal, although he did say that he did not like my cough, and knew that it was causing me problems. So he prescribed something for that.
As of right now, I have not taken it. My girlfriend and I have to go somewhere very early in the morning, and it seemed wiser not to take medicine which may have the effect of making me feel nauseous, and possibly feel like I might have to vomit, or have diarrhea. It's a doctor's office, and it will be a few hours, and that's just not anything that anybody needs, right?
At least one thing: the discomfort in my chest did seem to abate a bit. The doctor said that it might have been caused from a pulled muscle from either the coughing or the vomiting, which made sense to me. There was no indication of any serious heart issues, for which I am grateful.
Anyway, just thought I would give an update. This was April Fool's Day, and I wish that this was a joke or spoof blog entry. Unfortunately, that is not the case. I still feel sick, still have many of the same issues that have been following me around now for weeks.
Still, perhaps there is some measure of hope now that I can get past the coughing, which has indeed been particularly annoying, and persistent.
On another note, my brother informed me that he is going through some agonizing health issues as well at the moment. It just seems like everybody appears to be going through something at the moment. Not sure why that is.
In any case, here's wishing him a speedy recovery.
Thanks. I'm not sure what triggered it, though it happened to me once before, this past summer. I initially tried to ignore it, thinking perhaps I had simply slept in a weird position and that it would work itself out and go away. But I eventually realized that wasn't going to happen, so I finally went to see an orthopedist, whose painkillers didn't really do anything for me. Luckily, physical therapy did help, though it was a slow process which took several weeks. It was autumn by the time my sessions ended. I was supposed to keep doing the exercises at home, which I stupidly did not. I'm seeing my general practitioner Wednesday so that she can give me a referral to resume physical therapy.
ReplyDeleteAnyway I'm glad that you're doing slightly better, and that based on what your doctor said the chest pain is presumably attributable to a pulled muscle. I'm not suggesting that that's not cause for concern, but by default I'd rather it be that than a heart attack.
Remember when we were kids and couldn't relate to grownups in the family commiserating with each other about aches and pains and health concerns? When catching the occasional cold or suffering the occasional skinned knee or elbow was typically about as serious as it got for us?
That's pretty scary. Up until a few years ago - the trip to New England, when we met you right after that at Port Henry, actually - I had one bad shoulder. It was my right one. It always kind of cracked since I was a teenager, if memory serves correctly, although I never knew why. By 2020, it was hurting outright. But then in Maine, while foolishly trying to take the "perfect" picture of the Portland Lighthouse, I slipped on a rock. Strangest fall I ever took, because it happened so fast, I don't remember falling, or even feeling the alarm that I was about to fall. It seemed like one moment, I was standing and trying to carefully step onto another rock, then the next moment, I was lying on my side, with people running up asking if I was okay. That did damage to my left arm and shoulder. Still not as bad as the right one, as most of my injuries seem to have been temporary. But that was the wake-up call, if you will. I realized that I had apparently reached an age where falls like that could have serious ramifications. Also, since a lot of people shared their own horror stories about their experiences, perhaps that contributed. In any case, I am a lot more careful now, ever since then.
DeleteYeah, I definitely remember that feeling of relative immunity towards serious health concerns, or even aches and pains that grownups complained about then. Figured it might happen sooner or later, but (1) I admittedly thought I might be smarter or more disciplined with better health habits, and avoid such problems, and (2) I didn't think that time would move quite as fast as it has. Those years when we were kids still don't actually feel that long ago. Yet, the calendar doesn't lie, and it shows that a hell of a lot of time has actually passed. Sometimes, it's hard to believe. There are other times, like after that fall in Maine, or the recent flu/cold that simply doesn't want to go away, or perhaps your neck/arm/shoulder situation, where it feels a lot more believable.
Agreed. Ageing has a way of humbling people, and reminding them how much time has transpired since their youth. Even if, paradoxically, those days sometimes feel as though they weren't so very long ago.
ReplyDelete