What (sickness) do I have?
It has been more than 6 weeks now since I started not feeling well. I have all the symptoms for Covid-19 patients but what I have is not Covid-19. I had my first Moderna vaccine on March 29th and April 25th was my second one. Within a month I had 3 Covid-19 test and all came back negative. So what do I have then?
What Sickness do I have?
Symptoms:
- Fever
- Chills
- Rashes
- Cough
- Sore body
- Headaches
- Sinus Pressure
- night sweats
- nauseous
- congested
- stomach pain
I was prescribe bacterial antibiotic and some other medications including Prednisone. All is gone now but I'm still sick. So What sickness do I have? here's the story of how it started.
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| Medicines I had for the past 6 weeks |
How it started?
I was in Arizona and the last weekend of March that I was there the weather was into 99 degree Fahrenheit, It was hot! Then on April 6th I flew to Fairbanks, Alaska and it was cold!. The weather went down to -15 deg. F with blowing wind, that made it too cold.
I spent a week in Fairbanks then flew back to Vegas. On the plane back, that's when it all started. The reason I had to write this is one of the diagnosis to my sickness was allergic Rhinitis and Sinusitis. Climate change and history of having sinusitis and allergic rhinitis.
Timeline
- March 29th I got my first Covid-19 vaccine shot on my left arm. While in Fairbanks, over a week past from my first shot, my left arm was still sore and some redness on my skin.
- April 11th I woke up with a bad pain on my left shoulder down through my shoulder blade. At first I thought I slept on it wrong, but I still have the pain until now (over 6 weeks past). After my second vaccine (April 25) I also felt pain on my right shoulder blade after over a week. It's not as bad as my left shoulder but I still feel nagging pain now and then. I'm not claiming it has something to do with the Covid-19 vaccine but who knows it may be just coincidence.
- April 14th - I flew back to Vegas from Fairbanks. On the plane from Seattle is when I started feeling sick. Stomach ache, headache, body ache, chilled, congested and just felt bad over all. I took some Ibuprofen before I went to bed hoping that I'll feel better the next day but I felt the same (bad) with the nagging shoulder blade pain (which I thought it was just a pinch nerve) and the first day I started coughing but no phlegm.
- April 16th - I started having fever but my whole body was less sore than the day before.
- April 17th - I started having rashes only on the left side of my body. Started on my back just on the left side (weird huh?!), my left thigh, and my left arm. My friend told me to eat boiled eggs so the rest of the rashes will come out and when that happened the fever will also go away.
- April 18th - sure does my rashes came out and doubled up. Also this time the rashes was all over my whole body and not just on my left side. But no FEVER! My fried was right. I was feeling a lot better as well.
- April 19 - 20th -- Itching! Rashes are itchy. I was feeling better but my coughing was making me crazy.
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| 3rd day rashes, the peak of my rashes. As you can see, there are more on my left side than on my right. Rashes goes all the way up to my left shoulder |
- April 21st - Rashes are fading away but coughing a lot more. We started driving up north from Las Vegas. My lower back was in pain on that drive.
- April 22nd - Arrived in Boise, Idaho with a fever, chills, body pain and cough. Rashes are pretty much gone.
- April 23rd - Exhausted! Not feeling well, coughing a lot and had fever that night.
- April 24th - Arrived in La Conner, Washington. I was coughing a lot harder. I contacted the local Urgent Care in Mt. Vernon and did a Teladoc. I spoke to an ARNP online and he wanted to see me in person and possible getting an X-ray.
- April 25th - Saw the ARNP at the Urgent Care. He listened to my breathing and my lungs are clear. No need to do an X-ray. Based on my history and what I told him he diagnosed me with Allergic Rhinitis and Sinusitis. He prescribe me Bacterial Antibiotic (Amoxicilin) good for 10 days. Also recommended acetaminophen, Daily Claritin, and Xlear (nasal spray).
I have been taking all the medications and also drinking lots of fluids especially lots of tea with honey and with lemon too sometimes to help with my coughing.
- May 4th - I had two antibiotic left (Amoxicilin) and I was still sick. I went to the urgent care again and this time we did an X-ray, EKG, as well as swab test. The PA-C listened to my lungs and said it was clear but went ahead and had an X-ray done. The left side of my neck was swollen (still is now) still coughing hard with hardly any phlegm. She said it's possible I have Covid Pneumonia, or Pneumonia, or Sarcoidosis (I was diagnosed with it before) until the result comes back she asked me to self isolate. She also prescribe me Azithromycin (antibiotic) and Albuterol (inhalation Aerosol). Also recommended Ibuprofen or Tylenol for pain or fever, Tea with Honey, Neti pot for sinus pressure, and to continue taking the rest of my medications.
- May 5th - I got a call and my swab test came back negative. So no Covid Pneumonia however my X-ray result shows some patches on upper left of my lung. I felt a lot better though after I took the Azithromycin. I also got a call from the doctors office for follow up visit.
- May 7th - I went for follow up check up. The doctor ordered a lab test to cross out possible causes, so I did that. He also suggest for me to see a lung doctor (Pulmonologist) based on my history of Sarcoidosis. He said I may need to have CT scans and pulmonary function test done. He referred to a pulmonary clinic.
- May 10th - I went back again to see my doctor. My right side shoulder blade was in pain and I'm coughing hard also my right neck was getting irritated. I also talked to my doctor flying overseas to seek medical help since I don't have an Insurance. He doesn't recommend it but he understand. I also asked for another X-ray because I was worried about my right lung. X-ray result nothing much change at least I felt better knowing I don't have anything going on on my right lung. He prescribed me Hydrocodone for my cough. My lab test result was all clear!
- May 11th - I felt nauseous and did throw up at least couple times. The Hydrocodone was too much for me so I stopped taking it. I couldn't take it, I felt really REALLY bad!
- May 13th - My flight going overseas was cancelled. The Airport where I'm heading to got shutdown due to Covid-19 travel issues. However, I got a call from the lung doctor's clinic and they said they can see me that day.
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| Swollen left side of my neck Lymph nodes; couple big ones and lots of small ones |
I went to Peace Health Pulmonology - Bellingham Surgery Center here in Washington. Saw a lung doctor and he recommended taking CT scan. But after talking to him about trying to do that procedure overseas due to no health insurance he understand.
However, he said that after two weeks if I still feel bad, I have to go back and get the Chest CT scan or see him after a month. He said it could be sarcoidosis but hard to know without the lung scan with contrast. He suspect I have a viral cough such as mononucleosis or mycoplasma. But if it's viral my 8 year old son would have gotten it. Anyway, he prescribed me Steroids (Prednisone) and another Antibiotic (Azithromycin)
I am now on my two weeks and I'm still not well. My neck is still swollen on my left side. I'm still coughing. I was hoping to be in the Philippines by now but Taipei International Airport (in Taiwan) where my connecting flight is closed until June 18th.
To get a lung CT Scan with Contrast it'll cost more than $3k here in Washington. But to get the same scan in Philippines it'll only cost less than $300 see the big difference? But since I can't travel for maybe another month (tickets now are way too expensive) I might need to go and get it done here. Ugh! I'm cringing thinking about how expensive medical cost is here in the US.
Until I get that CT scan, I guess I won't know what sickness do I have or even then I may not know. I may need biopsy and PFT as well. I will post an update after I figure out when and where to get my CT scan and after I see a lung doctor.
Oh Crikey! Ay caramba! My goodness! Anyway, it's a long post. If you've read this far, I'm proud of you. Thank you!
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| Even in sickness, I still got to enjoy walking around tulip garden at Rozengaarde in La Conner, Washington |
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| Beautiful Tulips at the Rozengaarde in La Conner, Washington |
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