Second medical appointment:

[mistressofmuses]

I did end up going to the local "convenience clinic" today after work. (Had to spend my break on the phone with my insurance company, but finally got confirmation that it would be billed under my urgent care copay. So there goes another $50.)

The nurse I saw today was very nice and much more thorough. Though for better or worse, she pretty much came to the same conclusion: viral bronchitis. She gave me a preemptive refill on the cough med I was already taking, told me to stick with my OTC stuff, also px'd me a stronger cough syrup to take at night, and an inhaler in case of trouble breathing. In absence of a fever, it's almost certainly not bacterial, so antibiotics won't help.

Got kind of a rapid physical for the first time in 15 or so years. My BP is still low, and I'm a bit distressed to learn how much weight I've gained in the last five years or so.

Unfortunately, she did also tell me that yeah, I should be prepared for several more weeks or even a few months before I actually feel all the way well. Sob cry. That isn't months of feeling THIS bad, but ugh, I don't want to still be recovering months from now! (Though it shouldn't surprise me... when I get sick, I either shake it very fast, or I get my ass handed to me. So yeah, maybe by April I'll be feeling back to normal.)

Comments

[vriddy]

Damn :( Hope it becomes more manageable quickly at least. Glad she looked after you well.

[umadoshi]

I'm glad you were able to see someone else, and that you got stronger cough meds. Hopefully the worst of it is over soon. *hugs*

[spikedluv]

Yay and dang! Sorry you didn't get better news, but I'm glad you got in to see someone.

[scarlipswolfwife]

Ugh that sucks that you've got a few more weeks (or months! yikes!) to deal with this shit. Being sick always sucks, and having it linger like that just wears you down something fierce. BP being low is good (unless it's too low!), and weight gain is hard to counter sometimes, esp because this pandemic has sort of stolen the ability to do much. But if you've gained and your BP is still low, that's not a horrible thing. I mean, sure, you might want to take the weight down again, but at least, it's not skyrocketing your BP where you'll have to get on meds like I did for a while.

[olivermoss]

That's completely miserable, I'm sorry. It can be useful, at least, to know that that's the usual course of the illness and it's not that you've got underlying health shit going on.

[raistrykes]

I'm sorry to hear that you're unwell and that you might be for weeks (maybe months), that feeling totally sucks. Hopefully the stronger cough medication helps alleviate it more. I wish you a full and steady recovery. You'll push past this. <3

[mistressofmuses]

Ugh, I hope so too, thank you!

[mistressofmuses]

I'm glad I went there instead of doing another telehealth. The stronger cough med at least helps at night! I hope the cough runs its course sooner rather than later. *hug*

[mistressofmuses]

Same! I was hoping for some easy fix, but alas. I am glad I went in rather than doing another telehealth appointment, even if the outcome was similar.

[mistressofmuses]

Seriously! The weeks-or-months potential makes me want to cry. (That is about what happened in 2022 when I got similarly sick. This time I better not get covid immediately afterwards!)
My mom has usually had low BP too, so I'm glad mine has stayed pretty consistent. It hasn't been troublesomely low (I get occasional dizziness, but not severe enough to be a problem.) The weight gain is... unfortunate. I knew I'd gained some, but turns out it was a lot more than I thought. I really want to go back to being more active. The pandemic really did make that a lot harder - my most intense exercise was from dancing when we'd go out, and while the club stuff has started up again, I'm still very leery of being in such a crowded environment. And there's no way I want to go on long walks or hikes in the middle of winter!

[mistressofmuses]

It is a relief that there isn't likely any reason to be concerned (at this point!) about a secondary infection or anything. It feels like a repeat of the crud I had in spring of 2022, and that was about how that one went as well.

[mistressofmuses]

Thank you. Being sick does suck! The stronger cough meds are at least making for about 5 hours of sleep, which is much more helpful! Thank you!

[raistrykes]

I'm glad it's at least contributing to more sleep. I hope you get even more as the days pass. No prob! Keep kicking it's butt! (૭ ｡•̀ ᵕ •́｡ )૭

[mistressofmuses]

Thank you! Motivating kaomoji!

[raistrykes]

No prob!^_^