Things got worse. Trouble breathing. Emergency hospital admission Wednesday evening. Tests galore. Puzzling docs as xray 'clear'. In Acute Admissions Unit. Transfer to respiratory unit when bed free. CT scan later. Nebulisers not helping. Keeping everyone else on ward awake with my coughing and wheezing, makes me feel bad for them. 5.35 a.m. now and im off to try steamy shower....
Cough cough cough update: Things got worse. Trouble... - PMRGCAuk
Cough cough cough update
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JanetRosslyn
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Oh, you poor thing: you must be worn out! Thank you for the update and looking forward to a firm diagnosis and treatment for you. 💐
Oh Lord that sounds nasty! On the other hand at least they are now really trying to work out what is wrong. Hoping that this is the first step on the road to recovery. xxx
oh my goodness, coughing is so tiring, poor you. Have they done a blood test called a D dimer? It’s just one of the tests for potential pulmonary embolism? X-ray won’t show it but is needed to rule other things out. It’s good that a CT scan is being done as that or a VQ scan will help shed more light on that possibility.
snazzy, my D dimer is always positive/ it never changes. Related to MGUS.
Oh Janet, l’m so sorry to hear this - hopefully they’ll get to the bottom of this very soon 🙏🏼
Keep us updated when you can.
MrsN 💐
They've taken lots of blood tests but not said what for... or maybe they did but I'm not really 'with it'. Steroids up from 5mg to 30mg. Keep asking if I have COPD, asthma, allergies, pets or birds, and if I've been gardening. No. One of the five doctors I've seen here in hospital is looking at the possibility of MTX damage. Nebuliser giving me amazing tremors and horrendous headaches... and still the cough and breathlessness continues.
On the plus side... the food is surprisingly good x
They are probably taking blood tests for a myriad of things to see if any come up abnormal.
They took more bloods this morning as 'several' came back abnormal... he reeled off a list of them but I only remember the first.. troponin, which Ive never heard of. I concentrated hard on remembering the name of at least one, thinking I'd see them all on my NHS app, forgetting that I can never see any hospital results on there only gp ones. Grrr.
Ive decided not to stress out and just wait for next results.
Theoretically from 1 December we are supposed to see all our data including letters. The GPs are none too keen and have had it postponed from 1 November.
Troponin is a protein, it can diagnose a heart attack.
Troponin is usually taken to diagnose cardiac problems - but there are other reasons for it to be raised:
"Many diseases, such as sepsis, hypovolemia, atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure, pulmonary embolism, myocarditis, myocardial contusion, and renal failure, can be associated with an increase in troponin level. These elevations may arise from various causes other than thrombotic coronary artery occlusion"
Was there a d-dimer amongst them too?
Lots of info there...thank you! I don't know if there was a d dimer.
They did respiratory viral swab this afternoon... not confident it will be any use... I has JUST eaten a kit kat and was not even given the chance to wash it down with water, so throat swab actually had chocolate on it! ... you could not make it up... and still they sent it off!!! My husband reckons they'll diagnose chocolatitis
Maybe they thought it'd encourage the bugs ...
Gave us a laugh anyway..Same nurse never likes my co2 readings and if the probe shows 93 or 94 she tries three or four different fingers but doesn't give up there, saying "I don't want that" and puts it on my ear and gets 99. I challenged her on it saying I wanted treatment decisions based on what was accurate, not on what she wanted. She says the ear reading is the best. If thats right im very happy, but I'm not convinced.
If the ear reading is best - why don’t they do that in the first place?….
Hope you have a good night 🙏🏼
I sent you a reply earlier & must of forgot to press Reply 🤦🏻 Just wanted you to know l’m thinking about you x
The ear reading is "best" in that it is probably the highest - finger readings can be low for all sorts of reasons but having it clipped on your ear for hours is a pain. But it should be done in the same place to identify a deterioration or you are comparing apples with pears. Dunno what she's on about - my O2 sats are 94/95 most of the time,
Janet, she’s right. When giving anesthetics we did the same. Cold fingers, nail Polish, oils can block the probe light. A study suggested the most accurate results are from the middle finger of the dominant hand. The ear or enen the nostrils can also elicit accurate O2 levels. There are special probes as well for ears and nose(on the skin outside the nostrils).
She wasn’t measuring CO 2 ; that’s measured by breathing in and out through a tube or an arterial sample.
PMRproAmbassador
Oh hard luck - hope they find a cause and something to work soon.
Sounds awful for you. Hope they find out what's going on soon and get you the right treatment x
You have all my sympathy. I note that you have large vessel Vasculitis ( LVV). I am due for a CT scan on my sinuses, looking for signs of LVV in that area. On looking it up, I note that it can spread in the respiratory area. Just a thought, it causes breathlessness. It would not show up in an X Ray , it may need a specialist ultrasound scan. All good wishes.
Thank you for that info. Might phone my Rheumy for her thoughts.Hope all goes well for you!
Get well soon.thinking about you.x
Oh you poor thing, sounds like you are really going through it. I went to A&E 3 weeks ago when I woke up with extreme dizziness and nausea, I couldn't even sit up let alone walk anywhere. The breathlessness I'd been experiencing for a week was down to a DVT in my leg - virtually symptomless - pieces of which had broken off and lodged in both lungs. I was kept in for a week and very lucky to still be here. I was told that steroids could make you breathless so didn't pay much attention to it - rookie mistake and I'm now much more aware of any changes in my condition. I really hope they can get to the bottom of this for you.
Oh my! I hope you're recovering well. Big hugs.
Thank you! The fatigue has hit big time, the hearing has not fully returned in my left ear so I'm not sure if that's connected to anything. I hope they can get you sorted, this condition is so varied and unpredictable, keeping on top of it all is a full time job! Please let us know how you get on.
Morning Jr nothing sensible that I can add to the previous comments but just send hugs and hope that things get sorted for you soon.
Hope you're over it soon. Sending virtual hugs 🤗 x
So sorry to hear of everything you are going through, but must note your incredible spirit and sense of humour. I hope they manage to shed some light on the situation and sort out a proper treatment soon. Wishing you all the best. x
wishing you all the best and hope they get to the bottom of this. Let us know how you get on. Xx💐
Morning Janet - how are things today? Any improvement in the cough? xx
Hi Janet, sorry to hear you are going through such a rough time. Fingers crossed they get to the bottom of it soon. The ‘chocolatitis’ made me laugh. I think I may be suffering from that too🤣. Take care, Tiggy70. 🌸
Thank you all for your kind supportive words. It means a lot to not feel 'alone'.Cough no better. Woke the whole ward at half one this morning, so sharing my Rich Tea biscuits now to make amends.
Doctor this morning says no virus identified but he can hear bilateral wheeze and left pleural rub. Waiting for CT scan results now then he'll make a decision from there.
Hubby laughed with me yesterday... with melted chocolate all over my hands and face, and Tena ladies doing their thing because of the coughing, then being given a beaker with a spout on to drink from as I've got amazing tremors from the nebuliser drugs... he reckons I'm like a 2 year old. Cheeky. I'm still able to give him a kick on the shins. Good job I love him. X
"I'm still able to give him a kick on the shins. Good job I love him"...
glad to hear it, on both counts...🤣😂at least you can still laugh, thanks goodness for TLs
The Nebuliser Drugs can make you feel awful & give you a headache - hope the CT shows something.
Take Care x
Yes, whole skull thumping with every cough for about half an hour after each nebuliser! Soon wears off thankfully. I'm learning something new every day! X
My Mum always found the Nebuliser made her feel worse in other respects but improved her asthma!
Long old days at the weekend in hospital - not a great deal happens!
Hope the food is still good xx
Its lovely food... just had sweet and sour chicken with veggie rice followed by lemon mousse. But i've still got a stash of kitkats if I feel peckish later, haha.
'Not a lot happens'... I managed to flood the wet room on the ward this morning.. the drain was blocked apparently... and I was merrily enjoying the moist air, not realising there was a flow of scented bubbles seeping under the door and into the ward!
Heavens - what hospital is that? Sounds comparable with food here!
Well Done 😂 🫧 🫧 🫧
'Nothing much happens'... Lady in next bed asked for a private room to meet her visitor. Nurse put them in a storeroom with no chairs as nothing else available and they sat on the floor without complaint. To the nurse's horror, turns out the visitor was her friend the Home Secretary, Suella Braverman (and security detail)!
We're all now jokingly demanding the privilege of visitor time in the cupboard and the nurse is bouncing around with happiness showing everyone her selfies.
Well it is all happening there! I wonder what tomorrow will bring! 😉
Hopefully that SB will report back to the other SB, Health Secretary, about the lack of accommodation in hospitals ...
Just wanted to let you know that, ever since his first booster , my husband has coughed continuously. He had a clear chest X-ray but has still to get a scan. He’s otherwise very fit, but the non stop coughing is exhausting him. He travelled for more blood tests , but his scan is not until April. He has never smoked. It seems obvious to me that there’s a connection between the booster and the non stop coughing. It’s been a whole year now ……
Your husband has my sympathy, it really is exhausting... I can't imagine coughing like this for a year! It's just about 4 weeks for me and my ribs are aching, so I can't imagine how bad it must be for him. I don't know about him but I feel embarrassed for coughing so much and so loudly. Silly really.
Tremors are a side effect from nebulizers to open the bronchi.
Hi Janet, I do hope you are on the mend - you haven't recently had your Covid Booster have you? I feel like saying 'been there, done that and bought the t-shirt'. I recognise the symptoms. They even implanted a heart monitor too, but thankfully it doesn't come to life very often now although I wear it all the time. Keep your sense of humour - it sees you through the bad times. Just hope and pray you get better soon. Good luck!
No, my last booster was in August but good thinking. Actually just had a reminder that my next one is due. Think I'll give it a month or so.
Yes, I would - I haven't had my Autumn booster yet as the last one put me in hospital and my doctor is still on annual leave till Wed. Just hope you get better soon, Janet.
You're really going through it. Here's to hoping they get some definitive answers. Hugs to you JanetRosslyn. ❤️
Since PMR last year, I've now started suffering from "throat clearing" and persistent overnight coughing. My GP (I live in Australia) has diagnosed "could be gastric reflux" and doubled my dose of Losec. That has reduced the irritation that makes me clear my throat etc. However, its early days and I now suspect "Post Nasal Drip" cos I often have a slightly runny nose when the coughing starts. These are just idea for you. But over many years a smoker, which I gave up 15 years ago, I found that when I got a real bad cough, I took to sleeping chest upright in bed with pillows behind me. That reduces the coughing dramatically. It takes some getting used to but you do get used to it and you do get some sleep. It may work for you until they find the real cause. I also find that my wife's white wine creates overnight throat clearing and coughing! Beer doesn't doesn't do this! Phew! 👍😉. Good luck with it.
Ha ha... if you stick to the beer that leaves more wine for the wife, so it's a win win situation 👍The consultant heard bilateral wheeze and a pleural rub yesterday and hopefully he'll have ct scan results today.
I am just adding a little info here in case it assists anyone although I realise it probably won't help you, Janet. So sorry - it must be awful for you. For years, I have suffered from Bronchiectasis which results in my coughing a lot and I have an excessive amount of mucus. I use a Nebuliser (my own private steam room!) and it clears my chest really well resulting in much less coughing. I had Covid a few weeks ago. It only amounted to four days bad cold and cough but, since then, my mucus and coughing has definitely been worse. Fortunately, I have a telephone consultation with someone from the hospital respiratory team on Tuesday so I will see what they say about it. It seems Covid can stir other things up.
Thank you... all appreciated. They've been giving me meds through nebuliser since Wednesday to no avail, and others orally, and upped pred, and the plain saline nebulisers do give some relief for the duration. 🙂Hopefully you have a good consult on Tuesday.
Update: Yay I'm going home today! I still have a chest infection but there is a treatment plan... More tests and antibiotics and follow ups in outpatient clinics... Doctor stated it's currently safer for me at home as there's covid and flu in the hospital. Hubby has turned the heating on and has warned me I have to rest. which I have every intention of doing.
Good news, and let hubby supply the TLC you need..🌸
Heating - there's luxury!!!!!
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