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.