I was tired of trying to deal with the doctor that I went to the week before last, especially since the pertussis test came back negative, but I still feel horrible, so I decided to wait until I could go to my regular doctor to see what was really up. Wow, that was a long sentence. Anyway, I just had a set of chest x-rays and a pertussis titer drawn. And the doctor took me seriously. Imagine that.

I got to see the x-rays, and there is definitely something going on in my lungs; they look "fuzzy". The dr. thinks that perhaps I have chronic bronchitis, pneumonitis, or asthma, besides having pertussis. You see, a negative throat swab test does not mean that you may not actually have pertussis. The blood test is a better test, but it's going to take 7-10 days for it to come back since it's the holidays. My symptoms are classic pertussis, and, shocker I know, someone actually believes me! I got a prescription for antibiotics and prescription cough medicine to help. I also found out that my backache is due to all of the coughing. The x-ray results should be back from the radiologist by Monday since the rest of the week is blown due to Christmas.

I'm hoping that this treatment helps because the next step is an appointment with a pulmonologist, and that will be way pricey!