Good physio day.

I must say that today at physio was the first time in awhile that I actually felt really good. I mean, I always have some days that are better than others, but today it wasn't so much of a struggle to keep up my 'suggested' pace on the stationary bike and I didn't feel like I was going to go flying off the treadmill. Yay!

I'm not sure if this means that the puffer is working or if I just happened to have a really good day. Or maybe it's because the weather has gone back to reasonable temperatures (around 20). Whatever the reason, I'm not complaining.

Pottery Class #8

My last pottery class. Boooooo. I spent the entire time painting and managed to get everything done. It helped that I painted almost everything with the same underglaze and had all the colours already planned out. I thought I was pushing it with all of my stuff but someone else was planning on glazing almost everything she made in the 8 weeks. Needless to say, she did not get them all done.

The only piece I didn't have completely planned was my plate so I save it until the end. I got a little tight on time so all my potential plans of fun lines or a drawing went out the window. I used the paints I had on hand and just threw something together. There is something to be said for not having time to over think about a design.

The bright green on the goblet is actually the clear glaze. The green is a food dye that apparently burns off in the kiln. It was a bit concerning while painting it on although I understand the practicality of it as it makes it easier to see while painting. It seems that a lot of the glazing process in pottery is experimentation and trust that the colours will change after firing. 

I got my bowl and vase back from last week. I like the bowl but the vase is much darker than I had anticipated and I'm not sure how I feel about it. It looks really red in the picture but under natural light and from further away, it's almost like a red/brown. I find it hides the texture of the vase. I'm going to see if it grows on me and if not, I think I'll take it to a drop in class and put a coat of blue or teal to try and brighten it up a bit.

I can't believe the classes are over, now what am I going to do with my Wed nights?

St. Micheals doctor appointment

Today, I had a dr appointment at St. Mikes. The good news is that my lung function went up one percent from last month which means it's hasn't continues to crash out. The bad news is it only increased one percent so it's still down from 3 months ago.

I'm still coughing more than usual and haven't really bounced back energy-wise from my cold but since I don't seem to be having any cold or flu-like symptoms, the doctor felt as though I have more of an inflammation rather than an infection.

[Just to refresh everyone, an infection is when the body comes in contact with a infectious organism, ie bacteria, fungi, virus; whereas inflammation is a reaction of the body to a stimulus or injury, ie allergies to pollen, asthma flare up to cold weather, or localized swelling after a bear mauling. A infection can cause inflammation but inflammation is not necessarily caused by infection.]

The doctor seemed much more concerned about my decreased oxygen stats than my lung function. I was worried they were going to hospitalize me and I was willing to agree as long as they let me go to my last pottery class tomorrow night (because, you know, priorities) but thankfully, the treatment plan is to try a steroid puffer ( Pulmicort; the brown one) and if things haven't improved in a week, start a crazy antibiotic cocktail mix. I really hope things improve in a week because being on three antibiotics simultaneously is never a fun time.

Even though it would seem with all my declines in the past little bit, that I would be bumped down to the 'level 2' group (level 2 is high priority, I double checked today) on the transplant list but no. The doctor today seemed to indicate that the change happens mostly if I'm hospitalized or if I'm not responding to any treatment. This is continues to be different than what the transplant clinic told me. I hope the two hospitals get in touch at some point.

I return to them in two weeks. I would really like this puffer to magically cure-all.

Tomato Goat Cheese Pie

Holy heat wave. It was 30+ degrees here today and while I don't like to complain about the heat after our crazy winter, it was too hot for me! I was starting to sweat just sitting on the bus. Thankfully physio wasn't very busy and I was able to have two fans on me almost the entire time.  It was slightly better at the apt where there was a bit of a breeze but I still can't believe it's time to turn on the AC already. It's only May!

Isaiah made a supper tonight as I was too busy complaining about the heat. I know I usually just share the stuff I've made, but this one was too good to pass up. He called it 'Tomato Goat Cheese Pie' but it was more of a giant calzone (except with pie dough) and used feta cheese. Seasoned with oil, salt, pepper, and basil. Delicious!

Yum!

Great Strides Walk!

Today is the Great Strides Walk where people all over the country will walk to raise money for CF research. Thank you people across the country! And thank you to everyone who donated to those people! If you wanted to sponsor my family and forgot, there is still time. You can do it here.
Even if you just want to leave a message wishing them well, they would appreciate that too. Thank you to everyone who supported them and CF research!

Speaking of CF research, really randomly, one of the ladies in my pottery class works with sputum samples from people with CF from the St. Mikes and the Sick Kids Hospitals. When I told her that I was waiting for a transplant due to CF, she was excited to tell me all about her research. She is an evolutionay microbiologist who studies the evolution of one of the common viruses in people as they age.

They hope that by understanding the adaptations of the virus, they will be able to come up with better treatments over a persons life. We tried to figure out if she would have any of my sputum samples but all of hers are over 8 months old so she wouldn't have any of my stuff. However, someone else in her lab looks at the antibiotic resistance of the new samples so my sputum has definitely been there. The research is happening and it's pretty exciting. Her research won't help me now but hopefully it can help young people with CF so they can keep their lungs as healthy for as long as possible.

Hope everyone has a great walk today! 

The CN Tower was blue and turquoise last night in honor of CF Awareness Month and the Great Strides Walk. I'm not sure how much awareness is raised by turning the tower blue but judging by the Tower's list of lightening schedule , it seems to be a thing that organizations do.