Doctor Visit

I have a cold. It's nothing severe, just the normal runny nose, congestion, itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, etc. i worked two hours Wednesday and then went home sick. Today (Thursday), I'm taking the day off. I'll probably go to work Friday.
I went to the doctor. My Dr. Morrison is one of the sharpest doctors in the who Denver metro area. Several years ago, he teamed with another brilliant doctor, Dr. Mennick. Both these people are so freakin' smart that you feel like you're in the presence of super-brains. Morrison is in such high that I rarely get to see him. That's okay. Mennick is not only smart but one of the most startlingly beautiful women on Earth (not that I noticed, mind you, it's just a theory of mine since my blood pressure is always elevated around her).

Anyways, she says the "seizure I had when I was young and almost suffocated was nothing more than a severe incident of getting the wind knocked out of me. I've had previous doctors say that if it had been nothing but getting the wind knocked out of me, i would have gotten gradually better immediately, and symptoms would have ended within 5-10 minutes. But I barely managed to stay conscious and it took 30 minutes to start breathing again halfway normal. Mennick says if it had been a "seizure", I wouldn't have remained conscious.
So this most recent prognosis...
- I don't have classical bronchial or tracheal asthma. I have exercise-induced asthma, and have had it ever since I lived in Kansas 20+ years ago. Even in Kansas, moderate exertions in dry, frigid air caused severe lung issues. But ultra-running has made it progress suddenly worse in the past year.
- There are numerous conditions that will cause identical symptoms of bubbling fluid in the lungs. High Altitude Pulmonary Edema is one of them, Exercise-Induced Asthma is another, and there are actually many more Mennick didn't mention but did allude to. Suffice it to say that "many stresses" may cause bubbling fluid build-up in the lungs.

Seattle Mountaineers published several books. They say that HAPE is caused by climbing more than 2000 feet in one day. Mountaineers generally operate above 8000 feet, and HAPE usually doesn't bother most people below that. It depends on the person, though. Some people have suffered from HAPE as low as 6000 feet.
Some individuals mistakenly believe you can only get HAPE at the most extreme altitudes like 15,000+ feet. They should do more research.

Fact is, the more different types of stresses you suffer from, the more likely you are to have problems. And not everyone is the same, so some will suffer from some stresses when others won't. I sometimes over-hear some narrow-minded people say that, because they don't suffer from something, no one else could either. If that logic held up, then I guess no one can get cancer because I haven't ever had it!
I now have an ibuterol inhaler. I have high hopes for this.

Mennick used many $30-words that I couldn't remember. I did get this one, though...

Rhinitis, vasomotor: Inflammation of the nose (rhinitis) due to abnormal neuronal (nerve) control of the blood vessels in the nose. Vasomotor rhinitis is not allergic rhinitis.

This relates to my chronic runny nose that started this year. When I'm not running, neither is my nose. As soon as I start running, my nose gushes. It takes an hour or two for the runny nose to stop after workouts. Mennick gave me a sample of steroid nasal spray. I go back in a month for a follow-up visit to see how the ibuterol and Nasonex work.

Except for Tuesday, I haven't been running. This cold has knocked me off my feet, and my lungs feel inflamed. OTC cold remedies seem to be keeping the congestion in check, so I'm not so bad, but my head is buzzing and I'm dizzy. I'm getting tons of rest, whether I like it or not.