Friday, May 20, 2016

5/20/16

Yesterday's scheduled visit to the cancer center was the second in a week.  About two weeks ago, I developed a tight, dry cough.  I'd have 10- to 15-minute spasms during the night that woke me (and Mohamed) and that, day or night, led to terrible headaches.  Last Friday morning I called Dr. Hashmi's nurse.  She called back at 3:45 and asked that I come in for blood work and lung x-rays.  Luckily, we were already in the car; a trip to Starbuck's was diverted, and we arrived at the cancer center before the labs closed at 4:15.  The techs weren't pleased that it had taken the nurse so long to call me back and try to schedule something, but I was rushed for the tests and made it on time.  The cancer center was dark inside, and the weather outside was dark as well with rain and hail. 

Although the tests got done and the techs said that the results would be read within 30 minutes, no one called back on that Friday afternoon.  By the next day, however, the results were posted on Mychart, a feature that the center here uses much more efficiently than KU Med did.  The lung results were good with no anomalies, as was the blood work.

Yesterday we met with Dr. Hashmi about the cough, the headaches, and a lowered but still persistent level of nausea.  He prescribed a cough suppressant with codeine.  I took it before bed last night, but still had a bout of coughing.  I went downstairs at 6 this morning and took another dose.  That seems to have calmed the coughing, though it's made me both tired and spacy.  I guess that's to be expected with codeine.  I'm torn between taking it again during the day, hoping that the cough will stay suppressed but risking a day of incoherence, and just waiting till tonight before bed.  Dr. Hashmi also changed the anti-nausea medication, so I hope the new one will be more effective.

And that's the latest in the world of Howard's health.

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