January 24, 2003
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A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR AREAS OF ALL ISLANDS EXPOSED TO STRONG AND GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS UNTIL 8:00AM HST
Urgent - Weather Message National Weather Service Honolulu HI 8 PM HST Thu Jan 23 2003
...Strong Southwest Winds Over The Hawaiian Islands...
1800- Kauai-Oahu-Maui-North And East Hawaii Including Windward Kohala Hamakua Hilo And Puna-Molokai-Lanai-West Hawaii Including Leeward Kohala And Kona-South Hawaii Including Kau- 8 PM HST Thu Jan 23 2003
...A Wind Advisory Is In Effect For Areas Of All Islands Exposed To Strong And Gusty Southwest Winds... A Wind Advisory Means That Winds Of 30 To 40 Mph Are Already Occurring In Portions Of The Affected Area. Persons In These Areas Should Take Necessary Precautions To Protect Property...Such As Securing Loose Objects Or Moving Them To A Sheltered Location.
The Southwest Winds Will Be Strongest Over Mountain Ridges And Valleys...And Over Lower Elevations Downwind Or Northeast Of The Mountains.
The Strong Winds Are Ahead Of A Cold Front Approaching From The Northwest. The Front Will Move Down The Island Chain From Kauai To The Big Island Tonight And Friday. The Winds Will Decrease And Swing Out Of The Northwest Once The Front Passes By.
A High Wind Watch Remains In Effect For Kauai And Oahu Should The Winds Increase To Greater Than 40 Mph.
Blech! I know it says that the winds are from the south, southwest, but that's NOT the case at my home! My house faces due east & these winds are coming through the window at the southeast corner of my house. It's also pushing the vog from Pu'u'o'o crater right over us. This fact is why I can't seem to get well from the flu I came down with a week ago, Sunday. I thought I was getting better, until the sneezing started in again a few days ago. I've been taking diphenhydramine (Benadryl) for that, but stopped last night, worried that not sneezing out the fluids from the allergy was causing them to stay in my head. Why?...
Yesterday, within a half hour of posting my last blog, I felt fluid building in my right inner ear. I was also achy & soon developed a fever & chills. I was wearing velour pants & was under a sheet & Mexican acrylic woven sarape/blanket, yet I was shivering some. My son was walking around in just his shorts, staring at me. I noticed that WeatherBug (see linked blog title) indicated that the temperature was about 71° in Hilo, at the mid elevation (about the same as here), so I shouldn't have felt so cold. I don't have a thermometer (don't really need one, since I can easily tell when someone has a fever by checking their forehead with my palm or wrist as well as checking the neck area), so I have no idea how bad mine was.
I shut off my TV about 8 PM & dozed-off. Two hours later, I woke up drenched, no longer experiencing the chills. I threw off the blanket & turned on my little fan, because I was now over warm! I also got rid of the velour pants, swapping them for ladies' drawstring boxer-style shorts. I had taken an ibuprofen just before dozing-off, but took another when I woke up.
This morning, I called the local clinic until they finally turned on their phone system (their after-hours calls, if you stay on until their message plays through, are rerouted to an answering service). The clinic opens at 8 AM, but they don't begin answering calls until about 9. When I finally got the receptionist, I scheduled an appointment to see the doctor, at 11:30.
The nurse who took me back to the exam room is new there. She introduced herself (I forgot her name by the time the doc came in... shame on me!) & took my temp & wrapped the blood pressure cuff on the arm I stuck out, my right arm, out of habit. I think I surprised her because she asked about doing it on that arm. I had to think about what I had done then, realizing they ordinarily take BP on the left arm. I mentioned that I had a mastectomy on the left side.
Still having not done the BP, she started talking about breast cancer. Someone she knows had a radical mastectomy back in the early 80s, at 30-something. As the conversation continued, she mentioned that she has been putting-off getting a PAP. She's already had surgery on her cervix to remove a pre-cancerous lesion & is due for a routine exam. I told her not to wait & mentioned the herbal treatments I had used after my cancer finding. I also let her know that I recently had the complete hysterectomy & oophorectomy, removed vaginally. I think she is afraid of them finding cancer with her & wants to learn what she can before that is the case. I cannot blame her.
We also discussed how painful the surgeries were & about reconstructive breast surgery. Apparently she knows of a woman considering having that done. To me, it is too much trauma for vanity's sake. When she finally finished up the vitals, she gave me a hug before going out of the room.
Comments (4)
but youare feeling better now? that nurse was sweet...
Better? Hmmm... I tire easily when walking uphill. I am still generally achy & my ear feels like it is going to explode. But at least the fever is under control. The tea mixture I am drinking is helping I think, since it has honey & lemon as well as local herbs in it. I am a hard-head & hate being sick, so I concentrate on feeling better.
Sorry to hear you're not feeling well. I think I've got something similar, and it's 22 here. That wind is so cold and icy. I haven't felt like this in a long time. So how did your appt go with the doctor? Hope you feel better soon. I'm thinking of taking myself back to bed in a few minutes. Rest is probably one of the best things for it.
I realized later that I left out what the doc said, but got side-tracked onto something else, so didn't get around to posting it here. Thanks for catching that again, Debi.
What the doc saw when he looked in my throat was redness on that side. He was worried about strep with that. When he checked my ears, the left was fine, but he said the right showed bulging (I assume the eardrum, since he indicated that eardrops wouldn't help, since it's in the inner ear) & red.
He prescribed Trimox (amoxicillin), which he believes will help, even if I have strep. He also offered ibuprofen, which I don't need, since I get plenty from the VA, & Benadryl, when I asked if it was ok to take that for my vog/allergy issues (clear snot & frequent sneezing). I had recently purchased a bottle of capsules from Wal-Mart (Equate brand diphenhydramine) because I had run out awhile back, so I didn't get that either. Being a Virgo, I usually carry Benadryl with me, in case of coming across someone with a nasty allergic reaction (taking one will help until paramedics arrive with epinephrine, which cannot be used with heart patients!).
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