Day Five: Physio, Physio, Physio Galore

Not too much to report, at this point it is very much a 'wait and see' period. Wait and see if these drugs work, my lung function improves and my oxygen dependency decreases. And hope that all of the above does not take too long, because I have plans to get back to!

So far my appetite is slowly creeping back into existence. I was able to go out for lunch today (at a nearby 50's diner--very cute!) and actually FINISH a meal. Go team. Yesterday I told the RT (Respiratory Therapist) about the horrible headaches I have been getting from walking and she re-evaluated my oxygen. Well folks, by the time I walked down one small stretch of the hallway it was apparent that, yet again, I need oxygen for walking. The "Hulk" which is my nickname for the giant 02 tank, is now standing guard beside my fridge waiting to assist me. I'm grateful that it helps, but it really does not match my outfits at all and it weighs almost as much as I do. So I'm not too pleased about the return of 02--you can call it vanity or call it not wanting to scream out "Hi world, I have lung disease". But on the upside, I do not need it at rest. My sats are at exactly 90 (below that, they put you on 02), and I'm not feeling short of breath.

I've been keeping really busy with physio. Currently I'm doing it four times a day to help move things along. I do my PEP mask (a mask that puts pressure on your lungs as you breath into it) three times a day, and once a day my physiotherapist comes in. She's really enthusiastic and always gets me motivated again!

Right now it feels like everything is just stuck. In fact--this may be too much information, but I just had a legitimate 10 minute conversation with my nurse about phlegm, so all lines have been blurred--my phlegm is so thick that I just gave a sputum sample and it actually just stuck to the bottom of the cup. I turned it over on all sides out of curiosity and it just would not budge, I even tried tapping against the cup and it still would not budge, and this was after hypertonic saline (which is supposed to thin out the mucus and make it easier to cough up). Well, at least I know what I am up against!

My mom brought me some tulips today to brighten up my room, and I think they really do the trick! She also bought another bouquet for H, who is just down the hall and had a rough morning. My (or, rather our) nurse, Rachael delivered them for us, since CF patients and their visitors cannot have any contact (we can spread nasty bugs to each other).

P.S. Update on flat screen TV: Well, turns out they just re-installed the old, ugly one! My situation quickly turned from jackpot to jipped. In a cruel twist of fate, the two people across from me had flat screens installed...please.

**OK so today I tried to do physio three times a day instead of four... totally suffered...bad idea!!**

2 Responses so far.

  1. LittleM says:

    lol aw L, across the hall got the tvs? thats SO cruel lol (sorry for laughing). I hope you feel better soon. My theory is always better to feel awful and have thick, horrible phlegm while in because then you have something to "fix". This is in contrast to my last admission where I felt just peachy from beginning to end.

  2. i LOVE my flowers!!! my garden is getting bigger each day! my tullips opened today! did yours??