Setback

Everything has been going so well, far better than anyone anticipated when I was admitted over a week ago. Until last night. After a miserable, restless, reflux-filled night, I unexpectedly vomited this morning. I needed anti-nausea meds to settle things down, and my stomach was twitchy the rest of the day. No clue where that came from, however my doctor is hesitant to discharge me if there’s any question whether I’ll be able to stay hydrated once off the IVs. So, tonight is the test. If all goes well, and today was just a random fluke, I could be discharged tomorrow – however, if I continue having problems, I’ll be here until it’s resolved. What an annoying thing to keep me trapped here!

Seriously?

Nothing like being asked by your nurse, "So Cystic Fibrosis, were you born with that?" to inspire confidence. Especially when shortly afterwards I had to explain my antibiotic infusion schedule and tell her how to run them.

(I'd tolerate it better if there hadn't already been similar educate-the-staff moments with at least 3 other nurses. I shudder to think what my care would be like if I wasn't functional, knowledgeable, and coherent.)

Overachiever

First walk without supplemental oxygen! I also met the other CF patient doing the CF Shuffle down the hall at the same time. I lapped her though, because I'm an overachiever. 

Pole People

The Pole People have arrived! Because an IV pole is just an empty canvas awaiting decoration. 

Plugs and positivity

Friend: I love your positivity

Me: Well it's easy to be positive when you have a beautiful plug to look at

Patience

It’s been a bit of a mixed bag the last couple days. I’m still dealing with a lot of upper respiratory irritation, which causes coughing spasms, which causes more irritation, etc. The extremely dry air definitely isn’t helping, and my voice is shot. On the other hand, I’ve been far less dependent on supplemental oxygen. I’m mostly on room air when at rest, and the amount of oxygen needed when walking has decreased. So things are definitely moving in the right direction, and faster than expected! As my doctor reminded me yesterday, however, it took time for me to slide down to this point, and it will take time to work my way back up. No quick fixes here.
Patience. Foy! 

I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell

Silver lining or insanity? Every time I reach for the plug from my IV pump, I think, "It's so pretty!"