A New Day

Today finds me very thankful for my darling daughter and her cute dad. I am also grateful for great neighbors and friends who come when you call. This morning started out way too early with the first appointment at the PFT lab. I also got to see my regular doctor who I haven't seen since before my picc line came out. It was quite a change from our "normal" conversations over the past several months about what antibiotic or strategy to try to kill the infections. The graph looks even more beautiful than last time and I have decided to quit holding my breath. I have aged considerably in the past few months, not to mention days. I am good at helping other people figure out major life issues but my own are quite another thing all together. So, for today, I am going to bask in the sound of cartoons and the rain on the garden.

I also started seeing my trainer again this week. Yesterday, it hurt to walk but today is better aside from being really tired. My trainer wants to see me doing cardio 4-6 times/week. The count doesn't include yoga twice a week or my visits to lift weights. Since I have been up twice this week at 6 a.m., I have realized that you can get a lot more done in the world when you start your day at that hour. My body won't allow me to do that every day but it really is quite remarkable.

Other news of the day includes a temporary stop to my coumadin/warfarin. I am going back to the U on Mon to get the report on my hearing and will have another ultrasound done on my left arm to see if the clot is gone. If so, my arm might be able to use future picc lines. If not, we will likely explore other options when the time comes. I am also going to reduce my prednisone after my next big adventure. This is an experiment of sorts as it is better to not take it but you don't want to mess with what is working. So, we will just try it and see.

Lastly, I wish you could find a way to carry a camera on you as the moments come and go fast. I have been thinking about getting a "real" camera versus my digital but it still doesn't solve the problem of not having it with you when you want it. Last night, my daughter was sitting on the couch in her green nightgown waiting patiently for my husband to find the right Dora book. The picture of him reading to her in his T-ball coach shirt was one of the ones that you would hang on fridge and just leave it there. This morning, it was a picture of her taking her two dollar bills and standing on her tip toes to buy the coveted candy at the pharmacy. She was so proud of doing it herself despite the fact that she could barely see the teller. The pink sparkle shoes just made it that much more darling.

Blessings,

Cindy

Slow and steady

The last of my company left this morning and moments later, the nurse arrived. I am back on the regular nurse schedule so I have one of my favorite nurses which makes such a big difference to me. It really shouldn't matter but it is nice to have the same person messing around with my arm. We were just getting a blood sample today to see if my INR was back on track and being cooperative. We also changed the dressing in hopes that I could go to my daughter's ice cream party on Thursday for the last day of school.

My nurse was supposed to come back on Thursday to draw pre and post IV blood to check my drug levels. In the end, we had it moved to Wednesday. My line is running slow so two hours of IVs turns into three hours three times a day. Some medicine is being sent out for my line in case it decides to stop running all together. The good news is that I won't have to miss the "mommies" invitation to school. We have "big" school tomorrow and "little" school on Thursday before summer break starts.

My dog has been busy trying to walk me instead of the other way around. After my treatment today, we tried to see if we could get a little further before hanging it up for a morning Diet Coke. While I sound terrible, the walking does help shake up the junk. I am looking for some fellow walkers so if you are up for short walks that involve investigating the neighbors flowers, just let me know.

I am also looking for a few volunteers to learn how to hit me by hand. There is an actual technique rather than just hitting me. It only takes a few minutes in the problem areas but I am hoping to train a few others who might be around if my husband is at work. I didn't think to have my mom train my friend over the weekend.

I just got up from my afternoon nap but my daughter and dog are both still sleeping so it must have been a big day at school. Today I am thankful for the offers to help me with food, the yummy treat delivered to school, and the promise of more soup if it doesn't get better. I am also thankful for the CF office who helped me figure out that I don't really have two appointments on Friday. It is an appointment this week and an appointment next week. I guess it is too early to be hoping for a promotion.

Blessings,

Cindy