I am quite overwhelmed with all there is to do now I am back home. Bills to pay, laundry to do, meds to take… I am still on three IV antibiotics, one is in a large syringe that I slowly push in over 10 minutes (or slower when it makes me nauseous). The other two are in these fancy little baby bottle thingies called Intermates. I hook up to it and it slowly infuses over 30 or 45 minutes (longer if I just got them out of the fridge). Totally portable. Totally awesome! I am also trying to squeeze in 3 physical respiratory treatments a day. Sleep?! What’s that?! This taking care of myself thing is keeping me really busy!

Today I went to work because I now owe my company vacation time. I didn’t really feel up to it since I am completely exhausted from my IV schedule and the side affects from the medicine, but I felt like I had no choice. I get 88 hours per year and between doctors appointments and sick days, I blow through that very fast. Rarely do I get a REAL vacation day. When I get sick, even a simple cold, I get REALLY sick and that means I am out more than my average coworker. I always feel really guilty when I miss work. I wish I could be there, but sometime my health just won’t let me.

Also today my home nurse came to change my bandage on my PICC line and draw some blood. She took my blood pressure and her eyes about bugged out. 80/56. Very low. I have been feeling really woozy recently and now I know why! I assumed it was a side affect from all the drugs I am taking but maybe I am wrong. I hustled home right after work and hooked my line up to a bag of fluids. I’ll be stuck on the sofa for a few hours while it infuses old school drip style.

Did I mention that I am exhausted? Oh goodness. Between the low blood pressure, blood sugars going wacky, med side affects and the schedule, I never thought I would long to be back in the hospital where I would have a nurse come in and hook my meds up for me giving me a few extra precious hours of much needed sleep. Darn that desire for freedom! I take my IVs at 6am, 2pm and 10pm. It takes anywhere from an hour to two to infuse… I celebrate the days I get 7 hours of sleep!

Other than all that, I am feeling a bit better. Still having random coughing spams, but much less than I used to. Things are definitely on an upswing! I can’t wait to get these meds finished so I can get one good night sleep!