Still coughing

My last post was an excellent example of why people should not diagnose themselves. Since about lunchtime yesterday there has been a vast improvement in my condition, which rules out the self diagnosed whooping cough and rules in the more likely upper respiratory tract infection. I am still coughing (especially at night), but there are no more paroxysms, thank God. The end is in sight - which is why it can't be whooping cough, aka 'The 100 day cough'.

There is still some amount of mucus which occasionally prevents me from breathing properly; this mucus is still extracted with great difficulty (and with whooping, or more accurately, hawing) but the effect required - and the price paid by my muscles - is much less.

I tried sleeping in my bed, but a coughing attack at about midnight sent me back to the reclining chair in the lounge where I have been trying to sleep for the past few days. During the day, I was watching television and almost nodding off; my head must have angled down for again I suffered an attack (this exact thing happened the day before). So: I must keep my head up at all times - very difficult when trying to sleep!

I had two chest x-rays taken today, one from the front and one from the side. I've seen the resulting pictures but have not yet seen the specialist's analysis (there is a great internet based system in operation the past few months which enables one to see the x-rays from any browser). 

On a completely different subject, this is my 500th blog! I started blogging after returning from a holiday in 2005, so in seven years I have written 500 blogs, or about 71 a year. This is works out at about one and a half blogs a week on average, which I think is fine. 

Tomorrow is my 56th birthday.