Nov. 14, 2011

Dear readers/glancers/everyone:

I apologize for being absent for about a month and a half. I either never knew what to say or didn't have time to type or just didn't feel like sitting at my computer any longer. I don't even really think I know what to say now, but here I am.

I had my doctor's appointment on Oct. 19. It went alright. My weight was up about 3lbs so that was fantastic. I go in for PFTs and after one blow, the machine breaks. So to be honest, I have no idea what my PFTs are right now. That makes me a little nervous, but since my first try was around my baseline, they didn't fret about numbers and sent me on my way. *whew*.

I think ultimately I will phase the blog out of my life for future employment reasons. I don't want it to negatively affect if/where I get a job. My thoughts and feeling about my health/disease are becoming more solid and detailed and I don't feel like they all need to be posted here. On that same note, I don't feel like my personal life should be available for all to read either, so I don't feel the need to post about it either. It's the same reason my facebook page is more barren than it used to be. Those who need to be informed, or who I feel should be informed, about my life will be. Everyone else will find out through the ever-informative grapevine.

I love my blog, don't get me wrong. I'm actually really proud of it. However, I just don't have the "bug" to keep up with it. I wish I did, but I have so many other things going on that are important to me or are demanding of me that typing up my feelings and thoughts and memories just aren't in the top tier of priorities. I would much rather be spending time with the people who are important to me.

I do have one more thing to write about, and I may be back from time to time, who knows. I wanted to write on the experience of moving in with 3 girls I did not know and trying to slowly introduce them to and explain to them my health "stuff" without being blunt or awkward or weird. It's an art. And while I have no real advice on how I did it, somehow it worked. I think the funniest moment was when one night I was doing the Vest and one of my roommates realized what I was doing. She knocked on my door and I shakily yelled "come in!" While she stood in my doorway she made a comment that made me laugh: "I want to touch you!" She then proceeded to dive onto my bed to feel the Vest and how it shook me. My other roommate then realized what was going on and ran into my room too saying "me too!!" and came to feel the Vest as well. After a few seconds of that, and some time of them begging me to talk while being shaken, they left. Still regularly, that first roommate likes to come in my room while I do the Vest and begs me to talk to her. I think overall my roommates have acclimated to me having multiple machines in my room and a million meds to take quite well, thankfully. I was really nervous at first, but alls well.

It's final week so I may or may not post again soon. I'm really not sure to be honest. We'll see.

-Andrea

Doctor's Appointment recap!

PFTs: same as my appointment last month

Weight: same as my appointment last month

Amount of blood I'm coughing up each time it happens: less than the time before

My doctor did not see that any action needed to be taken! That whatever the problem was, it was being fixed already. I will stay on the upped dose of Vit. K until the end of the year.

This is fantastic news!!!! Everybody was very confident in me (including myself) that I would get a great report and ta-da! I did!

Thank you for your concerns/prayers/thoughts everyone. I needed to go in to see my doctor and I'm glad I did.

:]

-Andrea

A little of this... a little of that...

My mind has been going 1000 different ways at once all week. I still don't have much of anything to post about to take up a whole post, so I'll carry on about a few different things. I'll even number them for pure entertainment.

1. Guys rush is over!! No more late nights cooking food in mass quantities. Thank goodness.
2. I found out I cook a mean sheep dip. Don't google "sheep dip" because what I cooked is not what you will find. What sheep dip is in my family = meaty cheese dip in everyone else's. No one is completely sure where our term for it came, but it still stands.
3. I'm tired of people pointing out that I cough. Thanks, but I'm pretty well aware of it. Mind your own business.
4. Tonight is Sunday Night Soccer again! My legs hurt just thinking about it. It's gonna be fun, but I still won't be able to hang with the guys for very long. I get so winded...
5. Doctor's appointment quickly approaching... really nervous about that. I know I always say I have a bad feeling about the PFT results, but I do this time too. aaaahhhhhhhh!
6. I studied way too long for a test I didn't do nearly as good on as I had hoped. *frustrated*
7. Went back to my college-town church today and was reminded of how much I love it!
8. Great Strides is Oct. 9. This evening at meeting I'm going to get up the courage to ask my sorority to walk it with me. I'm terrified.

That's all for now.

-Annie

What a week!

This really has been one of the worst/longest weeks of this quarter. And I'm so glad it's over.

Monday- A day off and I spent it doing homework.

Tuesday- I did my presentation and took my test. I did fairly well on both of them. I went to my lab, but due to a mix-up, came in late and got yelled at and kicked out. I cried because those lame miscommunications, when concerning school, don't happen to me! Luckily, I contacted my TA and got it all worked out. That night I played some soccer and came out with a bunch of bruises and a limp.

Wednesday- Didn't make it to my 8am (so tired...) but drove in for my doctor's appt. (summary after this). I went by Casey's house to visit her new puppy, which made me really happy! Drove back and went to a self-defense class that night. After that, I studied with a friend for a few hours until around 10pm. I was so tired.

Thursday- Went to my two morning classes and went to the lab right after that (on time!). Right after that, I had a soccer game and then studied until 11pm for a test the next morning.

Friday-8am bio test. Then I went and napped until noon. At 1:30, I did yard/house work to prepare for Sigma Kappa Parents Weekend, until 5pm. I ate dinner at my Big Sis's house and we watched a movie until 9:30. Then I cleaned my apartment until a friend called me to talk faith. We talked for an hour or so and I realized it was 1130 when I got off the phone. I still had to finish cleaning the apartment since the rents were coming at 10am.

Saturday- 10am: Desserts with Mom. 12-3: Bowling with Dad. Then we drove out to my local church so they could meet some of my friends. Then we went by my great-aunt's house here because we haven't seen her in a while. Banquet then from 6-8. I then spent from 9-12am comforting a friend through a hard time. Then Casey spent the night with me.

Sunday- I got up for church at 9. Cooked lunch and went to choir at 3:45-4:45. Meeting at 6. And now, I'm watching the Saints game.

*deep breath*

I'm still really tired.

I'm supposed to go play soccer tonight at 9:30, but I think I'm gonna pass this week. It's been too much and I need some sleep. Some serious sleep.

Ok. Doctor's appointment. I lost 3lbs (grrr) but my PFTs were up! My FEV1 was 71% (Up from 64%) and another thing... (the FFV? Or something?) was 94% (up from 70%). The peak flow results are up from always around ~510 to 540 EU. It's always good when, as the CF Dr. looks over my results, she smiles. They are letting the slight drop in weight slide this time, but they just don't want to see it continue. She is so proud of me because of the life-choices I'm making and the good head I have sitting on my shoulders. She gave my mother and me high-fives and asked if she could clone me and have a whole clinic of me because "it's refreshing to see CF patients getting out from Mama's wing and still taking care of themselves because THEY want to and they know they NEED to."

So last week was rough, but this week will be better. And thank goodness. I need it.

-Annie

Busy busy busy!

This MLK day break will be nice tomorrow (already is nice, seeing as I'm normally in bed by this time) because it's going to be a super busy week!

Monday: finish my Kines 290 project, finish studying for my Kines 292 test (both due Tuesday)

Tuesday: Present project and take test. SLEEP. Go to the lab between 3:30-6:30 to run another test, soccer game that night at 7.

Wednesday: Go to biology at 8, drive home, eat lunch, go to the doctor (GET A GOOD REPORT), visit Casey's new puppy, head back to college-town, mandatory self-defense class at 7. Study for bio test Friday

Thursday: Soccer game at 6. SLEEP MORE. Study for bio test Friday

Friday: Bio test. Sleep a whole lot more. Busy weekend ahead!

WHEW!!! I've got to be careful with my time-management this week so I can get ample amount of sleep for all the running around I'm doing. I live a crazy life! (Take THAT, CF!)

I finally went to the "big church" service at the church I've been attending. Before, I had only gone to the college Sunday school and college worship. I found out last week what time the real service started and made a point to go today. So I spend from 9-12; 3:45-5 at the church now (I joined the choir too, so that second chunk is singing!). That really makes me happy. I had been missing that greatly and I adore my church here in college-town. I feel at home. :]

When I have time to take a breath, I'll give the report on my doctor's appt. from Wednesday. Cross your fingers, your legs, and your heart that it's a good report. My January resolution was a bust, but I'm hoping my PFTs will still be good enough!

-Annie

HOME! HOME!

Yes! Finally, a blog post from my own desk! I'm home!!!

As far as the medical junk goes, PFTs were down, weight is down, but pneumonia is starting to clear up. BUT I still got to have my PICC line pulled so my arm is free once again. But man, it HURT to have this one pulled. It didn't help that while my sweet nurse was trying to cut my stitches, she had someone standing over her saying "oh no no. Not like that!" That did not help anything. However, once she cut both stictches, the only pain left was just the "after-throb."

Glad to be home,
Andrea

Oh the Irony

I go into the hospital feeling fine. I leave feeling like crap. Ooooh the irony. Is this something I picked up from the hospital? There were very ill children in the rooms surrounding me. All it took was one germ crawling across the hall, under my door, and onto ANYTHING that I drank, ate, or took via IVs. Or is this something I picked up from the boyfriend? He's been sick too. Or did he get it from me? Or did HE get it from the hospital when he visited me? OR is it my sinus infection gone bad? The world may never know.

Regardless, the end result: I'm sick. How can someone on IV antibiotics get sick?? Not sure, but I did. lol. Naturally. :P

Stuffy nose, hacky and chesty cough, tired, and dizzy on occasions. Everyone says that sleep is the key but with these IVs, sleep is still inevitable. Sure, I get more sleep at home than I did in the hospital, seeing as no one is checking my vitals every hour, but sleep is still interrupted. And I'm REALLY tired of being couped up in the house, which isn't helping anything. Getting anxious. asdkjhgakldkjf.

I know it sounds like I'm complaining, but I'm not trying to. More of just commenting to myself on my blog. Keeping a personal record of my health and noting the inevitability and irony of my staying sick until my IV comes out. But, to make things EVEN more interesting, if my PFTs are worse than before I got the PICC put in, then the PICC stays in. That would not be optimum in my personal opinion. We shall see.

We shall see.

-Andrea

This was the PICC when I had it put in. It look a little different now but the same idea.