Who's in your corner?

I'm getting sick.

Scratchy throat. Sleeping a lot. Feeling hot. Who knows how hot? The glass thermometer is broken.

Feeling hotter. Wow, a fancy new thermometer, plastic, beeps when the cooking’s done. 102.3 degrees.

Dr. K prescribes a Z pack, 5 days of Zithromax.

Five days later, I’m still hot, falling asleep whenever I lie down, lying down a lot.

I tell my daughter I can’t breathe deeply, I feel low on oxygen.

“You should ask Dr. K for oxygen,” she says.  I go back to sleep.

While I sleep, my daughter calls my husband. She tells him to get me some oxygen.

My husband walks into the doctor’s office. He says that I need oxygen. This gets the doctor's instant attention. 

Rather than admit me to the hospital for oxygen, he sends me for blood tests and an x-ray. 

I have pneumonia.

Dr.K ups the ante from Zithromax (on my final dose, I’m still no better) to Moxifloxacine, a drug so scary he calls to talk about the dire warnings I’ll see on the inserts. He has considered the options before choosing this one.

I trust his judgment. 

With moxifloxacine and rest, I get better.

Too sick to advocate for myself, I have a daughter, a husband, and a doctor, who all look out for me.

​Who’s in your corner?