The doctor saw me last Thursday. And I saw her. ( I have now formally abandoned my previous doctor-for reasons I will soon explain). The S.O. dragged me to her doctor-after three days where I was not getting better, just coughing and coughing-so hard I ended up on the floor, and I don’t remember how I got there.
The doctor did a battery of tests, including sticking a swab up my nose almost into my brain ( at least it felt that way). Want to know why? Because she suspected I might have pertussis.. That’s right, disease you are vaccinated against in childhood, but evidently the Navy neglected to give me a booster shot for in my 40’s. The doctor felt she needed to test for it when she heard I had gotten back from Eastern Europe. And she was right.
As a result I had a nice chat with a public health professional who informed me the disease is making a comeback in the US and around the world. Part of the US problem has been the solid group of folks who have taken to not vaccinating their children due to fears of autism. Whatever the reason, I am stuck with it now. And it takes a while to heal. ( probably 5-6 weeks). The doctor said because they found it early-the course of antibiotics I am on should significantly lesson the symptoms, but at the same time I am going to have to also let this thing run its course. The fact that I am under more than a little stress right now figuring out which future outcome I will be walking down-does not help matters much.
According to the public health guy-it could have come from anywhere: being in a taxi with someone who had it, the subway, even just spending 10 hours breathing recycled air on the plane. ( Although the doctor thinks based on timing, I probably picked it up in Romania).
I was very concerned about the S.O. she has been around me since I got home. She has no symptoms-but the doctor put her on antibiotics as a preventive measure. Which is what you are supposed to do. According to the guy, I’ve got about two weeks of hard coughing, which gets worse at night. Then I should see it gradually decline and I will get better.
So let this be a warning to you. If you are in mid-life and have not had a booster shot, ask your doctor about it. According to the CDC adults should get a booster shot every ten years. For the life of me-I don’t recall getting one my entire time in the Navy-and I got shots for just about everything.
Which brings me to my doctor. I went to see him-complaining of what was wrong with me. He just dismissed it as a viral infection and said I would have to fight it off on my own. Even though I had the same symptoms as I had three days later when I saw the S.O.’s doctor. I’m done with him. And while its not a good idea to have the same doctor as the S.O.-for now it will have to do.
UPDATE! It is 2AM-and I am up when I should be sleeping. Why? Because if I lay down-its only a matter of time before I up doubled over the bed afraid I am drowning. I now know what it feels like to be waterboarded, I think.
This blows! I actually coughed so hard I got hypoxic-for some reason if I am sitting up, hunched forward, I don’t cough as much. Nights are so much worse than days.