C[omp]ute

From: andrew cooke <andrew@...>

Date: Fri, 30 Aug 2019 11:25:00 -0400

I want to make some notes (similar to those on the bike accident) to
help remember the sequence of recent events related to me being
hospitalized for pneumonia.


On Thu Aug 1 we flew to Edinburgh.  The day before (or two days
before?)  Paulina's brother had stayed in our flat, apparently quite
ill, coughing and vomiting.

In Edinburgh we were in good condition, walking a fair amount (I was /
am still recovering from the broken leg and ensuing problems).

On Tue Aug 6 my sister drove me down to my parents (Paulina stayed in
Edinburgh at a conference).  In the car I was coughing a lot.

On Fri Aug 9 I went to meet Paulina at the local train station and
wasn't feeling so good.

The plan was to take the family (including sister) to dinner on Sunday
evening.  I spent most of Sunday in bed, hoping I would be well enough
for the meal to go ahead; in the later afternoon I had a temperature
and we cancelled.

The next few days I thought I had the flu - intermittent temperature,
shivers, coughing, etc.  At one point I noticed that I was coughing up
phlegm that contained some blood.

On Tue Aug 13 the rest of the family insisted I go see a local doctor.
The doctor sent me directly to the local hospital, where I stayed for
two nights.  Initially there was concern I had TB (so I had a
'private' room), but test showed pneumonia (strep).  I was on a drip
for hydration (maybe 24 hours) antibiotics (48 hours).

I had been taking Ibuprofen-based flu medication to help with MS
symptoms, but apparently this raised the chance of Kidney problems so
I was switched to Paracetamol.

On Thu Aug 15 I was released with oral antibiotics (2 kinds, 6 days).

On Fri Aug 16 Paulina flew to Chile.  On the main flight (LHR - GRU)
she had a fever and was placed on a drip in the airport clinic at Sao
Paulo, but later flew on to Santiago.  She saw a local doctor on
Sunday, was diagnosed with pneumonia, and was prescribed antibiotics.

One motivation for Paulina returning (apart from work which was the
original reason for the early flight) was that her brother had
disappeared.  He was later found in a hospital in the South of Chile.
I do not know what his diagnosis was.

Meantime (sorry, don't have exact dates) my parents were also
diagnosed with bronchitis and given antibiotics.  My sister was OK.

I was intending to fly back on Mon Aug 19, but the local doctor felt
this was unadvisable.  Unforunately I only had Betaferon (MS meds)
until that date.  After some discussion with my doctors in Chile we
decided to delay the flight a week and skip the Betaferon (the risk of
an MS outbreak was low and the drug is not commonly available in the
UK).

I increased the spacing of my final two injections, so the final
injection history was:

		       August 2019    
		  Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su
			    -  2  -  4
		   -  6  -  8  - 10  -
		  12  - 14  -  - 17  -
		   - 20  -  -  -  -  -
		   - 27  - 29  - 31 

I flew back on the 26th, arriving 27th (injection on arrival).

Currently we are all easily tired, with coughs, but otherwise OK.

Andrew