So I should really start by explaining that I’m one of those kids. You know. One of the classic nerd types: near-sighted, allergic to everything and wheezy. I’m also the type to read textbooks for fun (which is awesome when they are later assigned for a class) and spend hours building the best spreadsheet ever for [insert topic here]. So basically I’m doomed to the full lifetime nerd experience. Except, I wasn’t always someone who had difficulty breathing, that nerd characteristic grew with time.
I don’t really know when it started to become an issue. I mean, though I would never have qualified as a particularly athletic person, it always seemed that I ran out of breath way before my the rest of my body was feeling tired. I’ve always been drawn towards activities that were individual and allowed for me to go at whatever pace I could handle. During undergrad, seven or eight years ago at this point, my roommate would tease me for being winded and always coughing, clearing my throat. While I can’t tell you when it started, I can tell you when it started to really impact my life.
About three years ago now, I worked in an office building on the fourth floor. I would make a point to take the stairs rather than the elevator, but it always seemed like I was painfully winded by the time I made it up the four flights. I assumed it was due to being out of shape, but no matter how often I took the stairs, I was terribly winded by the time I got to my office. So winded that other people would look at me with concern and I couldn’t speak for several minutes. That was when I first heard the wheezing sound. No one else could hear it. I’d try to point it out to people, but everyone just assumed I was being dramatic. Which I don’t blame them for because I am the type to spontaneously burst into song and prance around the cubicles. To me there was definitely a wheeze, though I now know it is called “stridor breathing”. It happens on the inhale more than the exhale. It feels like breathing through a plastic bag, like there is a film you are trying to breathe past. Then you clear your throat with a cough. It is a vain attempt to clear a passageway because you can’t get the plastic to go away. The sound is how I imagine the plastic taut against your windpipe sounds as air passes around it. I use a plastic film as a bad analogy, but I have yet to come up with anything better.
Wheezing while walking up four flights of stairs is annoying, but it isn’t really an impact. An impact on one's life is living less than half a mile from school, an eight minute walk, and taking fifteen minutes sitting on your couch gasping for air to recover. That started to happen about a year and a half ago. At that time I had moved from the Midwest (I love you Motherland!) to the Pacific Northwest. I’m very allergic to grass and have always had intense seasonal allergies. Well, apparently, I moved to the largest grass production area in the United States. When I was first told this, I assumed they meant grass as a slang term for marijuana. Which isn’t my scene so I didn’t think much about it. I later learned they meant your standard lawn, Kentucky Blue sort of seed. This is relevant because my new city also has the prestigious honor of being known for its high incidence of allergy-induced asthma.
Again things are hazy. I moved to the west coast for a grad program and immediately began lugging heavy books to and from school. My allergies were out of control and I was rocking the runny nose and watery eyes that are oh so attractive. And my daily walks just sort of got harder. When I finally realized that there was a real issue, I went to the health center at my University for help. I want to make perfectly clear that I received excellent care there. Due to my allergies and the history of the area, it only made sense to diagnose me with asthma.
No comments:
Post a Comment