On May 16, I was rushed to the ER because I was having problems breathing and I had a Multiday migraine that wouldn't go away. After a discussion with the Nurse on call with my insurance, I was told to get my butt down to the ER ASAP, so we called an ambulance to get me down there because Teh_Bagder had to get the kids over to my parents and then he had to go to work.
This is only the third time we had to dial 911. The first time was back in 1999, Munchkin was just over a year old. She had vomited and some had gotten stuck in her esophagus, blocking off her airway (she vomited again to dislodge the blockage just before the ambulance got there, but that was one of the most scariest times in my life!). The second time in 2000, when our new house had developed a gas leak. This time the paramedics picked me up and took me down to the ER. On the way they gave me an nebulizer treatment and oxygen because my blood-oxygen ratio was about 90%.
At the hospital, they put me on O2, gave me a painkiller for the migraine and basically just monitored my heart rate and respiration for about six hours just to make sure that it was working. Everytime I took off the O2 nose thing, my O2 levels would drop within 2-3 minutes. It was not fun.
The ER doctor told me that time that when I was asthma and no longer bronchitis. My GP said more likely asthma, but it was when I saw him previously that he wasn't going to officially give me that diagnosis until we could do the actual asthma test. And he said that we couldn't do that asthma test till I was off all my inhailers for at least two weeks. He was treating me for asthma, so had me on a long time bronchodilator, as well as a combivent inhaler to help.
The Er doctor prescribed a nebulizer for me as well as the two medicines that are in the combivent inhaler which is what I was using with the long-term bronchodilator, to see if that would help with the wheezing and my problems breathing.
That was mid May. It is now the end of June. I am still coughing and wheezing, but not as bad as it was.
One of the major drawbacks of the nebulizer is the hum of the compressed and the vibrations it sends up the air hose really doesn't help my headaches. If I have a full blown migraine, I cannot use it, as it will make the pain in my head much worse. At those times, I just have to use the combivent inhailer I have and hope its enough.
Yesterday, I called the place that provided the nebulizer unit to refill the mouth pieces that I am to change to a mask from the mouthpiece that I was given. They told me that my doctor needed to prescribe it. UG! I did call my GP's office and gave them the info. I have to remember to call the medical equipment co tomorrow to see if they got the info they needed.
