Inhalers...Even They've Evolved

Last week I got a new friend, a friend that traveled with me, went to work with me, accompanied me hither and yon. 

It was a shiny new inhaler.

Yes, the symbol of asthmatics and geeks everywhere--it was my new friend.

When I was a kid, I was diagnosed with asthma. I wasn't really sure what that meant because, as a kid, I was very active. I ran, biked, swam, hiked--you know, basic kid stuff. As I grew up I learned more about asthma and I wondered if I ever had asthma. Rarely was I short of breath when I ran or biked, swam or hiked.

As I grew older, I found that having an inhaler was a good idea. The problem with having an inhaler (and with most prescription medicines I take...) is I don't take them very often. I'll put them in a bathroom drawer and they'll sit--sometimes for years. This last week I visited the doctor and they prescribed an inhaler, the first one I've had in maybe a decade.

I dug up the old one and saw there's quite a bit of new technology--okay, maybe one big change and some minor ones. I thought it was really cool that it has a counter on the back so I'll know how many more puffs are inside. Of course, if I stop using it now and don't use it for ten years, the counter will still show medicine inside, even though it'll most likely be expired by then.

Sometimes it's the little details that get my attention. I wonder if they'll even exist in another decade. Time will tell.

Oh...Just A Little Bronchitis

A few weeks ago I lost my voice working my p/t gig. I chalked it up to the cold weather that weekend and me being outside. But, I probably picked up a bug. Since then, the entire family's been affected. We've coughed and hacked, sniffed, and sneezed, but this morning, I woke up freezing. 

I was freezing even while buried under a thick down comforter and wearing sweats.

"I think we should take you to the InstaCare," my wife said.

I did not argue.

We arrived and I walked up to the desk. When the lady admitting me kindly handed over a mask, I could tell they thought this could be serious. And, for the first time, so did I. I got signed in then taken back into one of the examination rooms.

The nurse took my vitals--things were okay. Then he said, "we might be looking at pneumonia."

I didn't like the sound of that.

And when the doctor came in wearing a mask herself, well, I started to worry just a little bit. They took a couple of chest x-rays and the conclusion--no pneumonia. Whew!! Next, they tested for influenza. That came back negative as well.

So far, so good.

They diagnosed a mild case of bronchitis, sent me home with some drugs, and that was that. I'm not the healthiest person on the planet, but I'm also not the most prone to illness. I'll get a cold every now and then, but usually, I do okay. It was weird being in an InstaCare considering all the horrible things that could be wrong with me. Thankfully, none of them came to pass. Now, to get better.