Y’all, right now it’s pneumonia 1, miranda 0.  😦

After taking antibiotics, meds, and inhalers since last Monday, I was getting worse by Saturday night – having more difficulty with my throat and more tightness and heaviness in my chest than I have had through the week.

Then, Sunday morning, I was exhausted, struggling to stay up for even a few hours or complete my usual simple chores, in addition to this breathing difficulty – and incredible pain in my joints as well (to be expected with infection, but still totally shit nonetheless).

At that point, though I had already decided to go to the doctor again Monday, I was afraid to wait and Courtney took me to urgent care Sunday afternoon.

I was fortunate to receive wonderful care at this facility, with fast x-rays and exams, as well as attentive and kind staff – despite a patient arriving, fairly ill when they were close to closing on a holiday Sunday.

The nurse practitioner felt that my right lower lobe pneumonia had worsened and also mentioned seeing some inflitrate in my left lung – so the beginnings of an issue there.

Also, my lower lung sounds were worse on both sides – not surprising as I can’t breathe – but disconcerting after almost a week of meds.

She started a breathing treatment – which I didn’t think I would be doing again as an adult – but here we are.

Well, not only do I need them again at home as well, with combined albuterol and  ipratropium, but I also need a spacer for my inhaler (turns out they aren’t just for pediatric patients, who knew?). Since all the pharmacies were closed – just after 6pm on Sunday – she told me to manage on 4 puffs of my inhaler per dose through the night unless it got any worse – emergency room then, Lord forbid.

Of course, I am trying desperately to avoid the hospital – and that is my next stop if we don’t turn this ship around – so, between not being able to breathe and sitting on the edge of that blessed news – my anxieties are flat kicking my ass tonight.

In terms of treatment, I was given another gram of Rocephin and another huge steroid shot as well as another breathing treatment before I left urgent care.

I came home and passed out for quite some time before the steroid shot started working its magic and now I’m up until the pharmacy opens and I can go get my much needed breathing meds.

This morning, I’ll start a new – much stronger – antibiotic – as well as the nebulizer treatments every 4 hours for the next several days and another infernal Medrol dosepak to open me up.

(After I am better, I will be using my inhaler on a 6 hour schedule now. I know it’s necessary – but still yuck I say.)

The x-ray report also mentioned that I need to follow-up with another scan after my antibiotics are complete to ensure that this has cleared  – as well as to rule out a nodule in my right lower lobe.

well. . .

I will absolutely follow up with pulmonology at this point – and I see infectious disease this week and my rheumatologist again next week (thank goodness) – because, just as I now have nodules on my wrists and that new giant nodule on my knee, RA nodules often make their stops in our lungs (and I’m sure one there is why pneumonia keeps setting up in my right lower lobe).

how RA affects the lungs article link.

It has been a lot to take in over the past few weeks – to go from relative stability, with my usual RA issues, flares, yes, but nothing new “breaking” – to having my big eye issue, with the cataracts and incredible vision change, and then – much more alarmingly, this lung and infection problem that is just overwhelming.

Prayers, good vibes, and warm fuzzies are much appreciated – and it *will* be okay.

As always, onwards. ❤

Be well, everybody. Take care of yourselves and each other.

Grace and Blessings.