Tell Me How I'm Supposed to Breathe With No Air?

Do you ever have one of those moments when you are driving in the car and a song comes on the radio that is ironically perfect for the moment you are experiencing?

As I hung up my cell phone with the doctor's office Tuesday morning, I turned the radio back on and heard, "Tell Me How I'm Supposed to Breathe With No Air?" And I thought to myself, "somebody please answer that for me..."

Except that, unlike Jordin Sparks, I was not experiencing heart ache, but, rather, lung ache.

I had called the doctor because the cough I'd been hacking around with me since Saturday had turned scary by Tuesday morning, and I felt like, well, like I had no air. Like I was breathing through a straw. Coupled with hacking, coughing, and chills. But no fever, which is weird, cause I normally start climbing up the temperature ladder the second I feel even a little lousy.

At first the doctor's office had said they couldn't see me that day. Then I started coughing and gasping into the phone, and the girl said, "why don't we squeeze you into his schedule at 11:30?"

So, the good doctor sees me, and listens to my chest and says, "bronchitis - pretty nasty." He prescribed prednisone, cough syrup with codeine and a Z-pack.

The unfortunate thing about that particular combination of drugs is that the prednisone makes me jumpy, the cough syrup makes me sleepy, and the Z-pack makes me nauseated.

Jumpy, sleepy and nauseous at the same time. Nice combo, huh? But, it beats feeling like I am slowing smothering to death with no air.

I've been in and out of the office a little, because there are a few cases that I had to deal with, and I tried to avoid breathing on anyone or spreading my ugly germs around. But, mostly I've been trying to sleep. Or read. Or play my Nintendo. Or flip through the latest issue of Cosmo. (In my defense, the only reason I have the latest issue of Cosmo in my possession is because it has Kristen Bell (aka Veronica Mars aka Elle from Heroes) on the cover. NOT because it promises "67 New Sex Tricks" on the cover. (Because hasn't Cosmo been recycling these same 67 sex tricks in a different layout every month since, I don't know, 1991? They've been promising new sex tricks for decades now. I'm just not convinced there have been THAT many changes in the sex department...I mean, 67 new tricks EVERY MONTH?) (I digress.) The point is that la belle Ms. Bell looks lovely on the cover and the interview with her is nice too. So, if you are a fan, and can obtain the issue free of charge, you should read it.)

I'm off to sleep again, now. And to enjoy the bliss of being able to breathe a bit easier.

LM