Quietly, she contacted the ILD staff and suddenly the co-head of that remarkable group appeared and wheeled him away. Towards the end of the meeting, the leader of our group mentioned that we need to discuss when we should contact our doctors. She said that each of us needs to develop a plan when we begin to notice a change in our health or just not feeling well.
When do you call the doctor?
When do you go to an Emergency Room?
When do you call 911?
At the next ILD meeting in November, this topic will be included in the discussion.
I was always nervous to contact the doctor because it may be nothing and I didn’t want to bother her or be a pest. Bad decision. I have learned that it is wise to keep the doctor in the loop.
So, my plan is that when I realize that I am having a hard time breathing, catching a cold or there is any change, I send a FAX to Dr. K. It is quick and to the point. I always say that if I don’t improve in a day or two, I will contact her again.
Once when I had aspirated, I had not contacted her immediately. Within days, I developed a huge infection and felt horrible. I faxed Dr. K. who immediately phoned. She was concerned that I may have a pulmonary embolism and wanted a CT Scan of my lungs as soon as possible. Other times, she would phone to say that she had ordered antibiotics. I try to make it quick and easy for her.
In a past blog (December 4, 2009) I wrote about aspirating coffee one morning and how Michael did not know what to do. He had not even recognized that I was quickly losing air and ready to pass out. We now have a plan in place. I now know that we really should have called 911 immediately.
What is your plan?
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