Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Ice, snow, ENT

We had ice pellets, a bit of freezing rain, and snow on Friday making for an interesting layer of frozen stuff on the ground. Thankfully we didn't lose power and thankfully the accumulation here is generally not enough to last for too long. (Though we didn't get the car out of the neighborhood until yesterday!) 

The equines were free to go in and out but mostly chose to stay in on Friday and Saturday. Sunday they started venturing out as the sunshine returned and are now back to getting hay outside the barn during the daytime hours. We had some melting yesterday and hopefully much more today. But the roof is still covered and the thawing is happening around the edges of November Hill. Where it's melting it is mud! So it's going to take some sunny days and time to dry out again.

On another note I'm nearing my ENT clinic appointment and am so ready for some help with the throat issues I'm having. I appreciate all good thoughts that this is soon clear and I am back to my normal self. The liquid/puréed diet is getting very old. 


5 comments:

Calm, Forward, Straight said...

We missed out on the frozen precipitation here, thank goodness. Sounds like the weekend might be nice and sunny - good for drying things out.

I'm sorry to hear your throat is still bothering you. Sending healing thoughts your way billie!

Grey Horse Matters said...

Sounds like it's going to be a muddy mess there for a bit. Hope the sun stays out and dries things up quickly.

We had about 8-10 inches of snow over the weekend but it seems to be warming up and melting too.

That throat issue sounds annoying. Liquid diet...UGH! How about some ice cream or at least a good thick milk shake?

billie said...

Here's to drying out for all of us.

Verdict from ENT:

She did a super thorough scope through the nostril with a crystal clear instrument that was hooked up to a video screen I could see too. Everything is clear and looked good. She brought in a swallowing physical therapist person who was also very nice and together they had me do a series of sounds and movements and had me swallow water (with scope still inserted) so I could see (and they could see) how everything was working. Then applesauce dyed blue. Then a graham cracker. I totally resisted the idea of the graham cracker but they talked me into it to prove that nothing was hanging in my throat (still visible on the screen) even though yes, I DID still have the sensation there.

She feels whatever went down with that cheddar broccoli soup scratched my throat tissue and that combined with the end of a cold, dry heat during a chilly week, and my own hyperfocus on swallowing created the perfect storm that might also have led to some laryngopharyngeal reflux. Symptoms of which are: hoarseness, vocal fatigue, throat clearing, excessive throat mucus, post nasal drip, cough, swallowing difficulties, feeling of something in the throat.

Well. Check and check and check.

She thinks it will be all gone in a month's time but prescribed Prilosec to assist, a nasal spray for post-nasal drip if needed, and a mouthwash, plus some basic things to try to help out if needed. Not eating right before bed, elevating head while sleeping, etc.

She also said no more liquid diet and no more avoiding my normal diet.

I have a return appointment in a month to make sure all is well.

We talked a lot about how powerful the mind is and she said that's partly why they ask patients to do the swallowing tests and watch while they evaluate because seeing things work properly is a powerful tool in countering the sensations. I am pretty satisfied with how it went!

Onward and upward.

Grey Horse Matters said...

It sounds like you got a thorough examination and will be fine soon. If you stop thinking about your throat and swallowing and do what they suggest I bet you'll feel better very quickly. 👍🏻😀

billie said...

Amen to that!! :). Thanks and I think you're right.