Hello IV antibiotics my old friend

Alright sinuses, that is ENOUGH out of you!

Last Thursday I had a bronchoscopy, which thankfully went well. Once again the airways were narrowed and had to be dilated, so it looks like I’ll still be getting regular bronchoscopies for the time being. Thankfully the recovery wasn’t too bad this time. With that done, I thought my next big medical adventure would be sinus surgery in July.

I thought wrong.

During bronchoscopies they always collect a sputum sample and check for infection, and this time pseudomonas and staph showed up. That’s not great, but it also isn’t the first time I’ve had lung infections post-transplant. These infections are most likely coming from my terrible sinuses, and we’re hopeful that sinus surgery will help significantly. Initially my doctor didn’t think I needed immediate treatment, and planned just wait for the IV antibiotics I will receive after sinus surgery. However, since the bronch I’ve noticed a slight increase in congestion, and this week my bloodwork showed an increase in white blood cells, which indicates that my body is fighting an infection. That’s a problem, since my immune system is suppressed and far less able to overcome infections. Additionally, once my immune system is activated it could easily notice that these lungs aren’t original parts and reject them. That means it’s time to help my body out and zap me with antibiotics to get rid of the infections and send my immune system back to sleep.

This morning I got to have YET ANOTHER Covid test (that’s #3!) so I can go in to get a PICC line placed tomorrow morning. Once that’s in I’ll get started on 10 days of home IV antibiotics to wipe out the nasties in my lungs. After that the PICC line will stay in until my sinus surgery, and I’ll do another round of IV antibiotics afterwards to help clear out my sinuses and protect me during recovery.

I’m definitely not thrilled about having a PICC line for over a month. They’re uncomfortable, and I can’t take a normal shower the whole time as I have to be extremely careful not to get the dressings wet. I’ve been feeling pretty cranky about the whole situation. On the other hand, compared to what I was dealing with before transplant, this is nothing! I’m trying to remember that I know from experience that things could be SO much worse, and that this is a relatively minor bump in the road. Even with the procedures and issues I’ve had to deal with, my post-transplant recovery has really been going remarkably well, and I am SO grateful for that.

Despite everything, Katherine and I got out of the house and went on a nice outing today. Our 3 year anniversary is this Saturday, but we decided to celebrate today before the medical shenanigans get underway. We picked up takeout in Philly and took it to Penn’s Landing for an outdoor dinner on the waterfront. It was great to get out for a bit and do something halfway normal for a change! It’s so important to remember all the things that make this fight worthwhile.

So here I go, back into the fray, once again battling my nemesis pseudomonas and its friends. I hope those little unwelcome invaders are ready, because they’re about to be evicted!!