We'd escaped illness for so long...

...then this.

I got a cough about 3 weeks ago. It started as a cough with no nasal drainage whatsoever. Just as I thought that was getting better, I got a "runny nose" type cold on top of that. So after a lot of drainage and coughing, I noticed (about a week ago) that one of my ribs really hurt when I coughed or moved certain ways. Doug was tired of all the hacking (and complaining) and it has kept me from working out regularly the last several weeks and I was tired of complaining about my rib. So, Doug worked from home yesterday so I could go to the doctor.

The doctor was concerned about my rib, but was even more concerned when I told him I was wheezing. He listened to my lungs and made several exclamations about how awful they sounded and promptly sent me for an x-ray. The x-ray came back clear (both my ribs and my lungs), but the doctor said that there are 2 types of pneumonia that do not necessarily appear in x-rays and he imagines that this is what I have. It is not uncommon for people with broken or bruised ribs to breathe shallowly to avoid the pain. This is precisely what I've been doing, which has allowed my lower lungs to collapse and fill with fluid, which in turn makes it painful when I do take a deep breath.

So, I've been prescribed several medications to alleviate this bacterial pneumonia, which is not the contagious kind. I am feeling surprisingly well in spite of this, but will definitely make my rest a priority to speed the process. I've had pneumonia twice before and felt more like curling up to die, so I am quite surprised by this diagnosis.

The medications, particularly the inhaler are helping, so I'm on the right track again.