Hi Deb, 

 

I'm truly sorry to hear that you are not feeling better.  I recommend going for a follow-up visit with your doctor or perhaps a different doctor and let them know your symptoms do not seem to be resolving.  You were able to face one of your fears by seeing a doctor and I know you can do it again!  

You said it Debora, you do need to take it easy, calm yourself and take deep breaths because the stress and worries make it worse. 

Know we are always here to listen and offer support.  I hope you find that writing in the forums is in some way therapeutic!  I'm glad you feel comfortable to share your experience with us.  

I have really gone down Carmie bad. I actually went to the Doctor thursday evening, as soon as my husband got home at 6:00pm I was ready to go I went to Urgent care and it was a good experience, its kind of a "state of the art" mini ER room, spotless, and the MD and nurse were very kind compassionate and professional, I was very very nervous as you know I cannot stand going to the Doctor, I must be very sick to do so, the MD seemed to be good, but I am still sick and very very scared!

He did NOT do a strep swab?! which surprised me, he did not think it was strep since I had no fever and swollen glands or white spots, he said my throat was red raw and swollen, he gave me antibotics, which are making me very tired, did you're antibotics make you exhausted? A little tummy upset, but the other symptoms are scaring me more. I am wheezing, no voice, and when I swallow, its strange it hurts in my ear and just the left side of my throat? He prescibed antibotic and inhaler, I had to go get another kind of inhaler full-price because the other was making my heart race and skip beats this one does not seem as bad, I have been on the antibotics three days, should I not be feeling better? that pain in my left throat and ear is really scaring me, he mentioned if I am not better in a week or ten days to go to a ENT doc, that terrifies me, I do NOT want a tube stuck down my throat just the thought makes me shake with panic, I am praying it goes away, if its not strep what is it? the pain is in my left ear and left throat, he did not see an ear infection through, and its so hard not too smoke I having withdrawal but I have too do it, this came on SO sudden, I just hope its a swollen vocal cord, but why the ear pain?

I am SO afraid its throat cancer! I have the symptoms, but they came on so quick so I do not know, can a swollen vocal cord make you're ear hurt too along with just ONE side of your throat? he did not see any ear problem. I feel the MD did his best, I even told him about my panic and he understood, he looked SO quick at my throat through, just a few seconds how could he tell with such a fast look? I am afraid its cancer or a growth or something, my panic is through the roof Carmie.

My husband has a meeting at work tommorow and he may lose his job! That would devastate him and he would need me, I have to get well too help him, if he loses his job, he has worked there six years, his other job he worked 22 yrs, we would lose our insurance and not have coverage, and my nurse-practioner wants to see me, she gives me my klonopin in mid-march, I hope I am well enough to go. So many worries! Do you think the MD would of picked up on something serious? He seemed really on top of things, please pray for my family Carmie, my illness and my husband losing his job is causing me to regress terribly, I read an article about a guy who had ear pain and one sided throat pain and he had laranx cancer! That scared me to death. Did you ever have ear pain with just one side of throat pain? I have to calm down, hysteria will not help.

I missed you Carmie, please let me know about FL I do want to hear about it. I am glad you are back safe!

Debora,

I wanted to say hi and to let you know that I am thinking and praying for you.  I had a really difficult time when I had the strep - my anxiety levels were through the roof.  It definitely required heavy duty CBT practice to make it through!  My main focus was on doing everything possible to relax and to focus only on getting better - not easy to do - especially when you have legitimate things to worry about - but most important is taking care of yourself so it's best to focus your energy on getting better, right?

You are a super strong lady and a wonderful mom and wife - all of this is evident from what you post here.  I wish you a very quick recovery, Debora,

I'll tell you all about the Florida trip sometime soon :)

Carmie

I am following the Doctors orders and trying to rest and not talk, it rips my throat up to cough or talk or wheeze, the cough drops help a little. What you said about the worries and fears not getting the best of me is the most important I believe and so true, it makes everything worse, I will try not to let it overwhelm and scare me, thank you for you're prayers and wonderful support and advice. Debbie.

Hi Debora,

 

I'm sorry you are dealing with so much uncertainty right now, not to mention the discomfort of wheezing and coughing.  Continue with the protocol your doctor recommended, in addition to the teas & broths you are taking and getting adequate rest. 

We will be thinking of you & praying that you will get the support you need through this challenging time.  Try to take the next few days in strides and not let worries or fears get the best of you. 

Its been so very hard. I feel like I am getting worse instead of better! The wheezing is awful and the coughing is making my throat raw and red and I have completely lost my voice and of course the panic is back with the "Oh God I am going to die" feeling. I just want to run back to urgent care, this from a woman who hates going to the doctor?! I was just there thursday evening and I called yesterday and spoke too a nurse, my husband says there is not too much more they can do for me, at the end of the day I will be on my third day of antibotic, shouldn't I feel better after three days? Keflex three times a day 500mgs is a normal to high dose for what I have, I am afraid its not working, the wheezing is what is really scaring me most of all, all night I wheezed, the new inhaler did not have those horrible side effects like racing heart or chest pain, it just seems not to be doing anything, I am drinking hot tea, hot broth, and honey and lemon cough drops, you know what really helped through and made my throat feel better, ice cream! I never eat it, it has to be over a year since I ate it and I had half a cup last night and it really soothed my throat, I had my tonsils out when I was nine years old so I know its not that, I hope the Doctor did not miss anything? The exam was quick, but he seemed competant. I am so scared I am not going to get better and I am going to die, and that meeting Tuesday that my husband will find out if he gets laid off is causing a great deal of stress, will we lose our insurance? Its a very bad time for me to be sick, I am afraid I may be hospitilized, but wouldnt the Doctor have said that if he thought that? He was an MD and seemed good, how long before the antibotics kick in? I hope they are strong enough, I am really freaking out aren't I? I cannot remember a time being this physcially sick, can wheezing kill you? I dont want to run back to the Doctor, I am following his treatment so it would just be a waste of time and money.

I have to calm down and not think this is a death sentence. My husband may need me bad in two days, I am afraid he will fall apart, his job is our lifeline, please pray for my family and health, I am hoping this will all go away and my life can come back.

I'm sorry you are going through more stress with your husband's work.  I remember when my ex was let go - no fault of his, it was downsizing in those 80's years and two yrs. later the company didn't exist.  It was difficult to start over again at his age, but to his credit he did and is doing very well.  I do remember the tension and stress of it and so can relate to what you are going through.  Hang in there!  

Thinking of you with a prayer,

Sunny

Hi Deborah,

 

It's been awhile since I've been on here to read the forums as I've just been busy with being back to work, therapy, and my journaling.

 

First off I hate that you are feeling bad; however, a GREAT BIG CONGRATS to you for going to the Urgent Care to see a doctor.  That is a big step for you and I'm so proud of you!  It wasn't for good circumstances but still a step.  I wanted to let you know that I had developed bronchitis about 3 years ago.  What started out as seeming like some kind of flu or something developed into bronchitis, which is odd for me.  Being the health nut I am with weight wacher's, gym 3 nights a week, hiking, yard work, multivitamin, Vit. C, Echinacea to battle off sickness, seems like I would be the last person to end up with bronchitis.  Anyway. I was given an antibiotic and an inhaler as well, but no steroids.  Seems like doctors are prescribing more steroids these days.  I got a steroid shot last year when I went in with what I thought was the flu, was the first time I ever got one.  My doctor still gave me a prescription for an antibiotic in case the shot didn't clear things up.  It did for about a week, but came back so I was glad I got the prescription filled and had to end up taking the antibiotic, which helped.  I didn't particularly care how I felt from doing the inhaler but I wasn't going through any anxiety back then as mine just surfaced back after a 20 year break (with occasional bouts here and there).  I can say that I had wheezing too, which can be normal.  Bronchitis is an infection of the lungs so it is hard to breath with all that infection in there.  Once the antibiotic starts kicking in, you should feel a bit better but bronchitis does take a bit longer to get over than the usual cold or flu.  Try and avoid anything that may irritate it like inhaling any kinds of smoke, even if second hand smoke, gas fireplace if you have one, kerosene heaters.  About 3-4 weeks afterwards, I had a student conference I had to be at as a volunteer and made the mistake of not going back downstairs to the front desk after discovering that the room I had reserved (which I requested non smoking) had been smoked in and I cannot be around cigarette smoke at all since it makes me sick.  I thought I would be OK since I just needed the room for 2 nights and would be at the conference all day from sunup to late at night.....WRONG!  First night I got hardly 4 nights of sleep and could hardly sleep from the smell and it was hard to breath.  Needless to say this kept my bronchitis from healing all the way and it came back even worse and had to go back to the doctor for more antibiotics.  I had read online that a cold vaporizer is very helpful for bronchitis.  I went ahead and got one and it really did help me breath better at night.  I have since then, at the advice of my massage therapist, bought some eucalyptus essential oil and add just a few drops to the water which helps also.  You may want to try getting one of those to put in your bedroom.  Just make sure to get one that holds enough water so you don't have to be filling it up every single day.  Mine can generally last for about 3 days before I have to fill it again.

 

Hoping and praying that you get to feeling better and get this yucky stuff out, but the antibiotic should do the trick and it will take awhile to get better from this.  Take care and I hope you will get better to get the much needed rest you body needs.

 

Donna V.

 

 

Thank you I am glad I went to the Doctor too, it was better than going to the emergency room, the urgent care I went too was very clean and I was saw by a MD and a very nice nurse. I was thinking of calling them back, the wheezing is scaring me! I have wheezed in the past, especially if I have broncitis or a bad cold, but ONLY when exhaling now I am wheezing inhaling and exhaling, and its scaring me. I am taking the antiobotic, the inhaler made my heart race to 140 beats a minute and it made me so jittery and skipped heatbeats I am afraid to use it again, I read that is a common side effect, they even use it to induce panic in people in panic studies?! But that is the last thing I need right now is racy skipped heart pain, I am just going to use it if its a emergency, the side effects scare me so, nothing is worse too a panic patient than a racing skippy heart rate, it scares me so.

I am taking the antibotic, drinking hot beverages, lemon and honey cough drops, not smoking etc......I may call them back to see if another inhaler may have less side effects but I think they are all the same. Right now I think I have ashma, I spelled that wrong, the wheezing is terrible and I cannot even clear my throat because of the swollen vocal cords, my oxygen level is 97-98 so that is very good I hear and my temp is normal, has anyone ever had this wheezing and hoarseness and coughing without a fever? I am afraid I am going too stop breathing! Is wheezing dangerous? I knew this would cause me to panic again, I just hope and pray the antibotic works, my husband may get laid off next week and I need to be strong for him, and of course if he does we will have NO insurance for doctor appts, no more co-pays, full price which will be tough. I am trying to relax if the wheezing would stop, does anyone know any natural remedies for wheezing?? Thank you please help me.