The Nicely Way

I have been suffering from dry cough for two weeks now. I experience shortness of breath, itchy feel in the lungs, night chills and sweating, and constant coughing. I thought at first that this was just a simple cough. So I consulted our office clinic doctor and he told me to take Mucobron and Cefalexin for 7 days. Too bad I still have a cough until now.

Yesterday, I went to De La Salle University Medical Center to ask for second opinion. My doctor, Dr. Veyda Christine Bringas, a lung specialist, was very accommodating in answering my medical queries. She diagnosed me with asthmatic bronchitis, probably triggered by a construction activity near my office. What’s asthmatic bronchitis anyway?

The term bronchitis is used when there is inflammation to the mucus membrane of the bronchial tubes. The bronchi of which there are two are responsible for providing a passageway for air to get into the lungs. As mentioned above, the two bronchi are located at the end of the trachea or windpipe. As these passageways are narrowed there is less air available to the lungs.

Asthma also occurs due to inflammation to same airway passages or bronchial tubes, which reduces the air flow to the lungs. With asthma, the allergens or substances that cause the inflammation trigger a tightening of the bands of muscle that surround and move the airway passages. As the muscles tighten the airway narrows, limiting a person’s ability to breathe. (Source: www.ehow.com)

I had childhood asthma and it’s possible to acquire it back if I take my current health condition for granted, doctor said. She also suggested that I undergo an x-ray examination to further check on my respiratory system. Results will be released on Saturday, just in time to return to Dr. Bringas for follow-up.

“Health is wealth,” a common saying I knew since I was a kid. I never thought this is so true, until now. Aside from my being absent at work for over five days since last week, my medications have been so expensive.

Mucobron & Cefalexin for 7 days had not been effective, Php 385

My doctor's prescription and medical certificate

My doctor advised me to rest for 3 days so here I am now, staying at home and blogging about this.

I paid Php 360 for my x-ray examination

I spent Php 2,694 for my medications

These are what I have to take to get rid of my sickness

Prescribed medicines:

Ebastine (Aleva) = an antihistamine; used to treat allergies

Montelukast Sodium (Montair) = used for the maintenance treatment of asthma and to relieve symptoms of seasonal allergies

Clarithromycin = an antibiotic; used to treat tonsillitis, sinusitis, acute bacterial exacerbation of chronic bronchitis, and pneumonia

Levodropropizine (Levopront) = in syrup form; a cough suppressant; acts as a peripheral antitussive

Hexetidine (Bactidol) = an anti-bacterial and anti-fungal agent to treat sore throat

I need to recover asap so that I could go back to work, traveling, and blog events. I so miss my officemates and friends already. And, oh, the volleyball tournament in the office has just started and so they need me there.

What I learned from this? I should not force myself to do all things at a time. As I have said, health is wealth. There is a time for everything and so I have to know what to prioritize. Abusing my health would only hinder my plans and will just cost me more damage.