We left NJ Tuesday afternoon and decided to try out the Cherry Creek shopping area. We were both excited about touring the pretty shops at Christmas time. As the day went on, my slight stuffiness/wheezing seemed to worsen. I could tell I was getting sick. It hit pretty hard that evening and I woke with a fever during the night. My peak flows plummeted and I felt terrible. What bad timing.
It was pretty hard to hide the next morning. We had to stop by National Jewish to drop off something on the way to the airport so Debbie insisted that we just ask to see Kaci and let them know how I feel. I was mortified. I wasn't even scheduled to be there today - I couldn't bother them. Dr. Olson does bronchoscopies and big procedures on Wednesdays I knew she'd be busy. She didn't have time for me to bother her. I refused. I would be just fine. I could handle this.
Well, Debbie doesn't play by my rules, while I was turning in my labwork, she told Janie the concierge that we needed help. By the time I was back, I was being hussled to a room and Dr. Olson's footsteps were clicking down the hall. My heart was racing. My eyes were tearing. I HATE bothering people. She walked into the room, "Toni, what happened?" she said in the calmest most comforting voice known to mankind. "This is not okay! You need help. You can't get on a plane like this. I'm going to help you." That was followed by the fastest series of the most in your face, I'm gonna make you better right now treatment I've ever had in an office.
She came back to check in on me and gave me a huge speech. She told me that when I came to her in April I was one of her sickest patients and I didn't even know it. I was okay with things just coping and had actually learned to cope too well. I have been through some of the toughest, most painful tests and surgeries and taken it all. I am an unbelievably strong person and I deserve better. She's not going to stop until it happens. She was certain that if I could get a doctor on my side and everyone on the same page that things would turn around for me. If they don't she had some other ideas and could get me back out to Denver in April. For now though, she was going to call Dr. Caudill and talk to him and wanted me to see him Thursday morning if she could get me well enough to fly.
Wow - what a lot to soak in. I was barely at her cut off in time to leave for the airport so she relented to let me go. She made me promise not to board if I got worse before take off. I have to admit, I did get worse again, but of course I wasn't about to stay behind and go to the ER. I'm sure Debbie was stressed a bit by me, but I knew I would make it. Bruce picked us up at the Bluegrass airport at midnight and I went straight to bed with a thousand thoughts swirling in my head.
