The good news is, I’m doing better than when I was dealing with a cold in January. The bad news is, I never quite managed to fully recover. We tried oral antibiotics, we tried Prednisone, but they didn’t seem to have a significant impact. I’m basically back where I was before going on IVs in December: daily coughing fits, low endurance, fatigued, and just kinda slogging through day by day.
For the last few months my doctors have been discussing starting treatment for aspergillus, a fungal infection that has been in my lungs for decades. The thing with aspergillus is that it doesn’t necessarily have any symptoms or impact, and there’s no way to know whether or not I’ll get any relief from treating it. It’s also not a quick fix, and will take months of treatment. However, aspergillus can slow response to treatment during CF exacerbations and impede full recovery, so it COULD be a factor in my recent health issues. All plans were put on hold when I got the blood clot, however, as the medications to treat aspergillus interact with the blood thinners that I’m still on due to the clot.
By the end of this month I should finish up the blood thinners, and we can get to work on the aspergillus. In the meantime, however, I’m feeling pretty crummy – so we’re gonna go for another round of IV antibiotics and try to get things back on track before then. I’m heading to the hospital whenever they have a bed for me, hopefully later today. We’re also going to work on an ENT consult to see if my sinuses are contributing to my health issues, as well as a glucose test, because apparently untreated CF-related diabetes (CFRD) can cause respiratory problems. Fun fun!
Here’s hoping we get some answers and effective treatment options soon. And that I manage NOT to catch a cold as soon as I finish IVs this time around!!
For the last few months my doctors have been discussing starting treatment for aspergillus, a fungal infection that has been in my lungs for decades. The thing with aspergillus is that it doesn’t necessarily have any symptoms or impact, and there’s no way to know whether or not I’ll get any relief from treating it. It’s also not a quick fix, and will take months of treatment. However, aspergillus can slow response to treatment during CF exacerbations and impede full recovery, so it COULD be a factor in my recent health issues. All plans were put on hold when I got the blood clot, however, as the medications to treat aspergillus interact with the blood thinners that I’m still on due to the clot.
By the end of this month I should finish up the blood thinners, and we can get to work on the aspergillus. In the meantime, however, I’m feeling pretty crummy – so we’re gonna go for another round of IV antibiotics and try to get things back on track before then. I’m heading to the hospital whenever they have a bed for me, hopefully later today. We’re also going to work on an ENT consult to see if my sinuses are contributing to my health issues, as well as a glucose test, because apparently untreated CF-related diabetes (CFRD) can cause respiratory problems. Fun fun!
Here’s hoping we get some answers and effective treatment options soon. And that I manage NOT to catch a cold as soon as I finish IVs this time around!!
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