Dec 6: Yes, still alive!

When last we spoke (ok, typed/read) I was pretty sick.  It's been over two weeks and I'm just now feeling better.  It was a rough ride.  The infection was gone by the time the ten days of antibiotics were finished, but the inflammation in my lungs remained.  The coughing attacks were pretty scary, especially worrisome with the incident in June and my worry of bursting a blood vessel.  Was using the albuterol (aka 'rescue inhaler') at least every four hours. 

I'm ashamed to say that it was less than a week ago that I finally realized there was an element of heart failure as well: being on the inhaled steroids, having increased the dose and being incredibly sensitive to the steroid part increased my fluid retention.  For those who aren't medically oriented saying that I'm in heart failure sounds critical, but as with many things in both medicine and life heart failure occurs in degrees.  And as was found out almost nine years ago I don't present 'normally'.  Because I have very good pumping function my body compensates very well, which is good.  But it makes it more difficult to diagnose.  For me the signs are coughing and some swelling in my left leg only.  (Left groin seemed to be the favorite place for large probs and wires to be inserted during the surgeries and my guess is it damaged some lymph nodes, so more swelling on that side.)  My cough I attributed to the inflammation, and the edema was pretty subtle until I really looked for it.  Within a day of re-starting the diuretics my cough improved. 

Tuesday, after a particularly bad attack at work, I promised the staff I'd go to the doctor's the next day.  Couldn't get an appointment with my physician, had to see the nurse practitioner.  She was very nice but, honestly, couldn't come up with anything I hadn't already done.  Increased the inhaled steroids to the top dose for another week or two, so will remain taking the diuretics at least every other day. 

My going back to the house frequently has been mentioned by everyone.  Being there can't be avoided entirely, and of course the majority of my stuff is still there, especially all my jewelry supplies right at the time of year when I need them the most.  But I'm going to reduce time in all the dust as much as possible, although that being said I have to meet with the contractor tomorrow.

My bathroom is now down to studs, brick and the ugly blue bathtub.  I've picked out another tub, and the design of the room has been decided by the nice man at Delaware Valley Plumbing (advertisement deliberate!).  The Universe took care of me, because when I stumbled in there it was without a clue of what to do or where to start.  That being said nothing has been accomplished in the past week.  People who have experienced re-doing anything in their house have experienced this and there is a reason it's the subject of comedians.  I await the assessment and approval of the monetary amount so that I have a budget to work with, because there is a huge variation in the price of tile and only so much upgrading I can absorb.

So, life continues on.  Busy, finally now feeling better.  For better or worse the time that everything happened was when I was planning on buckling down to find craft shows to sell at, besides a dismal one last weekend there aren't anymore I signed up for.  Good news: weekends a little less hectic.  Bad news: only place to sell my jewelry and make back any of what I put out for supplies is at work.

Will try to post something more poetic in the future.....

Thanks for checking in,    Laurie