Wednesday 30 December 2009

Wednesday 16 December 2009

Friday 11 December 2009

Fast Friday Reflections

Thanks everyone for your kind words and encouragement regarding my health issues.  Day six of antibiotics, prednesone and two inhaler's, all is well (or should I say much better).

I have to say this health scare brought a few things to mind while I was struggling to breathe and being on my own:
  • carry proper I.D.; *(see note below)
  • make sure your personal information is up to date; (the hospital had my former significant other listed as the emergeny contact and I haven't talked to him in 10 years).
  • if you are single (like me), make sure you have a friend or friends who are willing and able to make decisions on your behalf, just in case you are unable to;
  • do not hestiate to contact 911, that is why they are there, you pay for it, use it.
Every since I started running a little more seriously and a lot more regularly and being the consumate worrier that I am, I looked into some sort of I.D. to either carry or wear.  For years now I have been receiving emails from Active.com. and basically saying to myself, ya, right nothing will happen to me.

Well, I truly believe things happen for a reason and while I was over at Mel's blog 2nd Chances, she had just posted about RoadID.  So I figured it was the survival gods giving me a sign to finally just get some I.D.  so;

*
I just ordered one of the best products ever. It's called a Road ID - perhaps you've heard of it. If you haven't, go to their website and check it out. Road ID is a great product that could save your life someday.

When I ordered, they gave me a coupon that I could pass along to my friends. Here's the coupon number:

Coupon Number: ThanksLaurel587167

The coupon is good for $1 off any Road ID order placed by 01/10/2010. To order, simply go to RoadID.com or click the link below:
http://www.RoadID.com/

If you prefer, you can call them at 800-345-6335.

You can thank me later,

Oh by the way, their website is awesome, the customer service is outstanding, and the owners are very smart and good looking.  (They made me say that part, hehehehehe).

Have a great weekend everyone,

Life's fun if you don't weaken,

Lily

Tuesday 8 December 2009

A series of events...

As you know I've been fighting with ill health for the past six weeks, it has been a revolving door of maladies and for a little while I actually got a reprieve from the health gods and I could function on a low level of fitness, however, all that rapidly changed over the weekend.

Now, I do have a history of breathing problems, partially stemming from hereditary donations from grandparents and parents and some self induced indulgence while growing up in the '60's.....I don't need to go into details, but just look in your history books you young'un's, it was a happening time!!!

While living in Cairo (one of the many locations I've lived in), I picked up what is known as Bedouin Lung and had to transported to a hospital in Paris, once recovered enough to travel, I was shipped to the Tropical Disease Centre in Toronto for Pulmonary Function Physiotherapy...so, ya, you could say my lungs are my Achilles Heel.

Now, here is what happened over the weekend....

I've been sick for over six weeks and it was progressively getting worse, Saturday night I could not breathe hardly at all, it was just so scary. There was no way to find relief other than placing pillows under my shoulder blades and hanging my head backwards, similar to what you would do while performing CPR.

I emailed Jen to let her know that I wasn't going to run with her at the group run we go to at the Running Room and I figured it would just get better on its own as it has in the past.

I thought I'd come into work at the office for awhile, so I dropped into the pharmacy situated below the office and asked the pharmacist what I should take to ease my breathing...she took one look at me and told me to go to the walk in clinic behind the Metro Grocery Store, located not far from my office. It is open on Sunday's so I drove over and the Doctor at the Walk-In Clinic took me right away. She checked me out and told me that she wasn't going to prescribe anything, that I was to go to Emerg at the Queensway Carleton Hospital A.S.A.P.  She told me if I didn't go I could drop dead by midnight....

yikes,

I tried to call a couple of the Wooo Hooo’s to let them know what was going on, but no one answered their phones, everyone has a life, so off I went to Emerg where they green tagged me. I didn't have to wait too long thanks goodness.

It was all pretty scary  and after a battery of tests, questions and results, I finally got out of there about 5 or 6pm.   Off to the pharmacy (again) where I dropped almost $ 200.00 bucks on meds....I love not having any medical plan, jeezzzz.

so, there you go, my story...and the moral of the story?

Don’t goof around with your health, the difference between life and death is one breath.

Life's fun if you don't weaken,

Lily

At least this happened before Christmas not during.....