The other week, I mentioned how I've never fully recovered from the last time I caught COVID, how I've had a cough since October, 2022, and that I've felt as though my lung capacity has been diminished. And I also said that in the weeks following my return from vacation, my coughing has worsened and my lungs feel as though they're taking a beating.
Last week, I was starting to become concerned after I started tasting blood every time I coughed. My lungs were burning, and I actually left karaoke night early. On Monday, I made an appointment to see someone at my doctor's clinic and got an appointment for Tuesday.
I love my doctor's clinic because if my doctor is unable to see me quickly, there are other doctors and nurse practitioners who can see me in what is considered "urgent care." Having trouble with your lungs falls in that category.
The doctor who saw me remembered me right away. I had seen her shortly after returning from Costa Rica because I had injured my hip, and she had prescribed physiotherapy.
It wasn't hard for her to quickly determine that there was something wrong. I couldn't complete my explanation of how I felt without coughing profusely behind my mask. She took my temperature and listened to my lungs. Breathing in and out, I hacked several times.
She acknowledged that my lungs don't sound good. There was no gurgling, no liquid in my lungs, which was a relief. But there was some wheezing and of course, the rough coughing.
She immediately told me that she'd like me to see a respiratory specialist and made a note in my records. I just have to wait for a call to get an appointment.
In the meantime, she prescribed two inhalers: a steroid, which I take once per day; the other, salbutamol sulfate, which helps open my lungs and is only used when my cough turns to a fit, up to four times a day.
I'm familiar with these orange and blue puffers. Kid 1 suffers from asthma and keeps a blue puffer on her at all times. She uses the orange puffer only when her breathing gets bad, which thankfully is rare.
I've been using these inhalers for a few days now, and so far I haven't really noticed a difference. I don't know how long it takes to see any improvement but I'll continue to administer the steroid every morning, and I'll use the blue puffer when I have to.
And hopefully, I'll get an appointment with the specialist soon. I'm hoping that COVID hasn't done permanent damage to my lungs and that I didn't wait too long to report my condition to the doctor.
Stay tuned.
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