My breath is short and labored. I have been feeling this way for weeks, yet no matter how often I visit the doctor, nothing changes. The diagnosis remains the same – Chronic Cough. I can’t remember the last time I had a simple conversation without having to stop and catch my breath. Every breath I take causes a sharp stabbing pain in my chest. I am scared and frustrated, as each day brings no improvement, only further physical and emotional exhaustion.
My friends do not understand. How can I explain the immense powerlessness I feel? Every morning just seems to bring back the same symptoms and the same cycle begins anew. I find myself surrounded by an unfamiliar sea of feelings, an unfamiliar reality, unable to control the outcome of my own life. It is a cage of disease that I have been thrust into – and I am powerless to break free.
But I will never give up hope. I keep searching for an answer, in the face of numerous unanswered questions. I know the only way out is through – even if that means a long, difficult road. I will never let my Chronic Cough win, no matter how much pain and airlessness it threatens me with. I will keep fighting – until I can finally take a full, deep breath of freedom.
Until then, I must keep trying – even though all that awaits me is the same outcome I faced yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that. Time is running out for me, and the grip of Chronic Cough is only tightening.