Well, Unfotunately I've now joined a club I hadn't planned on for a while...

[dcd_enterprises]

Monday night I was sitting in line at ADM in Clinton, IA waiting to load, and decided to lay down and take a nap. Turned out that was the wrong thing to do. All day, and in face the past two three days my chest has been very congested. All day Monday I felt like an inflated balloon. Once I laid down, I started coughing, and couldn't stop. I sat back up, but between coughing and being short on air, I just couldn't get my breath back. I sat there and did this for about an hour, until I was called in to load. I followed the other three trucks that were called, they all weighted in, then it was my turn. I pulled on the scale, got out and walked in the scale house, and the guard looked at me, and her first question was to ask if I was o.k. I just told her my chest was tight, and I was having trouble breathing.

She took my chest being tight to mean chest pains, and thought I was having a heart-attack. She called the first responders, issued a plant wide Emergency and shut the plant down. She wouldn't even let me go get my truck off the scale without an escort. The other guard went out with me and rode a whole two truck lengths to get he truck clear of the scale and out of the way. I walked back inside and was mobbed with every first responder that ADM has. There must have been 50 people around me. I hate crowds. They administered oxygen, which, once I slowed down my gasping, helped a lot. One of them took my BP, heart rate, etc, and they called an Ambulance. Clinton fire showed up with two Ambulances, their standard response to ADM, the plant is so big, probably 50 blocks, and both ends have RR tracks at entrances. One Ambulance may get stopped before they get in plant where they are going. Anyway, they hauled me out on a stretcher, embarrasing, I coulda walked. They put an IV in my arm and gave me a breathing treatment on the way to the hospital, and man, that was like somebody let the air out of the balloon. I hadn't been able to breathe that easy in a week. They took me into the ER at Mercy North in Clinton, They did an EKG, Chest X-ray, an gave me another breathing treatment. The doctor diagnosed asthma exacerbated by environmental conditions, and gave me an inhailer, a scrip for Prednisone, and Zithromax.

The first truck ahead of me had been one of my codrivers. Unbeknownst to me, he walked back from the load area while this was going on, figured out what was up and called my boss, and my wife. He also moved my truck back o the staging area to load after he got his truck loaded. I called Christi after the hospital was ready to discharge me to let her know what was going on, and then my dispatcher, who came to get me. He was going to give me a ride home, but I just had him give me a ride back to my truck, which I loaded and delivered, and went home. I got home yesterday about 8 A.M., and felt pretty good all day. went to bed last night about 6, and slept like a brick. I haven't slept that good in days.

Well, I'm 28, first time in an Ambulance, with an IV, first time in the hospital since I was born. I'd been hoping to put that off for some years yet.

[PPK 32]

Better safe than sorry, no matter what age. Glad everything turned out.

[Mosin_Nagant_Fan]

Asthma is no joke, had it bad when I was in 3rd or 4th grade and that was 1993 or 94. Glad you are OK. Does Iowa have a lot of pollen?

[Terry_P]

The scalehouse attendant did the right thing and deserves a thank you next time around. Glad to hear you are ok. The Dr's are quick to diagnois asthma these days but unless you have a history of it I'm guessing virus. If you get a reoccurance then you'll know. It is very similar to what happened to me (without the ambulance as my wife drove me) last December and haven't had a problem since.

[durk]

Better take care, we don't want to loose any more members around here!

[Xaiver56]

Glad it worked out DCD, I have had asthma all my life and lucky for me it is rather mild and undercontrol.

[DWARREN123]

Got to take care of yourself. Sometimes others see thngs you don't or will not so don't sweat joining the club.

[Marlin]

My youngest, alaflyguy, has always had very severe airways disease, which is what they call it when it is not an allergy induced asthma, induced by an IGA Immunity Deficiency.

It can be very frightening unless you know what to do.

While he seemed to outgrow it during his late teens, it still kicks up and he has inhalers, Prednisone on hand and can administer a breathing treatment, if necessary. Knowing how to treat it, he lives a very normal life.

Glad you got the right treatment fast and have done so well. We will keep you in our prayers.

[SaddleSarge]

She did good. You need to be careful with your being exposed to the amounts of grain dust and chaff. With the increase irritants, you're going to have to watch yourself.

Glad it turned out the way it.

[artabr]

Glad you're feeling better, D.
Shutting down the plant may have been a bit much , but the girl at the scale did what she was trained to do. And it was the right thing to do.
I hope you have no more problems.


Art

[300 H&H]

DCD,

Thankfully it was not a heart attack! Like artabar said those folks were trained to do what they did. And it was the right thing to do, just in case. Hope you are feeling alot better. Best regards Kirk

[Vladimir]

I've got asthma but it rarely hits and never bad. Colds can induce it, or lots of stress. Nothing like that though, good thing you got it taken care of before it became too serious!

[Mrs. DCD]

Danny seems to be doing pretty well now. He has his normal coloring back at least. Was looking kind of gray around the gills. He finally slept last night without sounding like a leaky bag pipe. I was diagnosed with asthma about two years ago, and told by the symptoms I described, I've probably had it most of my life but was just never diagnosed.
Danny has had a lot of problems with allergies in the fall for the last few years, and they only seem to be getting worse. It probably doesn't help that we live up here on this hill, and the wind is always blowing. Now that it is harvest season and every one is out in the fields kicking up all sorts of dirt and dust he has just seemed to decline in his ability to breath easy. I on the other hand have a hard time in the spring with my allergies. At least they aren't as bad as they used to be. I would blow blood out of my sinuses, and would have black and blue eyes for about two months as all the trees and grasses started growing. Our one child seems to have the allergy problems, and has had to go to the hospital twice now with pneumonia. Ain't heredity grand.

But "Thank you!" to all of you for your concern. We appreciate it very much.
MRS. DCD

[Popgunner]

Glad you're OK

ADM is a good outfit. My bro in law manages a feed mill for ADM in Alberta Canada.

I got my lungs burned while spraying Imron paint 15 years ago that had me roling on the floor gasping for air. I almost died while the guys around here just looked at me & thought I was just acting weird. From that I had asthma for 5 years & the doctors told me I had the lungs of an 80 year old. I'm much better now.

Take good care of yourself!

[Shellback]

Hope you feeling better and I hope you have insurance sounds like you'll be getting a Christmas card from the ambo service if you don't. Really I am glad nothing came of it and you are safe.
Tim

[lead]

I hope you're on the mend. My boy has had asthma problems and it's no fun. Take it easy, be careful.

[ponycar17]

DCD, I'm glad you're OK. Asthma is some bad stuff. I suffered from it from the time I was 11, and did until I moved into our new house. I attribute my problem to under-house mold problems. Since I've been in a house with a basement that I keep in good shape I've had no noticeable asthma problems. Short story: my worst asthma was when my wife and I lived in a duplex apartment who's landlord regularly turned off the A/C to while between tenants. I believe that place had a BAD mold problem. I'd wake up in the middle of the night with a tight chest, struggling to find an inhaler as quickly as possible. If your problem persists, you might want to take a look at your surroundings. Mold might be a culprit but might not...

[rosierita]

wow! i'm glad you're doing better danny.

[358 winchester]

Danny a trip to Ga. the first weekend of April will make you feel lots better. Just think of the fun you would have shooting on the 1000 yard range. Check the sticky. Take care young man.