So the story goes like this:
I went to Sibley Hospital on 10/31 to see why I was feeling so crappy, although mother told me I was being a "drama queen". Good thing I did because it turned out I had Bronchitis. Bronchitis + cigarettes = pneumonia, so I decided to put my bad habit on hold until I recovered.
A few days later, 11/04 to be exact, I was feeling worse: I had now added mouth pain, sinus pressure, and lightheadedness to my symptoms. So, as my discharge papers said, I returned to Sibley. Once again, good thing I did.
The first step was to take an X-Ray to see if I had pneumonia. That came back negative. Next step was an Electrocardiography (ECG or EKG). The patterns weren't coming out great so the next step was the best: blood work! Apparently I was so dehydrated that my blood was barely coming out, so after filling as many vials as possible (& almost passing out), they pumped me with a shit tone of fluids to hydrate me. My blood came out great except for one issue:
In everyones blood there is a marker that shows up if you are risk for a clot. Mine was showing up high. They told me I probably had a blood clot in my lung. This was to explain the shortness of breath, the lightheadedness and a few other issues. Time for a CAT Scan. When getting a CAT scan they pump you with dye that makes you really hot and feel like you peed your pants- not fun! So After 6 and half hours of waiting at Sibley Hospital it turned out I did not have a clot, but rather I began with a flu, which turned into Bronchitis, and is now a respiratory infection.
So I left the Hospital with my new inhaler, Prednisone, and a Z-Pack.
After phone calls and research it turns out that new research shows that Yaz Birth Control (the pill I have been on for about a year) is putting users at high risk for clots. Yes, most BC's do this, but this one is worse. In addition, smokers who take Yaz have a double risk. JOY!
So now I am switching BC pills and quitting my 3 year addiction to cigarettes.
But boy, is this hard. I am now realizing that cigarettes are such a huge part of my life. It is almost impossible to think about what it will be like in LA not smoking. Sitting outside with my mom, drives over the hill with Nikki, Starbucks with the girls... it'll never be the same. And the worse part is, I really miss them.
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