Asthma

I haven't been so sick as I had been the last few days for a long time. It first started with a sore throat after lunch. I didn't pay much attention to it. Then, my friend insisted we walk in 33c instead of grabbing a cab to see something. Fine. When I got home, I was sweating profusely and started to get out of breath.

As the night wore on, the sore throat became a hacking cough and the wheezing came. Then I knew it was a full blown asthma attack. I have a handy inhaler with me all the time and usually several puffs would do the trick. Not this time though. I was coughing and hacking so much my chest and back were in pain because of the exertion to get the phlegm out.

Next day was the worst. I remember sitting in the bath tub, instead of standing, to take a shower. I couldn't sit nor stand straight because hunching my back was the best posture to not cough. After the half hearted attempt at showering, I had to sit in the tub and wait for the wheezing to ease off before I could climb out.

Sleeping was out of the question because lying down would bring a new bout of hacking and more wheezing. Even though it was a torture to cough like that, I managed to get almost all the phlegm out. Yesterday morning, the part time helper came and one look at me she said she'd clean my room first, so I could rest. I took my medicine while waiting and I fell into a coma and slept till 3pm.

I still have no clue what triggered this massive attack. There were suggestions of food allergy, air pollution and of course blame it on the cats theory. I am just happy the episode is over and from now on, I'll be extra careful with my known allergies.

photo
(http://dailygrommet.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/hot-tea.jpg)