Happy Holidays!

Fall weather and the neighbors

The chilly wet season is upon us on Delmarva. It rains for days, then we have a day or two of pleasant weather, like today when it's in the mid-50sF and sunny with little to no breeze.

The problem is that the wet encourages mold growth, which makes any yard chore extra problematic.

And then there are the neighbors, one of whom is actually mowing grass that is all ready too short, brown, and hibernating. Another is burning leaves. Several have woodstoves. Add seasonal allergens, and that's all she wrote.

So Mr. Nebulizer and I, having completed our outdoor labors, are heading to the TV to boo the Eagles and hope the Redskins can pull off an upset.

Dog groomer

Our dog groomer is completely awesome! We've taken the dogs to her for several years, ever since she opened up her shop, Petique Grooming. Her prices are reasonable, she does what we want, and she loves the dogs.

In the beginning, we took our own shampoo, because the scent of most of the shampoos was far too strong and lingered for days. We found an oatmeal shampoo - Top Paw natural oatmeal shampoo - that both helps Sadie and Roscoe with their dry skin issues and doesn't smell strongly, so we took that to be used on our dogs.

Since then, Joy found an unscented shampoo, which she got with us in mind, and now uses on our babies all the time. If that wasn't enough of a help, she called us to reschedule one appointment when her heater broke down and filled the shop with the heavy odor of heating oil and smoke. When she called, she told Marlene that we couldn't come in the building because the smell was too powerful and would make us sick.

Knee doctor visit

When the automatic door to the Doctors' offices opened yesterday, I immediately smelled a sweet, not unpleasant fragrance and a little tickle started in my throat. Where ever it was carpeted there was a pleasant odor. Pleasant or not we are wheezing and coughing now. We believe it is the carpet cleaning products used because we encounter this often in the entrances of other stores, office buildings, etc. Sometimes I feel as if the whole world stinks!

More stuff in the air

The silverberry bush, which emits a lovely fragrance this time of year, is coming to the end of its bloom cycle. As much as we love the odor, it's way too strong for us.

It's been quite cool for the past week, and some of the neighbors have started up their woodstoves and fireplaces, which means that after 5 p.m., no going out without a mask.

Tomorrow's plan is to cut some of the grass, wearing a mask, of course. As uncomfortable as they are, having my chest be even tighter than it's been is an option I'll pass on.

Seeing the doctor for the quarterly visit next week. We'll see what happens between now and then.

Fresh country air

Hah! The only difference between rural air and urban air is what's mucking it up.

The usual fall odors are afoot. Folks burning stuff - leaves in the yard and wood in the house - chicken manure on the fields, corn and soybean harvesting.

Our house is closed up, and any trip outside requires a mask. Big fun now!

Doctor's office

We went to the doctor yesterday for my sweetie's first post-op visit. It was a cool, cloudy, but very pretty, and the drive over was nice. The folks at the check-in desk were, as always, friendly. We only had to wait, literally, two minutes before we were called back to an exam room.

Then it all broke loose. We walked into the small (10' x 10') exam room and BOTH started hacking. We went into the hall and I hung onto the wall and coughed without interruption for two minutes or so, and off and on for the next three hours, even after using the inhaler and taking cough syrup. We had to be moved to another exam room, throwing a kink into their computerized works.

All because the person who was in there before had on so much perfume that the scent lingered for more than 10 minutes after he or she was gone.

It made the rest of the afternoon a little tougher, as that much coughing leaves me overly sensitive.

Confined with Fragrances and No Way to Leave

My biggest fears about being in the hospital came true. 95 per cent of the staff had in one way or another fragrances on them. After being told that, they each would swear that wasn't the case, but went on to say they'd used a hair care product or fabric softener or the one I find the most insidious of all, shared an elevator with someone who did had their own scent cloud. Being the type of person who chats up everyone, I talked about my childhood asthma and how my sweetheart's problem was cause by her workplace. Doing my very best to make them aware of mold poisoning and the very serious problems it can cause. Dr. Shoemaker was mentioned several times and how his appointment paperwork states very clearly that NO fragrances are to be worn in his offices because of his own sensitivity.

Other than that the staff was exemplary and we got to compliment them to some kind of quality control supervisor.

The hospital, unfortunately, is not

I can't believe how difficult my sweetheart's hospitalization was in terms of scent loads. While the nursing staff is not permitted to wear perfume, cologne, or aftershave, they and much of the other staff had an abundance of other scented personal hygiene products, along with the usual laundry, make-up, and hair-care items. And they all apologized, but it's too late by the time one or both of us are coughing. Our primary care doctor offered my sweetheart a prednisone taper because her chest sounded so bad in the hospital, but she turned it down in favor of the nebulizer and some additional deep breathing.

The home health care is going to be an issue, too. Again, they don't wear any perfume, cologne, or aftershave, but they collect odors from all the places they go. My lips are still tingling and I have a banging headache from the nurse's visit today.

The supervisor of the orthopedic ward stopped in before Marlene was discharged, and listened to our concerns. She asked whether the items from the hospital laundry were a problem - they weren't - and told us that the hospital keeps paper gowns and linens on hand.

We're both happy that she's home where we have some control over the air we breathe. Unfortunately, the air conditioners had to go back in because the farmers are beginning to harvest corn and the humidity is climbing again. We turned on the air filters for the nurse's visit, and can turn them on when we need them. We've got inhalers and the nebulizer and cough syrup, so we'll get through it.

Aaargh!

My sweetheart is having a knee replacement tomorrow. Before the surgery, she was required to attend a class where a nurse explained what would happen and answered questions.

We deliberately sat away from people because of our issues, but I didn't think we'd need masks, so we left them in the car. Needless to say, this woman came in late and stinky. For two and a half hours, we were trapped. This woman sat more than six feet away from us, and it was like she was spraying us with this horrendously bad scent.

That was Monday. I'm doing better, but I suspect that's because of the prednisone. My sweetheart's breathing started to ease up some on Wednesday.

Yesterday, the patient care coordinator called to make sure she had all the information she needed. Marlene told her that she is quite concerned that she'll be stuck in the hospital being tended by people who use strong scents. She told us that the hospital staff aren't permitted to wear any perfume, cologne, or aftershave, and my sweetheart had to point out that laundry products, soap, and hair care are scented and affect her. After hearing this, the coordinator said that she wrote on the front of Marlene's folder that she is extremely sensitive to fragrance. We'll see if it helps.

More steroids

I did our grocery shopping last Thursday. It was the usual annoyance, between the overly fragranced people and items on the shelves, and I felt worse than usual when I got home. Granted it was a long trip, which included a stop at Supercuts for a much needed recoif. As I've said before, we use Supercuts because they don't use all the chemicals that beauty shops do, so we can breathe in there.

I didn't feel much better on Friday, but that's not unusual. But this was a holiday weekend in the U.S., and I had to go through an extra day of painful, unproductive coughing before I was able to see my doctor.

They checked me out. Blood oxygen saturation was at 96%, just low enough to be annoying, but not dangerous, and I was running a low grade fever. So she gave me steroid shot, a 40mg steroid taper (40 mg x 2 days, 30 mg x 2 days, etc.) and antibiotic. I'm supposed to go back Friday if I'm not feeling better.

Although I got some relief from the steroid shot, it kept me up until 2 a.m. I took today's prednisone before 9 a.m. in the hopes I'll get to bed at a reasonable hour today.

I need to feel better ASAP because Friday starts a really busy day for us. My partner has an appointment with our doctor to double check that she's ready for surgery the following Friday. Saturday is a road trip. Monday is a mandatory pre-surgery class. Tuesday the pre-op appointment with the surgeon, and on Friday, she gets a knee replacement. Fortunately, I don't have to worry about all of the animals while she's in the hospital and for the first few days she's home because a friend of ours will keep the dogs. The cats can handle a few days of minimal care.

And now it's time to use the nebulizer. It's a two-handed job, but worth it for a few hours of not being so acutely aware of each breath.

A Stinky Visit to the Hospital

Yesterday I had to go to the hospital to get some blood work, etc., done for the upcoming knee surgery. Or as Cookie and Mary Fran say, the vampires got me. My sweetheart let me out at the entrance for outpatients. As I entered the revolving door I was skunked by either the odor of the carpet cleaner or someone had left a scent trail. AT THE HOSPITAL! Then as I walked to the reception area I was behind a nicely dressed man who had a strong sweet smell. I backed up. I don't think it was cologne, he smelled like one of those fabric softeners. One of the worries I have about my stay in the hospital is not the staffs' perfumes because most realize they shouldn't wear any but the laundry soaps and fabric softeners everyone uses. How wonderful to be trap with my leg cut up and have people tending to me who will make me hack up a lung.

Another trip to Wilmington

followed by another day of hacking up crap. And we were in air conditioning most of the time. We even used the recycle feature in the van.

At least we got back at a decent hour. The only big problem at home is the humidity, and it's only a problem when we go out. I made a point of staying in today. The next few weeks will be busy enough, as my partner prepares for knee replacement.

Even a mask doesn't always help

I went yesterday and the day before to a friend's house to help her with some computer and phone problems she was having. Karen used to smoke, but stopped several years ago. About three years ago, her daughter moved home. Phyllis smokes in the house, although she is restricted to her room.

Last year, they had a house fire, but the insurance company's cleaner's did a pretty good job cleaning up, and most of the smoke odor was gone by the time the contractors finished with repairs. Now, the entire house reeks of cigarette smoke, so we wear masks when we go to visit.

I think the reason the smell permeates the entire house and never seems to diffuse has to do with the differences in how houses are constructed these days. We have another friend who lives in a 300-year-old farm house. Her son smokes, but her house, even though it was well insulated in the course of remodeling, doesn't smell like tobacco smoke. Karen's house, on the other hand, is about 60 years old and mostly brick. She keeps it closed up much of the time, too, so there is real chance for the house to breathe.

The mask helped, but not enough. For the past two days, my peak flow has been significantly lower than usual and my chest has been tight and uncomfortable. I'm not sure what else to do, as I miss my friend, but can't spend time at her place like we used to.

New place, same old results

On Friday, we took yet another trip to Wilmington to help our friend tend to her older sister. The sister, who is in her 70s, has Alzheimer's, but her physician has gotten her medication adjusted to the point where Charlette, while still sometimes confused, is much more "with it."

This trip included the bonus fun of taking Charlette down to Delaware City to visit with a high school chum. The friend isn't doing well, and was recently placed on oxygen full time. It was bittersweet to see them together, as they tried to remember what they shared.

The visit wasn't long, fortunately, but most of the way through, I excused myself to the car to use the nebulizer again. I was nearly finished when the rest of the my party exited the house.

From there, we went back to Wilmington and zipped through the grocery shopping. Then we headed back home. My partner forgot her bag in Delaware City, so we stopped in to pick it up, then took the rural road south for a while before heading back to the tourist-jammed main road.

Yesterday was horrible. Both my partner and I were sicker than we've been in a while. Congested, wheezing, hacking, and using the neublizers and decongestants regularly. We're both better today, but come away from the trip with the lesson that's so hard to learn: Just because you can't smell, taste, or see what's in the air doesn't mean it won't make you sick.

More fun with chemistry

When I saw the doctor this week, I told him that my chest has been feeling tight for the past several weeks. He took a listen and said I was wheezing. Rather than another dose of steroids, we decided to try theophylline.

I took the first dose Friday afternoon, and was up until 5 a.m. Saturday. So I skipped Saturday's dose, and started up today, making sure to take it with breakfast. I'm not sure yet whether it's helping, but I spent a lot of the afternoon shaking, probably from the combination of it and the Xopenex from the nebulizer. On the bright side, I was able to hack up a bunch of crap and get it out of the way.

I'm going to give it some time while I do a little research to see how long it takes to achieve optimum results. For right now, I'm not real happy. The shaking is very annoying, and complicates existing problems with grip. Plus, it seems to be making me more paranoid that usual, similar to how I get with too many antihistamines.

Air conditioning

I don't know what folks with breathing problems did before air conditioning.

It's been great weather here as long as you're healthy. Sunny, no rain, humid. As the pollutants build up and the humidity climbs, it's like trying to breathe through a wet wool blanket.

So we've been indoor folk with the air conditioners on since Friday. We'll be staying that way until it rains enough to wash some of the crap from the air, which looks, from the weather forecast, like the foreseeable future.

Hospital cooties

We went to the local hospital outpatient department for routine blood work on Tuesday morning. They're in their shiny, new location, with bells and whistles and full HIPPA compliance.

It was crazy crowded, which we didn't discover until it was too late to leave. The intake and registration areas are carefully separated from the service area, which was so full that we had to stand for a while until seats became available. It was the first time in ages I'd left the house without any of my toys, because our past visits have been quite speedy.

In addition to agonizing boredom, we were constantly annoyed by the droning television set. It was on some talk show, with a self-important old white guy going on and on about nothing of cosequence. Then the real assaults began.

Why do people wear perfume to the hospital? Does it really not occur to them that there are sick people there who don't need to have their respiratory systems overloaded?

There was no escape from these people, either. Their personal aroma clouds extended ten feet in all directions. We couldn't leave the area we were in, and every time one of them drifted by, we started hacking. Several times, I forced myself to breathe slowly and shallowly. Between that and the coughing, I'm surprised I didn't pass out.

Since the, my nebulizer and I have been the best of friends. Three shots of Xopenex a day, plus cough syrup. We're scheduled for our three-month checkup in two weeks, so I'm trying to hold out until then. Unfortunately, I see me leaving the doctor's office with another round of prednisone.

Canary in the coal mine

We ran into a friend today. She has a friend with the same problem I have, from the same cause - working in a sick building. Her friend has severe pulmonary problems, and brought the mold home to her child. No one has hazarded a guess as to what damage has been done to this child.

I've also been hearing from the folks who are still at the job I had to leave. Although it's been more than a year since they were moved out of the sick building, problems continue in the new location because nothing was cleaned before it was moved. All of the case files - thousands of folders full of paper - were moved in the filing cabinets. Nothing was even wiped off. Ditto with computers and office furniture, especially the chairs with fabric coverings. Now folks who have no connection with them apart from occasionally working in the same are developing unexplained rashes.

Everyone continues to deny that any of this is possible, or that it's happening to them. I made a decision to save myself, and I'm sorry that the folks who were left behind have been treated so poorly. All I can think is this kind of thing is going to become more and more prevalent, and I am not happy that we're on the leading edge of the learning curve.

A Friday Night at home

Last night I was sitting watching some of the shows I had recorded when I noticed the smell of smoke. I asked Mary Fran if she could smell it as I checked our house. Not us. Someone in the hood was burning their trash or their yard debris. Tired of having to close up our house in 80F temps with 64% humidity, we tried turning the window fans around so they would blow out and turned the filters on. No luck. By morning we both are tight chested and using our nebulizers. This is one reason we what at least 9 acres. If you are familiar with quilting terms, what we want is a 9 square. 3 x 3 acres with only the middle acre cleared for the house and gardens. The rest left treed and full of brush. Maybe that will help filter out the odors of our neighbors.

MVA

AAARGH!

I really hate going out in public. Really, really, really hate it.

Yesterday's excursion to renew my driver's license was way too long and resulted in multiple coughing fits while we waited. The cause: folks who just don't get that you aren't supposed to leave a scent trail. I was coughing so hard a couple times that people around us were asking my partner if I was all right.

The building itself wasn't bad. The air vents were fairly clean, and the air turnover is regular because doors open and close all the time time. The few rugs that were in place didn't reek of cleaner. The staff that we dealt with were also scent free.

Maybe next time we'll be able to renew online or by mail. Anything that lets us avoid the perfumed masses is good.

Home, sweet home

Home is the best place. Our house is on the small side, but our yard makes up for it. The best part about it, other than it being ours, is that things here don't make us sick.

The neighbors upwind are another story. When they do their laundry, whatever they use comes out the dryer vent and forces us inside, where we scurry to close the windows between hacking fits.

Our dog groomer is a sweetie, too. Any of you in our region - Petique Groomer. She knows about our problems and has called us in the past to reschedule appointments because of things that happened in her shop that she knew would bother us. Now she's found a scent-free shampoo to use on the puppies so we don't have to take our own in to her. They're home from the groomer today, smelling much better. And since we're not coughing, everybody's happy.

Back to the weather

The humidity has dropped again, bringing with it easier breathing. The rain ended, too, so the house is again open. Honeysuckle and roses scent the air. Everything looks green and happy, even as the clouds pile up with the threat of thunderstorms later.

As lovely as it is, I'm still not looking forward to the rest of today, or even the rest of the week. We're headed out later to do grocery shopping for my sweetheart's dad. He's nearly 89 and still lives alone, although he doesn't drive. We get his groceries, and later this week will take him to the cemetery to put flowers on his wife's grave since it's her birthday.

In between, of course, we still have stuff of our own to do. The lawn needs to be mowed, plants transplanted to the newly turned garden beds, and bunches of other things that require mostly time and a little patience. To top it off, on Saturday, we're heading to Wilmington for the biweekly aggravation fest. With Nascar in Dover, traffic will triple, making the drive miserable since there are no easy shortcuts, only two-lane roads that wind through itty-bitty one stop sign towns.

The company will be good, though, and if we get sufficiently bored, the iPod is full of tunes and books to distract us.

Tourist season begins

This weekend is the official start of tourist season in our neck of the woods. We live 30 minutes east of an Atlantic beach resort. Well, it's a 30 minute drive during part of the year.

The state completed a bypass around our town a few years ago to reduce the traffic volume through town. It helps, but traffic is still a pain, and we frequently go out of the way to use an intersection with a light so we can get where we're going in a reasonable amount of time.

The tourists bring with them increased trash on the road, jacked up gas prices on the main arteries, and gross stupidity at the wheel. They also bring no manners, loud children, and unending complaints. When we travel, we keep our opinion of tourists in mind and do our best not to be like them.

With the start of summer also comes increased humidity. That makes it harder to breathe. As much as we love the afternoon thunderstorms that are part of living here, their approach triggers the release of mold spores, which also make breathing labored. To keep the electric bill down, we'll make do with fans as long as possible, but I'm putting on my to do list for this week to get the air conditioners ready to use.

Another one of those days

Today, we had to go out. I'm getting to the point where I hate to leave the house because no matter where we go, we are assaulted by other people's perfumes. We've become resigned to wearing the masks whenever we go out, and try to remember to keep them with us.

The first stop was my sweetheart's back doctor. The man has great hands and a wonderful sense of humor. He also has a newly paved parking lot that still reeks. Once we got inside, things went downhill as three women in a row came in, each of them smelling progressively stronger. We hacked. I went outside for a minute and came back in to find my sweetheart moved to the other end of the waiting area. We hacked some more and took cough syrup before the doctor called us in. Then we had to struggle through the odor cloud to leave.

From there, we went to the grocery store, where it seemed that every overly perfumed woman in the place was tailing us. No matter where we went, they appeared moments later. No, we weren't going aisle by aisle. We had a short list, and went from vegetables to the deli to the checkout. Heck, I even left my sweetie at the deli and went to check something out, and got stench commandoed while I was gone and when I returned.

Cutting the grass - a couple acres' worth - when we got home was a breeze compared to being out in the public. We do more and more of our shopping on the internet, and look forward to the day we can do it all. Anything to stay away from the overly perfumed, inconsiderate horde.

New worries

We went to the pharmacy to pick up some prescriptions today and thought we'd get a box of masks since it's the time of year that we use them more. You know, time to cut grass, dig garden beds, add compost, trim shrubs, and all the other outdoor jobs. Tree pollen has been crazy. The cars are covered in a yellow-green film. Rain is predicted for the next few days, so that should clear the air.

I'm not allergic to most pollens. Pine pollen is the only one that bothers me, and it has to be in fairly high concentrations. Even then, it's an eye irritant and doesn't affect my breathing. The overcast weather is harder on me, especially because thunderstorms are brewing. Mold releases huge amounts of spores just before thunderstorms, so between that and the increased humidity, breathing becomes difficult. Fortunately, I found battery-operated nebulizers that are compact and nearly silent. The standard nebulizer is a compressor and makes a lot of noise. In addition to being annoying, it frightens the animals.

The swine flu news isn't good. Although it isn't near us yet, it's only a matter of time. There's no vaccine, and one won't be available for months, and by then it will be too late. It's a measure of how small the world has become that there are confirmed cases in New Zealand, brought home by vacationing Kiwis. Our friends there think the government is overreacting, but I'm not so sure. A repeat of the flu pandemic that occurred during World War I would be a hard hit to the all ready shaky global economy. If you're interested, check out Flu by Gina Kolata. It's a well-researched and easy read.

I had a CT scan today because a sinus infection is hanging on. The scan was uncomfortable, but the tech got me in and out in just a few minutes. Every time I think the infection is getting better, it rises up to kick my butt some more. So I'm on a third course of antibiotics, the second 30-day course. I'll be glad when it's finished so I can take some Diflucan and get rid of the annoying yeast infection that's along for the ride.

Back to the urban jungle

We went to Wilmington again yesterday. It's always a long day, two-plus hours one-way and running errands. The weather was perfect, and everything was in bloom, so the scenery was beautiful.

The the fun started. Diesel fumes from buses, check. Auto exhaust, check. The multitude of odors from all the scented items in stores, check. People who leave a scent trail, double check.

We made it through all of that relatively unscathed, although I had to use the nebulizer to breathe easier. And just when we were nearly finished, BAM! I opened the car door and started coughing. That uncontrollable wracking cough that sounds like I'm bringing up a lung or training to be a seal. That hurts a lot. The chronically injured muscle in my back that gets pulled whenever this happens popped again.

The culprit? Smoke from an outside fire, probably leaves. We closed up as much of the car as possible (our friends were unloading groceries for the next three weeks, until our next trip). I put on a mask and started the air conditioner.

Today is, of course, a recovery day. Between the lingering sinus infection - another round of antibiotics in progress and a CT scan later in the week - and yesterday's attack, I'm down for the count even though it is a perfect summer day. Sigh.

Short of breath

I love the acronmyn for short of breath, but I hate the feelng. Between travels and visits to places that aren't good for us, plus the lovely rain, we've both been having a little trouble breathing. The effects aren't all that fun, either. When blood oxygenation falls, one gets tired quicker and the brain doesn't function all that well. Add to that shaking like a paint mixer from the inhaled steroids, and everything becomes more difficult.

Places that aren't good for us:

1. Urban areas. Well, more urban than where we live.
2. Houses where cigarette smokers live. Even when they aren't smoking, the odor and effects linger, especially in damp weather.
3. Homes with scented candles, air fresheners and other fragranced items.

We've been in all those places in the past week or so, some of them repeatedly. And now we know whose homes to avoid until the windows are open.

On the plus side, the grass is growing like crazy, and I was able to hold off mowing. Whenever it stops raining for a couple days, I'll be able to get out there. Our neighbors have all ready mowed at least once, but their homeowners association requires it. Their lawns don't look all that good, while ours is a lush, happy, green dotted with color from bulbs and wildflowers.

We have a quiet week ahead. No road trips, no shopping (well, milk, bread, and bananas), no doctor visits. Next week is a different story.

April showers

We've had some much-needed rain this week. We're also in the midst of tree pollen season, and soon it will be the time of year when cars are coated in a film of yellow pollen. Several of our friends are miserable this time of year, but to us, it's just another aggravation.

I think what bothers us is the extra particulate matter in the air. I'm allergic to pine pollen - found out on an Easter visit to my paternal grandparents, who lived outside Chattanooga, Tennessee, when the pine pollen count stayed around 400 for several days, my eyes swelled shut and we had to find an optometrist to remove my contact lenses - which will be present soon, but there has to be a lot of it to affect me. That doesn't bother Marlene, but some of the deciduous trees do, as do a few grasses.

Today is also our monthly visit to Walmart. We shop for Marlene's dad, too, which will make this a two cart trip. He's 88 and a half (props to George Carlin), and still lives on his own. Our masks are ready.

Working in the yard

I was stupid and didn't wear a mask earlier this week when I went out to start some of the yard chores. I know better, too, but it just didn't stick. It was a gorgeous day, sunny and in the 70sF, and I wanted to take advantage of it.

Putting compost into garden beds wasn't bad. But the neighbors were doing laundry, and I kept smelling bleach and fabric softener, even after I came inside. That should have been a clue, but no, I just took a break and headed back out to tackle the ornamental grasses.

We have seven ornamental grasses in the front, plus two in pots. There are four very large clumps of pampas grass, one small clump which may be going to a new home, and two smaller grasses whose name I don't know. I managed to cut down three of the big pampas grass plus the small one, one of the potted grasses, and the two unknowns. By the time I finished this, I was done for the day.

I was still smelling the laundry products, and scratched up from the pampas grass, which has very sharp blades as well as lots of decaying bits around it, and had to use the nebulizer twice before going to bed.

In the future, I'll try to remember to wear the mask, as much as I hate it. Beats the heck out of the next day's misery - difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, multiple uses of the nebulizer.

Spring

Spring is definitely here. Our yard of full of flowering things - crocus, hyacinth, violets, forsythia - and with the recent rain, our lawn is a lovely shade of green while most of the neighbors' are still brown because they cut them too short.

The rain is a good thing/bad thing. It washes pollen and pollutants out of the air, but it encourages the growth of molds. One day this week, I went outside and came right back in to get a mask because the air was full of the unmistakable smell of aspergillus. It's everywhere, because it is the primary mold that breaks down plant matter. Since we live less than a mile from several working farms, my guess is that either a long fallow field was turned in preparation for planting or some old hay or straw was removed from storage.

We keep bales of straw for mulch and compost, and there are two rules for working with it. The first is that wearing a mask is mandatory. The second is that as soon as we're finished, we strip in the garage and put the clothes directly in the laundry.

We finished the steroids, after four and a half weeks in back-to-back prednisone tapers. We're feeling better than we were, but breathing is still so-so. Today, probably because it's raining again, I'll be using the nebulizer multiple times. I'm a week into a month of doxycycline, an attempt to beat down a sinus infection, and will probably be taking something to ease congestion.

We've got a long list of garden chores waiting for a few consecutive dry days, and we're itching to get started. The way we garden involves a fair amount of upfront work which reduces the need for a lot of work later. The only ongoing chore is watering, which takes about half an hour each for the front and back yards.

Back to the doctor

Yesterday, we had a scheduled follow-up visit with our doctor. He was having a particularly good hair day. When he was recommended to me, the first point of reference was that he's attractive. The second was that he's a good doctor, too. That was more than 10 years and three offices ago. As I've said before, the folks there take very good care of us.

The office is in the process of moving to a computerized practice, so visits are more time consuming as they get all the correct information into the system. I don't mind. I'd rather they spend time getting this correct up front than when I'm struggling to breathe.

A new-to-us nurse took our vitals. We were happy to learn that despite a month on prednisone, we'd managed to keep our weights stable. On the downside, both my sweetheart and I had elevated blood pressure and 95% oxygen saturation. Not good. Explains why we're dragging.

We got checked, and this time I got another antibiotic, for the sinus infection that won't go away. I asked the doctor whether there is anything else we can do to feel better. We discussed what we've done through the years before he admitted that he doesn't have any new ideas. Neither do any of the other doctors I've seen, although they all seem unanimous that we should get rid of the pets (we've been tested and aren't allergic) and move (because the Eastern Shore is notoriously bad for allergies as it's basically a salt marsh masquerading as a barrier island).

We're not getting rid of the animals, and we aren't moving while my father-in-law is still alive. He'll be 89 in July, and I'm not taking his only child from him at this point in his life.

So that means we go on treating symptomatically. I appreciate that my doctor is honest with me about his limitations, and that he's willing to listen to my ideas. I'm becoming resigned to the fact that there is no "better," only the occasional really good day. But a girl can dream.

Steroids, steroids, rah! rah! rah!

We still love our doctors, but the meds are a pain in the rump. The "smaller" prednisone tapers didn't do the job. Instead, toward the end of them, after two weeks, we were feeling worse. So Monday morning I called the doctor's office again.

No need to see us this time, since this is a regular thing. I usually need a medrol pack (a short, one week taper) every three or four months, and a prolonged second taper once or twice a year when the medrol pack isn't enough. This time we both got a second prednisone taper of 60 mg (60 mg x 2 days, 50 mg x 2 days, etc.) plus a week of levaquin for whatever infection is causing the funky colored stuff in our heads and chests, and more fluconazole for return of the inevitable yeast infection. Thrush is NO fun at all. We stocked up on yogurt, and doubled our regular dose of acidophilus to help fight it.

Hacking up mystery color junk isn't any fun, either. Neither is coughing, when your entire torso aches from it and you've thrown a rib out of whack or pulled a muscle, both common occurrences.

If you've never taken oral steroids, good for you. I hope you never have to. The first time they were prescribed, I removed from our house, by myself, a queen size sleep sofa. That was six or eight years ago, and my body is more used to them now. I just vibrate a lot, and only occasionally take on a big project. Using the nebulizer just adds to the shakes, and makes simple things like getting a dose of cough syrup a major chore. It's those little things that are so frustrating.

I'm sure the start of the weird spring weather - 45F one day, 80F the next two, back to 40F the next - isn't helping. The annual spreading of chicken manure on fields doesn't help, either, but that's just an annual annoyance of rural living that beats the daylights out of constant auto emissions.

We finally gave in

We finally gave in and went to the doctor today after trying for more than a week to get our breathing to settle down. For the past five days, our symptoms have been escalating.

There are few things as miserable as not being able to breathe properly. The constant coughing is exhausting and results in ongoing discomfort. The medicines taken via inhaler or nebulizer cause jitters and shaking hands. The cough syrup makes our brains foggy, and incomplete oxygenation leaves us feeling worn out.

Our doctor's office is great. I called around 9 a.m., and got a call back from the nurse within half an hour, resulting in a 2 p.m. appointment. We left with prednisone tapers and the new-to-us information that steroids can cause yeast infections, so we got meds for that, too. My partner has a sinus infection, to boot, so she got 10 days of high dose antibiotics. I see lots of yogurt in our near future.

Our groomer rocks!

As I've said before, we have two dogs. Our elder dog, Sofee, is some kind of large terrier mix. We refer to her as a Delmar dog since that's where we got her. Sofee is 11, and according to x-rays, has bilateral hip dysplasia so severe that many of the surrounding muscles have atrophied. Apparently, she doesn't notice, since she can still cross the yard way faster than I can.

We have to keep her hair cut. My partner was able to do it at first, but we decided early on that it was much easier to have someone else do it.

We've been using the same groomer for many years. Last week, Sofee was supposed to get clipped. She was scheduled for Wednesday, but we had to postpone her appointment to Thursday because of our health issues. On Thursday, the groomer called to reschedule to Friday because they had no heat. On Friday, she called again, and rescheduled us to Tuesday because the shop smelled strongly of fuel oil and she didn't want us to become ill.

We were - and are - amazed and extremely grateful that she thought of us. Most folks don't give a hoot, and we just have to leave.

True story: A few years ago, I was having serious pain and movement issues with my right hand. After trying NSAIDs and physical therapy, my primary physician sent me to see the only board certified hand surgeon in the area. We walked in the door of the surgeon's office, and I immediately began to hack from the overwhelming scent, and staggered outside, where I leaned against a wall and tried to get my breathing under control.

My partner checked on me, then went inside to tell the staff - who had seen and heard me - that we were leaving. They asked what was wrong, and my partner told them that the odors in the reception area were too strong, and that I could not be in that environment. The scheduling/check-in clerk, after hearing me and then hearing my partner's explanation, asked whether we wanted to reschedule.

Bang head here. Repeat as necessary.

Trips to the vet

We have two dogs and three cats. When I first became seriously ill, I was allergy tested, and got positive results for things that are unavoidable in public buildings: dust and cockroaches. Positives also came up for mugwort (the artemesia family of plants) and - surprise! - mold. So what was the first thing the bleepin' idiot allergist said to do? Get rid of the animals, of course, and could give no reason other than, "That's what we tell everyone."

Needless to say, we have the same number of pets, and the same breathing problems, and there are days when cuddling up with one of the pets is the highlight. They never make me hack or wheeze, although they've been known convulse us with laughter.

On Friday, 30 January, our senior dog barfed. Not a big deal, all of them do it occasionally. Throughout the day, she acted like she didn't feel too well, but then neither do I after puking. She didn't eat, but that's not unusual, either. But at 10 p.m. Saturday, she refused to get up to go out for last call and turned down a hotdog.

That was it. We called the local emergency veterinarian hospital, thanking all the stars that it was here and we didn't have to drive nearly two hours to get Sofee seen. The vet examined her quickly, gave us an upfront estimate of treatment costs, and sat down with us and clearly explained how she arrived at her diagnosis and recommendation. They kept Sofee until Monday morning, when we picked her up - complete with a disk of her x-rays and a printout of the treatment she received - and took her to her regular vet. She came home with us Monday night, and has been getting progressively more spoiled since.

I noticed at the emergency vet, and at our regular vet, and the groomer, where we're taking Sofee today for an overdue haircut, that they don't smell like perfume. We know they clean regularly. We've seen them do it. We've seen them clean up accidents. When our dogs come out from the back, they do smell, but it's the same odor whether it's the vet or the groomer, so they must all use the same industrial cleaners in the back. That makes us cough, and we just let the dogs air out for a while before getting snuggly.

It makes me wonder why places that cater to people can't do the same. Keep the stinky stuff in the back for those who want it, and leave the rest of the place clean but unscented for the rest of us.

You there, with the personal aroma cloud

From sixwise.com

People who wear TONS of perfume or cologne are not just unpleasant to be around-they represent a real health hazard for people with allergies, asthma or multiple chemical sensitivities.

Chemicals used in perfumes (read this past article for more on the little-known dangers of chemicals in cosmetics) are almost entirely synthetic, as these are cheaper than natural fragrances, and only about 1,500 of the more than 5,000 materials used in fragrances have been tested for safety.

As many as 30 percent of the public say they have some sensitivity to chemicals, including fragrances, according to the University of Texas Health Sciences Center. Even more serious than that, the American Lung Association reports that exposure to fragrance chemicals may result in dangerous and painful asthma attacks in which muscle spasms, fluid and excess mucous obstruct the airways.

About 14.6 million Americans suffer from these attacks, and 5,000 Americans die, each year as a result. People with sensitivities to fragrances report symptoms including:

• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Shortness of breath
• Lungs tightening and burning
• Headache
• Extreme fatigue
• Muscle aches and weakness similar to the flu
• Brain fogginess
• Difficulty concentrating

Don't be a Germ Spreader: If you wear perfume, don't use half the bottle at once-just spray it on lightly-and don't spray it in a public place. Also, be considerate of those around you. If you know you'll be in a confined space, such as on an airplane or train, consider not using it at all.

Down the Rabbit Hole day

Today is Down the Rabbit Hole day, when bloggers are encouraged to write in a different style than they normally do, so I decided to share two poems I really like, since the computer ate my poetry and I've been too lazy and/or distracted to retype all those pages.

The Mower
Philip Larkin
The mower stalled, twice; kneeling, I found
A hedgehog jammed up against the blades,
Killed. It had been in the long grass.

I had seen it before, and even fed it, once.
Now I had mauled its unobtrusive world
Unmendably. Burial was no help:

Next morning I got up and it did not.
The first day after a death, the new absence
Is always the same; we should be careful

Of each other, we should be kind
While there is still time.



Flying Lesson
Julia Kasdorf
Over a tray of spent plates, I confessed
to the college president my plans to go East,
to New York, which I'd not really seen,
though it seemed the right place
for a sophomore as sullen and restless
as I had become on that merciless
Midwestern plain. He slowly stroked
a thick cup and described the nights
when, a theology teacher in Boston, he'd fly
a tiny plane alone out over the ocean,
each time pressing farther into the dark
until the last moment, when he'd turn
toward the coast's bright spine, how he loved
the way the city glittered beneath him
as he glided gracefully toward it,
engine gasping, fuel needle dead on empty,
the way sweat dampened the back of his neck
when he climbed from the cockpit, giddy.
Buttoned up in my cardigan, young, willing
to lose everything, how could I see generosity
or warning? But now that I'm out here,
his advice comes so clear: fling yourself
farther, and a bit farther each time,
but darling, don't drop.

Cough syrup

On Friday, we had to go to Wilmington, Delaware, a trip we've been making every two weeks for the past several months.

The day after is always a recovery day. We spend it regaining our energy and hacking up black crud, as we do after going to any large city. That's exhausting, too, and painful. We've pulled muscles and torn the connective tissue between ribs, injuries that last long after the cough is in temporary remission.

A recent study shows that the placebo effect is alive and well where OTC cough syrup is concerned, but I bet sales won't suffer because of it.

One good thing

Yesterday we had a few things to do. First was meeting a friend at the local Social Security office to offer moral support as she applied to be representative payee for her sister, whose Alzheimer's has rapidly advanced. Having been in the office previously, I knew I'd need to wear a mask. The guard/traffic cop went past us with his hand over his face as if we (my partner also wore a mask) were contagious. I didn't see him do this, but my partner called him on it. Speaking clearly and loud enough for everyone to hear, she told him, "This is for our protection, not yours."

After that bit of fun we still had to shop at Walmart, which carries a few things our regular grocery doesn't. Since I had been coughing at SSA, even with the mask, I put it on again for the expedition through the store. We split up briefly, and she got the better end of the deal. I got skunked, through the mask, by two men wearing way too much cologne or aftershave. I hacked my way through the aisle and back to her.

She was talking with a small boy, five or six years old, who politely asked her what the mask was. She explained why she was wearing it, and when I returned, still coughing, pointed to me as exhibit a. After we left him, my partner told me that his adult companion told her she has the same problem with fragrances and the same frustration: "People just don't care" that their behavior is harming others.

Happy New Year!

Here's hoping it's safe, happy, healthy and prosperous for everyone.