Such a hack. Pun intended.

[Kyle@theWintertime]

So I've been struggling with really bad bronchitis. Didn't really want to discuss it here much, as I don't want to be mister Gloom and Doom all the time, but there it is. My doctor had me put myself under house arrest for a while, due to being contagious, but I'm no longer contagious...I'm just sick as a dog. I can't stop coughing (and I'm not talking about little quiet coughs, I'm talking "look out everyone I may spit out one of my lungs any second now" hacking and choking), my voice sounds like CRAP because my vocal cords are being stressed by the constant coughing, and I'm sore and tired. My chest huuuuurts.

BUT...since I'm no longer contagious (and I have the paperwork to prove it!) I went back to school today.

It would be really nice if people would THINK about what they are saying before they say it. Before my first class even started, I had a bunch of people treating me like I had the plague. And not in the discreet-avoidance way, I mean people saying stuff like "WOW don't breathe near me, sicky!" Seriously? I just reassured them I'm symptomatic (and will be for possibly WEEKS) but not contagious.

Had to go over that AGAIN when the instructor arrived. She cheerfully told me, "WOW you sound AWFUL!!!" LOL thanks. :roll:

Second class, same deal...people telling me to stay on the far side of the room so they don't "get" it. More "don't worry, not contagious" speeches. Instructor kept flinching every time I coughed. Very embarassing.

Had to do some work in the library to make up for the school I've missed due to being sick...when I arrived in the computer lab, it was prettymuch a person, an empty computer, a person, empty computer...like each student had a buffer zone between them of an unused computer. I sat down, began researching...and had bad bout of coughing juuuust as some dude was sitting down next to me. Yeah he jumped right back outta that seat and hurried off. I didn't even bother with my "not contagious" speech. By the time I left the computer lab, there was a "buffer zone" of about eight computers in EVERY DIRECTION from where I'd been sitting. LOL, subtle eh? :roll:

Tried eating some food...nearly choked to death on my lunch, which I had to eat at a huge and otherwise devoid-of-students table. Gave up and played video games on my phone in the student center...where a kind but possibly misguided person tossed a handfull of Halls cough drops on my stack-o-books. She couldn't seem to understand that they won't help...the problem is in my bronchi, not my throat, and while I sound hideous, it isn't actually painful to speak. I dutifully tried them anyways (as she pointed out, they are "extra strength" whatever that means) and nearly choked on the darn thing every time I gasped for air after a coughing spell...and no, the cough drop didn't do anything other than give me a sense of paranoia as I envisioned it shooting down one of my bronchus and into my lung. :x

Since I had a lot of time left, I drove a couple blocks to the local pharmacy to pick up more OTC expectorant (I ran out yesterday)...and I actually had someone in the checkout line berate me for "putting people at risk" by walking around sick. I reiterated the "not contagious"...though it wasn't until I was back in the college parking lot that I realized...dude it's a PHARMACY, there's liable to be sick people going there to get medicine and prescriptions from time to time!!!! :evil:

Walking down a hallway, had a coughing spell so bad I had to stop walking and just lean on a wall...and some guy says "You really should quit." I am sure I was giving him a blank stare as I asked, "quit what?" I then got a brief lecture about how I should quit smoking, it's bad for me. LOL, I'VE NEVER SMOKED A CIGARETTE IN MY LIFE. Once again, had my "not contagious" routine, but prefaced with "I'm not a smoker, I have bronchitis from a respiratory infection." :|

Last class of the day...I'd given the "not contagious" speech so many times it was almost knee-jerk. Hi, how are you, and I'm not contagious. Cue more "keep that disease to yourself" comments and allsuch.

Instructor walks in, I hand over the paperwork I've had to show to every instructor...and after a few minutes of classtime, he says to me, "You look really uncomfortable. If you want to, you can go home and rest, I'm just going to lecture on chapter (whatever) and there's no in-class work today. I can also put the powerpoint online so you can access it from home."

...........FINALLY someone treating me like a human being, and not a slavering plague dog!!!!!!! Polite, unassumptive, helpful...yep, handled it perfectly. I took the offer and came home to rest.

It might seem such a small thing, to offhandedly say "hey, get away from me, don't give me your cold!" to someone who sounds like they're trying to hack up a lung, but...after hearing it a dozen times, it starts to wear on a body. It honestly made me feel just that much worse than I already felt...and I felt pretty shoddy to begin with! This cough is embarassing, loud and PAINFUL, I don't need to be reminded how icky it sounds. I'm just...really, really grateful the last instructor didn't act weird about it like the others (and most of the students I encountered that day) did.

Also, so much for deerhunting opening weekend. I'm way too sick to go out in the woods...and even if I did, I'd scare away everything in a ten mile radius with this hacking and coughing!!!!

 

[LilacGal]

Sorry to hear that Kyle. And yes being a social pariah is no fun but at least you're well enough to go back to school.

 

[DogCatMom]

I'm more familiar with bronchitis than I'd ever want to be... The folks who say, "You sound awful"--I tell 'em, "Yeah, I know," and let them figure out the next move.

I don't mind having the extra space around me when I'm recovering and have to go out into the world; it beats having folks jostling into my ribs/back/arms and hurting my ribs/back/etc., esp. on public transit!

"You should quit." That's pretty amazing and nervy. No one's ever said that to me directly, so I can only think, "Quit what?" kind of like you did. Although when not feeling well, "huh?" is more likely to come out of my mouth! :lol: Maybe "Quit breathing? It's not optional, you know." or "Quit coughing? I'd love to, but I'm still getting better."

The instructors, at least, should try to behave like educated people. And I would think that people going through PT Asst. schooling would have a better grip on themselves, but evidently not.

I never have the luxury of bronchitis without congestion, so the mentholyptus flavored lozenges actually help me breathe; the woman who gave you some might get bronchitis like I do and wanted to really help in a constructive way. And bless that last instructor!

Feel better soon.

 

[dayna]

Kyle I feel for you but I'm in the germaphobe category. If I saw you in public hacking like that, frankly, I'd give you a wide berth.

I also wash my hands a lot, and totally avoid sick folk.

I rarely get sick. Like once a year I get a cold. Never get the flu.


I do feel for you, and I'd NEVER comment. I had to sit next to a hacking guy at the eye doctor. NEVER ONCE did I move away from him or say anything. But I didn't breathe in his direction or inhale. lol I did however not touch my face and I washed my hands several times during that eye doc visit. lol

 

[Northwinds Rabbitry]

Aawww I'm so sorry that suck, i know it's just a cold but that's bad enough for me lol.
I believe one of my family members once had it and it was bad

 

[Dood]

I would wear a sign that said something like this ... " Although I look like i am on deaths door, my education is important to me and I AM NOT CONTAGIOUS!!! Proof ---> [photo copy of doctors note]"

I did this when I couldn't talk... " I am not being rude you @**#*£# I have laryngitis"

 

[Peach]

oh Kyle

I hope you're feeling better soon. There is no way for people to know that you are not contagious,but I wouldn't think people would comment so much I'd probably make a sign to with so much poor feedback from my peers!

Being sick sucks :/ I have this lingering cold that I got over for the most part the other day, but winter basically kicks my butt each year around the same time. One of my co-workers had to suggest to for me to work the other day and they were saying I was unreliable because I had called out twice. (New managers starting around the time of year when things get funky for me health wise) and was saying that I wasn't reliable....we have only worked together a handful of times! My hours have basically been nothing but 8-9 hours the past 2-3 weeks Hopefully the holidays will help with my lack of hours and I've been going to help every now and then to get orders out for my fathers laundry mat when he needs me.

I think people just need to be more sensitive this time of year. It's a bit brutal with the change of weather. If I were there, I'd make you some super awesome homemade chicken noodle soup with a squirt of lime. With every veggie I can find in the fridge to make the stock, once it's blended and the chicken and noodles added, it is the best way to get in all the good stuff to help with recovery. If you want to know how to make it, just let me know. It's a recipe passed down through the generations, so it's second nature when making it along with other dishes

 

[Marinea]

Feel better soon, Kyle.

Bronchitis is a bear. I am sorry you were treated like a pariah. And I totally hear you about deer season- my mom called me to chat, and said how disappointed she is to miss it this weekend because my brother and sis-in-law (who is doing much better) are dropping the grandkids off for the weekend. My mom is 70, and loves to hunt.

*cough,cough* Peach...does the soup offer extend to someone who might not be sick?

 

[skysthelimit]

Wow, that totally sounds like a strange crowd up there. Maybe they showed Outbreak for the Friday night campus movie?

I usually get bronchitis every season, and tonsillitis precedes it.
The year before the cough was so bad I lost my voice for a month and went to the ER for a breathing treatment. Surprisingly, no one said much to me, and I went to work, in a classroom full of kids. I had to beg off for a day of rest, I mean I was teaching and couldn't even talk!
No one seemed the least bit concerned that I might cough up a lung.


I was told by my RN friend that whooping cough is going around, maybe the campus was bombarded with PSAs on not contracting it.

Get some rest, and drink the Yogi brand Breathe Deep tea. Taste like black licorice, but it really helps. Get the Cold Season Sampler if you can.

 

[Demamma]

First off so sorry you are sick though not contagious. I am immune compromised. If I had a choice I would sit on the other side of a room from a coughing person. I would not be rude or say anything. I would try and be discreet. A bad cold went through my house followed by the flu. My son with asthma got both as I did but the other 3 kids got just one. 2 weeks straight sick I avoid any chance of coughing people. Son's cold turned to bronchitis which is horrible. He missed a lot of school. I feel for you. Some of your encounters were downright rude. People need to think before they speak.

 

[Southbound_SF]

I initially read that first line as "Minister of Gloom and Doom".

That is an awesome title. Such power.


SB

 

[Peach]

Feel better soon, Kyle.

Bronchitis is a bear. I am sorry you were treated like a pariah. And I totally hear you about deer season- my mom called me to chat, and said how disappointed she is to miss it this weekend because my brother and sis-in-law (who is doing much better) are dropping the grandkids off for the weekend. My mom is 70, and loves to hunt.

*cough,cough* Peach...does the soup offer extend to someone who might not be sick?

:lol: I think I might just go make a post RT later today when I get home from class. Infact, I might make some today I've made it with rabbit as a substitute, and it's equally good!

 

[Miss M]

I'm so sorry you're having to deal with rudeness, on top of bronchitis!

I can certainly empathize... I had bronchitis almost every year growing up, and then once I had a microbacterial infection in my throat that started to go into what would have been a swift and severe form of pneumonia that (I was told) was quite a dangerous kind. As it was, I coughed for months.

I confess, with two children and a mother who have asthma, I avoid people who appear sick. Nothing sets off my son's asthma like starting to get well from being sick. Oh my goodness, it's worrisome. When he was very small, my son was sick almost constantly, because the asthma made him less able to deal with stuff. He caught Every. Little. Thing. My daughter would, like clockwork, get repeatedly ill in early spring, so she would be sick almost solid for about 6 weeks every year. So I try to avoid exposing them to stuff. Thankfully, they don't get sick nearly as often as they used to, but my son's asthma has recently changed and worries me now even more than it used to.

But I NEVER say anything like you've heard, except to family and friends, as we all tease each other mercilessly. I know that my avoiding people who might not be contagious might be frustrating to them, but I never developed a "I'm sorry I'm avoiding you, I'm only doing it because my kids have asthma and I don't want them to get sick" speech. :lol:

I do get looks and people avoid me whenever I'm out and about with an allergy attack (they aren't considerate enough to hit only when I'm home :evil: ). I give the "Sorry, just allergies, not contagious" speech repeatedly. But it sure looks like I have a raging cold sometimes, so I can't blame them too badly. :roll: If they would think a minute, though... if I had a cold that bad, I'd be lying down in the car while everybody else shopped.

About the cough drops: I have actually successfully used them to calm a bronchial cough. I have to be careful, obviously. I put the lozenge between my teeth and cheek if I have to, dissolve it a little, and then use my tongue as a bellows while I slowly breathe in through my nose. It sends the vapors down into the bronchial tubes, where it actually can calm things down, if I'm able to accomplish it without inhaling the lozenge or hacking up a lung.

Another thing to try, especially at night, is Vicks Vapor Rub. Especially the ointment, but the cream helps too. The cream is non-staining, but isn't as strong and doesn't last as long. Put a generous layer of it on your upper chest. Do not cover your chest too much with blankets, or the vapors won't be able to get to where you can breathe them in as you sleep. This has helped many times.

You can take a teaspoon of the ointment and stir it into hot water, cover your head and the bowl with a towel, and breathe. Just like all the old movies.

 

[Zab]

:grouphug2: (Hugging you and forcing your scaredy classmates into the hug as well for punishment) Naw.

Nu fun being sick.

 

[Demamma]

I ran the humidifier for my son with some lavender oil and lobelia in the water. If it gets real bad I rub lobelia on his chest. He noticed a difference it eased up his breathing and calmed the coughing a bit.

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

Thanks guys. I blame the forwardness of my peers on the fact that almost all of them are "health science" students and apparently somewhere along the path we all lose sight of stuff like personal boundaries. :roll: Plus we're all made paranoid about the crazy stuff that can go wrong with people...for example, after the discussion on liver function, I'm the only one in the class who'll ever eat liver again. Likewise, after the chapter on the immune system...I am like, the only one in the class who doesn't constantly smear antibacterial gel all over the place. :lol:

Anyways, still coughing, but a lot less. I'm just worn out though! It's like running a marathon in a chair. :roll:

I would wear a sign that said something like this ... " Although I look like i am on deaths door, my education is important to me and I AM NOT CONTAGIOUS!!! Proof ---> [photo copy of doctors note]"

I did this when I couldn't talk... " I am not being rude you @**#*£# I have laryngitis"

Not a bad idea, actually!!! Might do that if I can't stop coughing come next week's classes...

If you want to know how to make it, just let me know.

OMG yes please! I have so few good soup recipes and now that fall is upon us...soup time!

I love soup...it's food I can drink and barely ever need to chew... </lazy>

I was told by my RN friend that whooping cough is going around, maybe the campus was bombarded with PSAs on not contracting it.

Oh mah gawd I had to do a report on some of the diseases from the past that are making a comeback, whooping cough among them, and HOLY CROW most of the articles had pictures and I CAN'T UN-SEE IT. :x

I'm still thinking it's more along the lines of the fact that we're almost all going into healthcare professions, most of my classmates are in the nursing program, and some'a our classes are creepy when it comes to pathogens. Ironically the fellow who's an EMT going for a higher degree wasn't freaked out in the least...I guess nothing phases him any more, LOL!!!!

And I'm not really upset people gave me a fair bit of space...if I was them, I'd have kept some distance. It just sucked hearing about it. :|

I initially read that first line as "Minister of Gloom and Doom".

That is an awesome title. Such power.


SB

.............................I'm totally changing my forum signature to that for a while.

I also laughed so hard I thought I'd die from coughing when I read that. :lol: :lol: :lol:

You can take a teaspoon of the ointment and stir it into hot water, cover your head and the bowl with a towel, and breathe. Just like all the old movies.

I do that with hot tea...I forget what's in it but it is supposed to be good for colds and stuff.

That and warm honey, and lots of ginger. Gods I've eaten SO MUCH candied ginger this past week...coughing makes me a little nauseous, the ginger cuts that out right quick.

 

[dayna]

My daughter had whooping cough when she was 6 months old (she's 16 now). It was the first case reported in Alaska since like the 50's or something.

I hope its not that! She was a sick kiddo.

Hope you feel better soon.

 

[skysthelimit]

I'm still thinking it's more along the lines of the fact that we're almost all going into healthcare professions, most of my classmates are in the nursing program, and some'a our classes are creepy when it comes to pathogens. Ironically the fellow who's an EMT going for a higher degree wasn't freaked out in the least...I guess nothing phases him any more, LOL!!!!

Reminds me of the semester of abnormal psych. You really see your friends in a different way after that class. And you start to think you're a bit crazy. You can find all quirky personality traits under some category in the DSM V, and as you go down the list, there is usually one chronic symptom you don't have, that lets you off the hook. I wonder if it was hard on my friends to have every interaction scrutinized through the eyes of a psych major.

 

[SarahMelisse]

Oh man! That plain ol' sucks! That, my friend, is why I am a hermit. When I'm on death's door, no one knows. I would bet it is kind of hard to be a hermit AND go to school at the same time. Feel better! And more importantly, sound better soon.

 

[Miss M]

And more importantly, sound better soon.

:lol: