Pneumonia humor…stop me if you’ve heard this one
Thanks to my chronic sinusitis and asthma I seem to get a cold whenever anybody with a little sniffle even looks in my direction. Then I can’t seem to ever get over a cold. It goes straight to my chest until I’m full-blown wheezing. It usually drags on for weeks and doesn’t end until I’ve begged my doctor for some Prednisone and maybe a little antibiotic.
Sometimes I call my doctor at the first cough and runny nose. Other times I try to wait it out just to see if this one time I can get over it without drugs. I never can.
I just saw my doctor about two weeks ago for my quarterly appointment. We have a standing date every three months to see how I’m doing and refill my prescriptions. I’ve turned in to an old lady with my days-of-the-week pill box stuffed with all my daily pills. I had a little tickle in my throat so I was worried I was on the verge of a cold, but the doc didn’t hear anything in my chest, and my nose, throat, and ears looked good so I went on my way.
Within just a few days it became clear that little tickle was turning in to a full blown cold; sinuses full, throat scratchy, nose and eyes watery, and ears hurting. But I just saw the doctor and didn’t really want to make two trips in one week. Plus I was busy getting caught up with homework and finishing up some work before I went on vacation.
On Monday (the first day of my vacation) I decided I couldn’t wait anymore. I needed to go to the doctor. She listened to my chest and said, “Well there’s a reason you aren’t feeling well. You have pneumonia. I can hear it in your left lung.”
Great.
I’m familiar with pneumonia. I get it about once a year. [Probably because I wait to freaking long to go to the doctor.] So I knew what was in store for me. Shots. In the butt.
The nurse came in to give me my shots. She looked apologetic as she said, “I have a steroid shot and an antibiotic shot. I need to put one in each butt cheek.”
I said, “I know. I’m familiar with the steroid shot. I’m pretty sure everybody in this office has seen my butt.”
“I haven’t,” she laughed.
“Well today’s your lucky day,” I joked.
Gotta keep your sense of humor when faced with pneumonia.
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Planet Mom Said,
March 19, 2009 @ 6:03 am
Cheer up! I visit the gynecologist today! Joy.
Seriously, though, it’s good to see your sense of humor is still intact. Hang in there!
Matthew Steinhoff Said,
March 19, 2009 @ 7:02 am
I’m the opposite. I rarely get sick. Sometimes I may be a little sick but won’t admit it and soldier forward. Usually my wife notices I’m sick before I do.
That is why I was so surprised when I got off the plane in Los Angles for a week-long business conference. I felt awful Sunday afternoon and by the evening I had lost my voice. My head was near exploding, my nose would not stop running and my chest was seriously congested. I made it through the first ten hours of the conference Monday and then asked the hotel if there was a doctor nearby they would recommend.
They gave me a card, I made a call and 45 minutes later there was a guy with a doctor’s bad in my hotel room. I can’t even get in to see my own doctor that quickly. Honestly, 45 minutes is all it took and I called after 7pm.
In any case, I knew I was feeling bad because I didn’t ask for any proof he was a real doctor. I didn’t ask what I had. He asked me to cough, listened to my chest and then asked what I thought of needles.
Less than a minute later, I was bent over the mini bar with my pants down and he had a needle in my ass.
(I only had that sort of experience once before but the symptoms were different, it was in Las Vegas and I’m pretty sure she wasn’t a doctor.)
In any case, the shot worked. I have never felt that much better that quickly. Tuesday I was mostly well and, by Wednesday, I was back to normal. I don’t even care if he was a real doctor. Heck, even if I had woken up in an icy bath tub missing a kidney, at least my cold was gone. That’s a win.
– matt –
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