JPF Home Page Forums General Messages Brian Austin Whitney Blog Friday, February 20th, 2009

Hi Folks,

Well, we were in DC last week having a great time until I started losing my voice at the JPF show and then started coughing on Friday. By Saturday I couldn't even get out of bed with a raging fever and massive cold/flu like symptoms. On Sunday we had to drive 10 hours back to Indy (which Linda had to do since I couldn't stop coughing) and since getting back I've been the the Hospital to find out the obvious that my cold/flu turned to bronchitis/pneumonia. And it's not getting any better. I can't go very long without massive debilitating coughing bouts and I've coughed so much and for so long that everything in my body is raw and hurting (chest, muscles, bones, non stop headache, raw through and windpipe etc...).

I haven't been able to get any work done nor follow up with the many contacts I made in DC. In addition, we're supposed to add a big update to the judging system to prepare for Round 3 and that's lagging as well.

The only thing I've been able to do, after going without sleep for a day and a half due to coughing, is sleep and then only if I am drugged up a bit with all the stuff I have sitting here. But I've slept so long that even that has caused it's own troubles (you know that terrible feeling you get when you sleep too long? Multiply that by 10 and I've got that going for me right now as well). So here I am at 5:30am still awake, coughing my guts out, feeling like I can't gasp for air and knowing there's not much more anyone can do about it. Can you say miserable?

To make matters worse, I am now having to deal with a massive betrayal by a close friend that I didn't see coming... try dealing with something like that when you're deathly ill. And of course we had the crazy stalker emailing and calling me after we had to remove him from the site. All in all not a great last week.

So if you're waiting to hear back from me on something you may have to keep waiting a while. I'll try to come back up for air as soon as I can literally come up for air.

Brian

The flu is murder this year... I've dodged it so far but almost everyone I know has had it at one point or another. It turned to pneumonia for a few of them, too.

Rest up!

So sorry Brian, that sucks (all of it) ... you're so USED to getting very little sleep, that your body probably doesn't know how to deal with it ! ! Get better ! ! Eat some chicken soup boobella ! !

Brian, hope you recover soon.

You appear to be about my age (guessing from your avatar). I hope you're getting your flu (every year) and pneumonia (every 5-7 years) shots regularly. It definitely helped me the last several years.

Yeah, I hear you; it's difficult to rest in bed after so many hours (especially with coughing).

Take care, John

I feel your pain Brian...I currently have an acute case of bronchitis, an upper respiratory infection,{lost my voice the last 3 songs last night.} the gout in my right foot which makes it very difficult to walk. I'm still playing 6 nights a week, and doing the radio show on my night off. I've put together a fundraiser for the station this sunday where I'm performing, and acting as stage manager, which will be a 9 hour day, requiring me to schlepp gear all day on a bad foot.

On top of THAT, I've got another benefit I'm putting together, I'm finishing up my new album on a deadline, {Release party has already been set!} an aunt I was close to passed away last night, and my former roomate is dying of cancer!

TOO MUCH FUN HUH?

This meltdown seems to happen to me same time every year {GAWD I HATE FEBRUARY!!!}

Kind of gives new meaning to "we're all in this together!"

Take care of yourself, and I'll try to do the same, {but of course we'll both continue to burn it at both ends, cuz thats what we do!}

Post deleted by TAMERA64

Well.. I am on day 9 of this and still coughing my guts out. Yesterday and Thursday I had a really dark bout of depression, something that doesn't happen to me very often. I forced myself to simply tune out of it and not dwell on how I was feeling. It wasn't easy, but as is usually the case, after a day or so has passed, those dark feelings are gone. I have a lot of friends in the music business that have a lot of depression and I've always been fortunate that most of the time, even with a lot of health problems, I avoid adding that to the misery. It's amazing what a little body chemisty can do to your emotions. What seems like insurmountable problems in a bout of depression seems like no big deal when you're on the outside looking in. Fortunately I have dispensed enough of that advice so that when it happened to me I was able to think about that and sort of ride it out. There's a lot of physical conditions that are programmed into our bodies genetically for many survival purposes but I wonder what the possible benefit would be to the body in Depression? Anyone know?

So today I am past the darkness but not past the coughing and aching body/muscles/chest. I feel like 1 big bruise inside.

Linda tells me it's really going around. How she keeps from getting sick as a Pharmacists dealing with sick people every day is beyond me. I think she just brings it home to me!

I can't imagine having to go into a regular job feeling like this. I've gotten some work done at home, but it's easy when I can just roll into my office chair 10 feet from the bedroom and collapse back into bed or the couch if needed. If I had to go out and gig or go do an office somewhere it would have been impossible. I can't even drive right now. Hang in there to those who don't work from home or can't afford to take some time off. Last night I just vegged and watched 2 movies for the first time in ages. So what did I pick? A depressing one called A Mighty Heart (what was I thinking there?) about the murder of Danny Pearl the journalist, and Walk Hard, which was horrible on all levels and I feel asleep during the last 1/4, something I almost never do. I've been coughing non stop while writing this so I may end up back in front of the TV again.

Brian

Brian,

Love ya man, so take time to take care of yourself. We'll all still be here.

Midnite

Post deleted by TAMERA64

Hi Brian

I remember having this kind of problem after treating myself with 1 week of antibiotic. Coughing still persist and sometimes its annoying and my muscles all over my body hurts too I also took dextrometorphan lozenges to suppress my coughing but symptoms stops for few hours. You know what I did? I took montelukast a new drug in allergy just a sample given to me by drug representative and this is the only thing that removes my coughing problem.

Take a lot of rest Brian and drink plenty of water this is the only sure medicine for that kind of problem.

Lynman

I always wonder how doctors keep from getting sick. So how do you keep from passing on your illness to your patients Lynman?

Brian

Brian

During my hospital duties 2 or 3 years ago I always have this bouts of bronhitis or colds 1 or 2 times per month. Cant help even If I put my mask on I still get this infection.

The worst when im in singapore and there was a SARS outbreak...I felt im going to get them anyway luckily patient's that I screened back then dont have any tinge of viral illness it just a simple fever or flu illness.

Passing my illness to my patient???? hmmmm.... Majority of my patient in the hospital back then are having this respiratory illness if im having colds my mask is their protection if they dont have my illness yet.

I rarely see now patient suffering from respiratory disease now. Majority if my patients are sufering from Diabetes and hypertension. They are "poor" petient who cant afford a doctor consultation. My consultation is free.

By the way indoor air pollution is quite high nowadays portable HEPA filter machine is quite very useful for you to avoid those nasty respiratory infection in the future.

Try to invest one like honeywell that cost around 200-300 bucks.. YOu can bring them everywhere you go and put it in the hotel where you staying. The filter can be cleaned using a vacuum cleaner every two months. The longer you use the filter the air filtration is getting better.

Lynman