Day 156: Progress Update - Spiriva Respimat

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 156: Progress Update - Spiriva Respimat

For those who have been following my illness and recovery ... I’m slowly, ever so slowly getting better. While there was a time that I could hardly brush my teeth and wash my face, I can now shower, wash my hair (when needed) followed by teeth brushing and facial cleansing.

I won’t say that I’m okay, far from it, but I can feel an improvement. Part of this recovery may or may not be due to a puffer the lung specialist prescribed.

When he mentioned this puffer to me to improve my breathing, I was all for it and let Dieter pick up the medicine from the pharmacy. The cost was nothing to sneeze at ... $79, from which I won’t get a cent back because I don’t have medical insurance.

Once I had the medicine, I started reading the accompanying pamphlet and got scared ... there were so many possible side effects. By treating my labored breathing, I stood the chance of something far more serious. Just look at the list:

Spiriva Respimat

If experienced, these tend to have a Less Severe expression

• Dry Mouth

INFREQUENT side effects

If experienced, these tend to have a Severe expression

• Chest Pain
• Nosebleed
• Rash
• Urinary Tract Infection

If experienced, these tend to have a Less Severe expression

• Arthritis
• Constipation
• Cough
• Dizzy
• Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
• Heart Throbbing or Pounding
• Inflammation of the Nose
• Itching
• Sinus Irritation and Congestion
• Throat Irritation
• Throwing Up
• Thrush
• Voice Disorder

RARE side effects

If experienced, these tend to have a Severe expression

• Angina
• Atrial Fibrillation
• Blocked Bowels with Decreased Peristaltic Movement
• Giant Hives
• Hives
• Hypersensitivity Drug Reaction
• Increased Pressure in Eyes
• Infection
• Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia
• Worsening of Glaucoma

If experienced, these tend to have a Less Severe expression

• Blurred Vision
• Cannot Empty Bladder
• Difficult or Painful Urination
• Difficulty Swallowing
• Dry Skin
• Inflammation of The Gums
• Inflammation of The Voice Box
• Painful, Red or Swollen Mouth
• Painful, Red or Swollen Tongue
• Paradoxical Bronchospasm
• Skin Ulcer
• Throat Pain

You have to admit, this is scary stuff. Unfortunately, it’s not just Spiriva Respimat who has a string of side effects, just about all medications do. They treat or cure one thing, but the patient risks an equal or worse condition.

So, what I do is, I spray the mist from the puffer into the air and inhale it from there. I don’t get the full dosage, but that doesn’t bother me. I have the constitution of a child anyway. Fact is, I’m getting better, so I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing.

In addition, I’m going to try something natural. I’ve read online that garlic is good for the lungs. One of the recipes is to crush a clove of garlic, put it in water and drink the water. Since I’m not a vampire, I’m gonna give that a shot.

How to Overcome Insomnia

Cats are masters of relaxation. They can sleep anytime, anywhere, in just about any position.

With humans it’s a little different.

Some people go to bed because it’s that time of the night and hope they fall asleep quickly. Some manage quite well, others toss and turn, others still fall asleep within minutes but wake up at night and can’t go back to sleep.

While some have no problem reaching for sleeping pills, others prefer a more natural way of catching those zzzzzzz’s.

Experts recommend chamomile tea, relaxing music, ocean or river sounds, whale sounds, bird songs, breathing techniques, or toe tapping.

Personally I have tried them all and these are my findings:

Chamomile: doesn’t work for me at all. I’ve even tried two tea bags in a cup to make the brew extra strong, but I was as awake at 3:00 a.m. as I was at 11:00 a.m. As an added disadvantage, I had to get up several times during the night to go to the washroom.

Relaxing music: this didn’t work because in my mind I was singing along with the song and when I switched to instrumental only, I found myself thinking of dance or ice-skating routines.

Ocean and river sounds: this had the same effect as chamomile tea. Not only could I not fall asleep, I had to get up several times to use the loo. In addition, the crashing waves made me think of boats capsizing and people drowning.

Whale sounds: this I found fairly relaxing, but my cats didn’t. As soon as the CD started producing the whale sounds, my cats appeared to be spooked. Those who were already sleeping on my bed jumped up and ran from the room.

Bird songs: perhaps you can imagine what kind of effect this had on the cats. From the first chirp, they were on high alert. They seemed to think that the birds were in the room, and were determined to find them. From the bed they jumped onto the nightstand, on the linen closed, on top of the bookcases and even the windowsill. Those birds drove them nuts. Of course, this made sleeping for me impossible.

Breathing techniques: this could have worked if it was not for Holly. With this type of technique you’re suppose to inhale for four seconds, hold your breath for seven seconds, and exhale for eight seconds. I did this and found it relaxing, but suddenly I felt a weight on my chest. When I opened my eyes I found Holly staring down on me like I was an alien. Her facial expression was comical, as if she was thinking “What the heck are you doing?”

Toe tapping: Experts say that toe tapping is very effective to relieve headaches, insomnia, tension and fatigue. While I don’t doubt it, I would not recommend doing this with cats on the bed. I tried it, with rather painful results. As I started the toe tapping, Charlotte saw something move under the duvet and decided to catch whatever it was. You can probably imagine what happened … exactly, she launched herself at my feet and bit my big toe.

All things considered, I think it’s best to just lay back and stroke a cat. The feel of its soft fur, combined with the cats’ purring noises has a relaxing effect too and might just result in sleep.