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Wednesday, July 06, 2011

Wheezy

Since sometime last winter, I've had a cough that just won't go away, along with wheezing that comes and goes, but is loud enough for Bob to hear, and which sometimes keeps me awake at night. I kept thinking it would get better eventually, but it just didn't, so I went to the doctor. He gave me a chest x-ray and two courses of antibiotics that didn't do anything, so I went back, and he gave me a breathing treatment and steroids, and it worked! It got better for a couple of weeks, then came back.

I called for another appointment last week, and he didn't have anything available until the end of the month, so I made an appointment with a physician's assistant and saw her yesterday. She asked me about asthma, which I have never had, but my mother does.

So I've got another batch of steroids, a different antibiotic, and an inhaler. I asked her if she thought it was asthma, and she said, "I think there's an asthmatic component to it," whatever that means. We'll see, I guess. She said if this doesn't work, then I need to see a specialist. It's exhausting. I really hope it works.

I looked at Oprah's Summer Reading List yesterday, but out of a couple dozen books, there were maybe only two that held any interest to me at all. I know I've said this before, but I read for relaxation, for enjoyment, and I read almost exclusively fiction. I don't apologize for the books that I read, and I'm not defensive about it. In the limited free time that I have available, if I'm going to sit down and read, I want to read something fun. One of my fondest memories is on one of our trips to Mexico, I toted along Stephen King's Cell, which had just come out, and spent several afternoons by the pool reading it, and it was perfect.

"Fun," for me, means fiction in several genres--paranormal mostly, some thrillers and police procedurals, some "women's fiction," maybe a little "chick lit." I also like short story anthologies, mostly paranormal. Here's my summer reading list:

Read so far since June:

On the "to read" list (queued up in the Kindle app):

New and Upcoming Releases from my wishlist:

Geez.

So, I've read 77 books so far in 2011. If I read all of the books on this list (47), that would end up 124, but I'm sure I'll come up with some new ones between now and the end of the year, and I probably won't read all of the anthologies, I just like to have them to dip into in odd moments.

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5 comments:

  1. Joanna6:36 PM

    I love to read. I've been reading more and more lately now that I've got Kindle installed on my phone. But, I'll never catch up to you, Willa!

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  2. Maggie6:54 PM

    Dear Willa, I've been reading your journal for years now! :-) I hope your cough and wheeze gets sorted. Long time cough is worrying. I love it when you update on your reading, though I have different taste mainly but then I haven't read a book for several years now which am ashamed to say. I have excuses though - house renovation and seeing the GrandTwins whenever possible, oh and gardening at the new house while we try to continue decluttering at new house. My best wishes to you from Liverpool (UK) and my thanks for your continuing Journalling.

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  3. Maggie6:58 PM

    Sorry, that should read "while we try to continue decluttering at the old house". It's a bit late here, so making stupid mistakes. ;-)

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  4. Liora10:14 PM

    I'm so impressed that you have a reading list. I just pretty much read whatever feels right at the time. Hope you feel better soon, Willa. As someone who was just allergy tested last week, I'm wondering if maybe it would be helpful to you, too. You may have developed new allergies as an adult. I noticed my allergist's office was called "asthma and allergy center," so apparently the two often go hand-in-hand. Take care...

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  5. Willa11:05 PM

    Liora, I think it's mostly my OCD coming out! I'm afraid I'm going to miss something. :)

    And yes, if this round of meds doesn't cure me, I think I need allergy testing, too. I wouldn't be at all surprised if that's at least part of it

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