Saturday, July 10, 2010

Day Eighteen - Friday

If pain was under control, LT gang said I might be able to go home still by the end of the week. I put that out of my mind, as I know how quickly things can change!

I woke (well I wasn't really ever asleep!) feeling more like I did before the operation pain wise. I had a bit of coughing during the night and coped with that ok.

LT gang swing by and they are happy for me to go home since my pain is under better control now.  I'm still not counting any chickens......

Pharmacy not long after come by with all my medications for going home.

HITH (hospital in the home) come by so that's when I knew I was on the home stretch!

Got that all sorted (they will visit every day that I'm not coming into the hospital - on the days that I do, swing by their office to check in , and get any more supplies if I need any) and I'm just starting to do a bit of packing and then the surgeons came back.

They redo dressing (ouch!) and I wasn't really happy baring my boobs while two students made ouch noises as well as the tape was ripped off them.

In this time, an IV is going through and the machine keeps beeping at me saying it is occluded. While the surgeon is still doing his thing, I just put the machine on silent. Occlusions (blockages) are usually easily fixed but once the surgeon has left, and I call the nurse to flush it, it will not budge. Another  nurse tries and can't budge it either (usually a little clot of blood)....thankfully one of the CF coordinators happens to be walking by and comes in to say hi and sees I'm having trouble.

In the meantime one of the LT docs comes back and has a sad look and says you won't be going anywhere if that has packed it in. I just nod thinking yep I know! They have to book PICCS in advance so the likelihood of putting another one in the same day is about NIL.

But, after about 10 minutes of fiddling, breakthrough and the PICC is saved...hooray!

It's off to gym and I am not doing the normal workout but doing a study thing for the head physio so that doesn't take long and it doesn't take anything out of me.

Head back and mum is suprised that I have been given my ticket of leave out of the jail! Just have to get my PICC dressing changed and we can go.

Nurse forgets so finally at 3.30 I find her (she said she'd be back at 2 to do it) and 5 minutes later we escape.

Can you understand why hospitals for a patient can get very wearying in every layer of your being??!!

I slept more than I have since the LT surgery last night, but it's still interrupted with coughing and waking up - probably from the medication.

I've juggled the IVs, CF meds, LT meds, oral pain meds, measurement of glucose levels and insulin injections all ok today.  Where do you get a life around all this I wonder!!?  I had a nice workout on the treadmill too and a lovely visit from my sister, niece and my favourite little man aside from Andy....wittle Oscar!!

On Monday will have blood tests, gym, LT follow up appt, and diabetes follow up appt.

Well that is it for now

xo

4 comments:

  1. You will eventually get the diabetes thing going to your schedule...and the more you heal and can exercise the better the diabetes will be.
    It is a lot to handle no wonder we CF'er get tired of taking care of ourselves once in a while.
    Take care Gen praying for you ....Tammy

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  2. Sorry to hear about your 'hiccup'. So you're home now??
    Hope the pain is being managed better now.
    And when you aren't so physically and mentally stressed your sugars should settle down.

    Keep up the fantastic work.

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