The curse of Studying

I feel we've been cursed since I started studying Anatomy and Physiology.

Every time we start studying something, it seems something related to what we are studying pops up in my life.

It started way back when I'd just taken Grace for her first hearing test. I rushed to my lecture afterwards, with my head racing about everything I'd just been told (hearing loss, severe etc) and guess what the lecture was on? The ear and hearing. I sat their listening to the lecturer talk about how important it was to pick up hearing loss early. She spoke about a study she did in children's detention centres and said that most of the children their had a significant hearing loss. Right, so of course I had visions in my head of my "late to be diagnosed" daughter turning into a misfit. Luckily a few months later she was given the all clear, and future visits behind glass panels was taken out of my mind.

Next was the heart. Guess what I was studying the week the Dr picked up Xav's heart murmur/valve regurgitation? Yep - the ticker. It did make me remember all the anatomy of the heart properly though and I certainly knew the difference between the atrioventricular valves and semi-lunar valves which paid dividends in last weekends exam.

Blood vessels were next on the list. I went along to a funeral for an old school friend just a few days after studying about arteries and veins, and hearing about how clots were such a problem post-operation. The poor girl had died of a pulmonary embolism, which is a clot that had travelled to the lungs and burst. She'd been tired and went to have a rest and then couldn't be woken by her husband. One of the saddest deaths I've ever heard. It was a terrible sad funeral, made particularly horrific by her husband up the front cradling their 2 week old baby whilst their 2 y/o ran around totally oblivious to what was happening. Although I didn't know her that well, she was a beautiful girl - both inside and out. The guys loved her and the girls loved her even more. She was the picture perfect student and friend and so amazingly lovely and I bet she made the most fantastic Mother. It's just so sad to think about her 2 beautiful boys not having their mother anymore and her husband not having his beloved wife. It's the hardest thing to imagine, but must be a million times worth to actually experience.

Back to study and last week was respiratory. We've had a week of colds and coughs, with everyone but me getting over it fairly quickly. However, a few days ago mine seemed to freshen up again and the coughing intensified. I coughed all weekend, then on Tuesday started having excruciatingly sharp chest pain accompanying every cough or deep breath. It got continuously worse over the day, until at lunch time I could barely move without the feeling of being stabbed in my right lung. I called Duane and although he was supposed to be working late, he negotiated to start earlier the next morning so he could come home sooner. I couldn't move my arm or even walk without being bent over and bracing my chest, so there was no way I was able to drive to pick Grace up.

Xav was home with me all day and was an absolute angel. He amused himself all day, alternating between playing with his cars and lego and putting on episodes of playschool. Food was a bit hit and miss, he could only really eat what he could reach. He did make himself a peanut butter sandwhich for lunch which was impressive - but spent the rest of the day snacking on crackers, biscuits and sultanas. He also played lovely nurse for me, and kept on filling up my drink bottle as I needed it. All that encouragement of self sufficiency definitely pays off at times like this!

I tried making appointment at my Dr's, but they weren't taking any more patients for the day. I then tried a few other Dr surgeries around, but they all were full. Duane ended up calling Medcall (our after hours Dr) and they arranged for someone to come out about 7pm. After checking me over and listening to my lungs, he said that I had pleurisy with maybe a touch of pneumonia. He gave me another script for antibiotics to take alongside the ones I already had and wrote out a referral for an xray the following day. He also said that if I got any worse over night to go straight to hospital.

Getting in to bed that night was tough. It actually took me 10 mins of inching down slowly and waiting for everything to adjust, before I was laying down. After about half hour of laying down the constant pain had gone, just coming back when I was coughing or had to take a deeper breath in. I slept well that night, with the pain bearable. However, it was back as soon as I stood up the next morning. I wasn't in any state to be driving, so my wonderful mother in law came up bright and early to take Grace to school for me. Xav should have been going, but he was only 4 days post getting chicken pox so had to stay home. All his spots had scabbed over by then, but the actual policy is 5 days after first spots come out.

The electricity was going to be off all day at my house (Yes, I'd paid my bill!), so after getting the x-ray Xav and I spent the day at Grandmas. I got to lay on the couch feeling sorry for myself, whilst Xav was fed, watered and amused by his doting Grandmother. I tried once again to get into my normal Dr, but she was full up. Medcall called later that afternoon and asked if they could come around that night to discuss the results of the X-ray. Turns out I don't have pneumonia, but do have the pleurisy and an infection running the length of my trachea.

I'm on some mega-antibiotics and just under instructions to rest, rest and rest. I went back to Uni on Thursday, and it completely exhausted me. I got home at 3.30pm and went straight to bed, woke at 6pm and went back at 7pm and slept all night. My darling husband knew I wasn't feeling fantastic, so took the kids out late night shopping to tire them out. Today was pretty much the same. I went to uni from 9-11am, then came home and slept from 12-2pm. I'm just so tired, which is both a result of constant shallow breathing with the pleurisy and also a side effect of the antibiotic that I'm on. I'm just so thankful that I'm on 3 weeks break now and can slow down and recoup after this little ordeal. The pain is waning, but certain movements still are a bit tender and I'm still not able to take deep breaths. My cough is going though, which will definitely help me heal better.