Bronchiitis? Pneumonia? COVID?

 For the past 10 years or so I have enjoyed a bout of Bronchitis during the winter.  At first it was just an annoying cough that lasted a month or 6 weeks.  The third time I had it, I was driving the car along a major road - a good road in good weather, going straight ahead on a level path.  While driving along, I realized that I was out of breath.  That's not normal!  So, I went to my doctor.  He told me I had bronchitis AND pneumonia.  He prescribed an antibiotic for the pneumonia.  Bronchitis is harder to fix.  I got an expectorant, and an inhaler.  The expectorant didn't seem to have any noticeable affect, but the doctor assured me it would help clear it up.  The inhaler wasn't any fun - it burned my lungs every time.  Not too bad, and only for a half hour or so, but it was uncomfortable.  It did seem to help, though and the bronchitis got gradually better until I was back to normal.  

So, the bronchitis has reoccured every year.  The pneumonia has only come back 3 or 4 times.

When we came on our mission, I told the mission doctor about it and when I got bronchitis last year he put me on an expectorant and an inhaler straight away.  Then I got pneumonia too, and he gave me an antibiotic.  I told him I hated taking antibiotics, because they always mess up my GI tract.  But that is better than having pneumonia, so I took it and three months later my GI tract was nearly back to as good as it gets.

This year I got both of them again, and I am just recovering.  The pneumonia this year was as bad as any I've had.  I'd get up to get a drink of water - maybe 30 feet away - and I would be wheezing and gasping for air.  I had high fever and chills, the whole nine yards.

The worry about these last two bouts is that if I were to contract COVID while I had bronchitis and/or pneumonia (B&P), I would be starting with 2 strikes on me.  It would be very serious, indeed!

Fortunately, a week before I got this year's B & P, we got our third COVID shot, the booster.

I think the writing is on the wall.  When I die, it is most likely to be the result of lung issues.  So I'l take every vaccination I can get, lots of vitamins, etc. and pray for protection.