Wed 16 Dec 2009
Today is furlough day, and it’s a rare furlough day when I’m not at the dentist these days. Instead, I went to a Kaiser appointment for a physical, and to check up on why I’d been gasping for breath for the past couple weeks. Of course, by the time I obtained this appointment, the breathing difficulties have been over. My first air-restriction-less day was Monday. I sat there at Ann’s apartment chatting with her and suddenly realized, I was breathing normally! Tuesday wasn’t bad, either, despite walking to lunch and back. I also haven’t gymmed in a few days, maybe that helped. The doctor checked me over and said all four quadrants of my lungs sound great, I don’t appear to be anemic, I’m in great physical shape, oxygen saturation at 100%, blood pressure 104/59, pulse at 62. He was impressed by the decades of gym dedication and said I’ve saved myself from at least 80% of physical ailments due to my exercise regimen. He ordered a blood test to rule out anemia and kidney disease anyway, just in case.
At the lab, I was freaking out remembering my last blood-draw experience at a different Kaiser, and I expected to be pricked 3 times on each arm for nothing before they threaten to draw from my foot. *shudder* Instead, the guy had me squeeze the ball, tied my arm, did a poke-poke inside my elbow with his fingertip, set up his needles and test tubes, did another poke-poke, wiped my arm with a swab and wiped it off with a dry swab, I turned my head, he poked with a needle, I saw out of the corner of my eye that he was rapidly changing test tubes as I filled what I needed to fill, and he pulled the needle out and taped a cotton ball to the prick site. “Okay, you’re all done,” he said, not a hint of stress on his face.
“Wow, you’re SO MUCH BETTER than the last phlebotomist I had!” I said in happy surprise.
He said modestly, “Oh really? Probably just my lucky day.”
So now we wait for blood results to see if the cause for my sucking wind can be uncovered there.
Glad that you are breathing easier now. It was probably holiday anxiety or some type of stress. Hope the test come back clear too 🙂
People keep suggesting I’m having anxiety attacks or am stressed, but I don’t feel stressed or anxious, and I’ve been anxious/stressed before and never had this reaction.
I got the blood test results this weekend. Every component of the test was within “normal” ranges. I am definitely not anemic. My doctor has a different theory – a rare acid reflux reaction in which the stomach acid comes up the esophagus and makes a turn straight down into the lungs. The result is usually coughing and/or chest pressure (trouble breathing). He says in these cases, the affected people do not feel the acid’s movement from the stomach into the lungs. He said it IS possible that it takes 2 weeks for my lungs to clear out and hence have the breathing issues for 2 weeks. This makes sense, since I’ve had acid reflux before from a stress-induced stomach ulcer in 2000, and last nite, I spit up a mouthful of acid just from getting up from a laying position on the couch.