Tuesday 11 February 2014

Waiting game: 4 month update.

It has been four months since I was listed. 

Here are some of what has been happening the last two months (since I forgot to do a 'three month' update):

- I continue to go to physio three times a week. I am up to 7lb and 8lb weights! And am now walking with an 3% incline on the treadmill! My legs are getting super toned...ok probably not 'super toned' but I'm definitely killing it at the squats. It would be nice if the routine varied a little bit but I guess the one bonus to the repetition is that I have everything down so I could do it in my sleep.

- I wear my oxygen almost all the time now. Well, when mostly when I go anywhere as that is when my oxygen levels drop the most. I bought a oxygen stat monitor so now I know when my levels go down which is good because now I know when I need to wear the oxygen and annoying at the same time because now I know when I need to wear the oxygen. While I was wearing the oxygen, a guy in the elevator asked if I was a climber which confused me. He was then confused about my confusion as I had no idea what he was talking about and replied that I had crappy lungs. I'm pretty sure climbers around Toronto don't get high enough to require extra oxygen. Another person on the bus sat down beside me and then noticed the oxygen and moved while saying she shouldn't be around me because she was just getting over a cold.

- I had a mild infection in mid-Jan. I fortunately had a doctor appointment with the transplant clinic already scheduled that week so I was able to get on antibiotics quite quickly. I have finished the antibiotics and feel mostly recovered even though I'm still a bit more tired than usual. At the CF clinic last week my lung function was down one percent to 23% but the doctor was not overly concerned as she felt it was on its way back up after my inflammation. To be safe, I am going back in a month to make sure it is not declining any more.

- I also got a lecture at my CF clinic to go back on the hypotonic saline masks which I had stopped in the fall because I felt like they weren't doing anything. The doctor said "even if you aren't bringing anything up, the studies have shown that they still help." So back to two aerosol masks in the morning for me (it means I have to get up earlier on days when I have somewhere to be in the morning which may be why I got lazy with them in the first place).

- Jan was pretty quiet by way of visitors (except when Mom and Dad were down the first week of the month). It was actually a nice stretch where I managed to get caught up on a lot of TV and read a lot of books. My sister is here for a week this month and Isaiah's family is here at the end of the month. Then Mom and Dad return for the NB March break so back to the museums and out for meals we will go! Sushi will be eaten!

- The weather has warmed up slightly which is excellent for my lungs. It has gone from bitterly windy cold to slightly cold with less wind. This is much more pleasant for me and my poor lungs so hopefully our crazy cold days are over.

- I still have dreams where I get or miss the call. I have come to accept that they are a way for me to prepare myself for the emotional ride that will be 'getting the call' and a way for me to subconsciously process everything that is happening. I don't think they will stop until long after the surgery ever happens. The dream the other night was most traumatic as I dreamt that the hospital was actually the Air Canada Center and people were playing basketball and my friend's boyfriend was the doctor. I kept screaming that he wasn't actually a doctor and it wasn't really a hospital but no one would listen to me. When the 'doctor' went to give me the anesthetic, I woke up in a panic. I'm not sure what my emotions were trying to process there.

That is all I can think of in terms of new information from the past two months. I'm not discouraged about the wait as there are quite a few people in physio who have been waiting for over a year. Still could have a ways to go yet!

No comments: