Bronchitis Woes

I had to go to the doctor yesterday. My throat started getting scratchy last Thursday and, instead of getting better, I kept getting worse. By Wednesday, I was coughing a deep, dry cough. Yesterday, it worsened and became productive. I knew I had bronchitis.

The problem was, I was in the process of switching doctors and had not yet seen my new doctor. But I called anyway and asked if he'd see me. He's a family friend who lived next door to me with his young wife while an Intern. His wife's whole family has been very close to me for years. I lived with her parents for 4 years while she was still very young, so this doctor is almost family.

Because I had not yet had a new patient visit, the nurse asked him if he'd see me. He told her he'd fit me in, and I packed up Daelyn and headed out.

The wait was very short. I was suitably impressed. When he walked into the Treatment Room, I hopped on the table.

"Okay, Patti, what's the problem," Billy asked.

"Scratchy throat a week ago, followed by cold symptoms. Now progressed into bronchitis. Need antibiotics before it turns into pneumonia," I rattled off.

Billy turned his head sideways and looked up at me over the top of his glasses.

"I self-diagnose," I explained. I was attempting to make it as easy and quick for him as possible since he was doing me the great favor of fitting me in, although not even officially a patient of his yet.

"I see," he commented, and snickered. Then he pulled out his stethescope to have a listen.

"Deep breath in and out," he commanded in his polite doctor's voice. I attempted to follow directions but broke into a coughing fit.

"Okay, NOT so deep breaths," he said. "As a matter of fact, breath as little as possible."

The coughing was BAD. Nobody ought to have to hear this, especially not through a stethoscope.

He finished up and made the expected announcement.

"It's not pneumonia yet. Your lungs are clear. But you definately have bronchitis. Let's get you on some antibiotics."

See. I told you. Do I get a break in cost for saving you the diagnostic effort?

He sat down in the chair in front of his little desk. He pulled out his prescription pad and then stopped to think for a minute.

"Patti, you don't smoke, do you?" he asked.

"No, no, no. No smoking. But I try real hard to drink," I answered. Again, the eyebrows up, looking at me over the top of his glasses.

I continued. "I begged Don Tuesday night to get me a bottle of Kahlua. We had a half-pint of cream in the fridge and I was dying for a Kahlua and Cream. But he refused."

"To help you sleep," Billy asked.

"Yes," I replied, emphatically. "I figured it'd take the edge off my coughing and relax me. But Don said 'no'."

"Well," Billy responded, "we'll take care of that. I'll write you a prescription."

He discussed a few other matters with me, drew some blood (a new patient thing), then wrote out two prescriptions.

"Here's your antibiotic. Can you take Amoxicillin with your stomach problems?"

"Yep. That one I can handle."

"Okay, then. That's what we'll use. And here's your other prescription. I need to see you back in two weeks to review your bloodwork and check your breathing again." He handed me two prescription sheets, said goodbye, and left the room.

As I was putting them in my purse, I glanced at the second one.

"Kahlua & Cream QSH" it read. I asked at the Pharmacy what QSH meant. They said "at bedtime". Several of the women working at the Pharmacy would like my new doctor's name and phone number.

I picked up a bottle of Kahlua on the way to pick the kids up from school. Last night, I crushed some ice in the blender, put it in a juice glass, covered it with Kahlua and added cream. I sat on the loveseat in the Den, sipping my drink. When it was half done, I noticed my coughing had subsided tremendously and I was breathing easier.

"Don, if you had just bought me that Kahlua the other night, we could have saved a doctor's visit today," I told him.

But where would the fun have been in that. Billy was quite entertaining in his serious, doctor way. Thank you, my friend, for seeing me, for the antibiotics, for the caring ear, and for the Kahlua prescription. I'm feeling better already.