Pain is something we experience on a near day-to-day basis -- mainly due to whatever form of arthritis we have. For almost a month now, though, we've been dealing with a respiratory infection that has just now proved to be of the more dangerous type if left untreated. Originally, we went to an urgent care seeking treatment for symptoms of (what we assumed at the time) a chest cold. The doctors there confirmed that it was, indeed, acute bronchitis, gave us medications, and sent us on our way. A few days pass by and the pain in our chest is still present (most likely due to the immense amount of coughing the illness has made us produce). We went back, discussing to the doctor how we couldn't catch a breath due to the pain. We recieved a steroid shot in the hip and were sent home.
The pain went away, but the cough persisted; this is normal for bronchitis. The urgent care suggested I go to my primary care physician for a follow-up appointment, and I was able to get one this past Wednesday on our day off from work. Our PCP examines our chest, and says:
"I still hear a rattle in your chest! Let's get you an x-ray at the imaging center in town since our x-ray tech isn't in today."
Not a problem; they're open until 7pm, so we definately have time to make it. We get the x-ray taken and get sent home. Flash foward to work yesterday around three-o-clock: our PCP calls us and tells us the x-ray results. We're just expecting it to be normal, or just leftovers from the bronchitis. But no.
"Your x-ray results show you probably have pneumonia. We're going to be putting you on an antibiotic, and in another month you'll come back for a follow-up x-ray."
Oh.
And as of the day I'm editing this post, I'm feeling a lot better due to the antibiotic. It was a ten day course of levofloxacin -- allegedly the strongest antibiotic the doctors could give me over the counter. I'm still experiencing a cough -- that's going to be around even after I have treatment. I'll see about scheduling a follow-up x-ray here soon. I still can't believe I developed pneumonia, of all things. The nurse said my bronchitis either developed into pneumonia, or that I already had pneumonia, but the original x-ray was read wrong.
Of course, even after telling my employer I had pneumonia, I was still expected to be at work instead of resting. Customers even looked horrified when I told them why I was coughing so much; one even stating, "shouldn't you be resting?"
No, because my employer is trash and would rather have someone come into work sicker than a dog than the manager, of all people, be made to actually work like she's supposed to.
I had to arrange to have my medications picked up the Friday after I was diagnosed with pneumonia because they wouldn't let me off work to go pick up said medication... You know, the medication I need to stop my condition from making me go to the hospital?
We really need to abolish captialism and get better worker's rights. And I need a new job.
- Caspian