October has been crazy.  While I was getting settled in at my new job, mother nature threw me for a loop again.  Yet another cold landed me back in the hospital.  I sat for two weeks with gurgly lungs taking oral Levaquin and nebulized Tobi with no relief.  Finally the nurses at work convinced me that it was IV time again.  I just hate that.

Here’s a little taste of my reality.

I finally broke my long standing record and have been hospitalized four times this year so far (once was for the sinus surgery which was totally successful, wish I did it a long time ago).  Each time I was stuck with a picc line for IV antibiotics (usually a cocktail of three drugs) which lasted three weeks each time.  Not to mention I am usually sick / down-and-out for the previous two to four weeks ahead of that.  Leaving not much well time. 

I don’t think that a lot of people understand what I go through when I am sick.  Illness leaves for a very hectic schedule with little sleep and no room for socializing, writing a blog, answering emails… you know… all the fun stuff?!    A few of my friends had a small realization of what I go through when they came to visit me in the hospital (thank you friends, you mean so much to meee!).  After for chatting for a few minutes, we would be interrupted by a nurse coming in to hang my IVs (3-4x a day), a CNA coming in to check my vitals, a respiratory therapist coming in to give me nebs and to beat on me (4x a day), someone to take me for an x-ray or some other test, “room service” bringing me more food and coming back for more when they screwed up what I ordered (EVERY single meal).  It is not a very restful or peaceful time.  I hardly get to do any work (I took my laptop with me in hopes I could get some work done so I wouldn’t have to owe MORE vacation time).  Nope, not even time for work!  LOL

Now all this gets harder when I take my IVs home with me. In the hospital I don’t have to wake up to hook up to the dose at 6am or I could fall asleep early and not have to worry about unhooking from my meds at 12pm. At home that leaves me with 5 hours of sleep a night (remember I am sick, trying to get better).  Between no sleep and the side affects of the drugs I am a miserable mess.  Not to mention I usually need to go back to work because I am always in debt with sick and “vacation” time.

This is far from a tiny portion of how crazy my life has been like over the past month…

Ok ok ok… enough complaining…

As for the good things this month?  I was contacted by a writer at Diabetes Forecast magazine (put out by the American Diabetes Association).  They are doing an article in November (I believe) on diabetes success stories and I will be one of the folks featured in the article!!! YEAAAA!!!  Just after I got out of the hospital, PICC line in place, I got pretty pretty pictures taken of me for the article. I have no idea how the article is going to turn out, hopefully better than the TV news story I did about 10 years ago, but I know at least the photo turned out good.  Unfortunately it didn’t show the true me, the spunky me, but it was a good commercial style photo so I am not complaining.   I’m planning on posting the pic after I watermark it… which may be a while.   hehe

Now I am working closer with CF, and also closer mile-wise to my clinic, I have become a happy little guinea pig once again for some CF research studies.  Two studies I did in the hospital and now I have three longer term studies lined up to begin as soon as my month of Tobi is over.  I am very excited about all the new research coming out for CF.  The one I am most excited about I blogged briefly about in my previous post.

My blood sugar is still a bit crazy since moving into my mom’s house, but that will be under control soon. Although my condo still has not sold, I found an apartment that I will be moving into in November.  I don’t know how I am going to swing a mortgage payment and rent, but since my health is in the balance, I pretty much have no choice.  It has been too stressful, a bit too much for my little body to handle.  Hopefully I can get everything back into control (including my sanity, haha when did I ever have that!) after this next move.

Hmmmm… today is my second favorite holiday!   Happy halloween everyone!!!  For work, all the girls dressed up as cowgirls (including your’s truely) so we could be the pulmonary posse. Oh my how cute we are!!  I even had the brilliant idea this morning as I was tangled in my oxygen tubing, to hook some to my belt as a lasso. Such a great idea!!

Tonight, if I go out, I have a sexy little referee costume.  Wish I could bring Brodie with me.  The cute little guy has a Bronco’s jersey.  Totally adorable!!  Hoping I can get some pictures before I get too anoyed with my costume and end up in jeans like I do every year.

I’m trying not to eat too much junk today, but it is oh so hard! Here’s a pic of one of the goodies that was passed around earlier. I think it is supposed to be a finger cookie.  Haha!

Hope you all had a great month!!!