Healthlink and the ER

After a day and a night of non-stop coughing I finally decided to go to a walk-in clinic.  I had been putting it off for a couple of weeks (actually on-and-off since mid-December) because it would mean waiting for hours on end and then being told it was nothing and to go away.  Simon suggested calling Healthlink.  It’s an after-hours RN service that assess you and determines your next course of action.  In my case it was to get to the ER ASAP. What??! It’s not that bad, but I went anyway.  Simon and the kids dropped me off around 10 and I was moved quickly from the ER waiting room to some other waiting room within 10 minutes, complete with my face mask. After a long wait, or it felt like choking to death in my mask, I spoke to a doctor and then had a chest X-ray.  I waited a while longer before my diagnosis of inflamed throat and lungs, but no infection or pneumonia.  After 3 hours I was given a spacer for my inhalers, 5 doses of Prednisone, and sent home.  I’m to use my Flovent twice a day for 10 days, take the Prednisone in the morning for four more days, and my Ventolin whenever. Once the steroid is finished I’m supposed to see my doc for a follow up.