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! :D  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!!!