The hospital: Day....I lost count
Just a typical day on 6th south. Don't believe any of those medical shows they are unrealistic. I'm just waiting for the love of my life to walk into my hospital room. Alas most of the people working here are students or married or just not interesting. It is nice that this is the "semi-CF floor" and the same people work here so this being my 4th visit I almost know everyone and they like me, they really like me! I love to joke around with the staff that take their job too seriously. I always am polite and say thank you. I don't want to be labeled a grumpy patient. I don't want to be here and they probably don't either.
I pretended I was asleep when someone knocked at 8am. Breakfast came at 8:30 and I still had my eyes closed. The respiratory therapist got me at 9am. 1st breathing treatment of the day. That includes 30 minutes of THE VEST (the best invention mankind has EVER known), aerosol albuterol, pulmozyme and hyper-sal 7%. It still sounds like I'm breaking up concrete when I cough.
Breakfast was oatmeal with brown sugar and milk and a side of bacon. 5th day of breakfast in bed, jealous?
The nurse then connected me to my buddy, my nickname for the iv machine. She took my vitals; blood pressure, heart rate, and pulse oxygen. I love pulse oxygen, it measures the oxygen binding percentage in your blood. Basically just because you're breathing doesn't mean all the oxygen is taken into your blood. Mine was 96%, 92% and below is bad.
I then turned up the tunes and proceeded to work on mailing lists for my mom. I got a visit from the physical therapist who wanted me to take a lap and climb some stairs to see what my pulse oxy would do. It went up to 98%! I felt better after walking. Sometimes in here I just get stuck in bed and I should be active. Physical activity is key to CF maintenance. She also gave me pedals because she wanted me to keep up my fitness. I think she was relieved to see how well of shape I was in.
I then ate lunch, talked with my uncle, my mom and a friend. I still feel I make them feel obligated to talk to me. oh well I can't talk out loud to myself or I'll find myself on another floor. I took another little walk. Went down stairs to the cafeteria to get some Dr. Pepper. I love the stuff and can only get it from the fountain machine. So when I leave my room I have to wear a mask and gloves. I don't like wearing the mask because when I look at people I smile and they can't see it, so they don't know what to do. I should start saying hi because the eye contact is getting awkward.
Back to the computer, gchatted, 2nd breathing treatment only albuterol this time, finally saw the doctor. He thinks I can go home tomorrow. Praise the Lord! I told him I still can't cough right so we are going to humidify my air. He just needs to look at an x-ray and see if my PFT's are up. X-ray done....PFTs tomorrow. I told the radiologist to make my x-ray look good. Did you know they have portal x-ray machines. Yes, they came to my room, I'm so spoiled.
Now I'm doing another antibiotic hook up, 3rd breathing treatment and a mask where I breath in air that is attached to water...insta humid air. Oh if feels sooo gooooood. After that, I'll eat dinner, antibiotic 3 and 4 hook up, vitals taken again (nurse switch shifts), watch House and Gossip Girl while doing my final breathing treatment of the day. OMG if House was my doctor here I would never want to leave.
And you thought I just sat around in a hospital room.
Wasn't that more satisfying than a dramatic hospital show and there were no commercial breaks!