Lost Battle

Well I'm afraid the cold won.

I started IV's today, I'm quite fed up if I'm honest. It's only about 4 or 5 weeks since my last set of IV's.

After my last post I developed a terrible productive cough and by the Friday I was coughing up about 2 sputum pots worth of sputum a day, I usually cough up about half a pot in a day. I'm not sure how much one sputum pot holds, maybe 60mls? I literally had to have a pot with me at all times as every time I coughed, sputum came up and it was large and thick. I was also coughing sputum up in the night which I don't usually do and waking up covered in sweat.

So I called the hospital on Thursday and asked if I could start oral ciprofloxacin, I was told by a Doctor I don't know that I needed to come to outpatients on the next day. So I went to outpatients the next day which was a pain as the fridge man was coming anytime before 1pm and my appointment was at 1.10pm, so Pete had to finish work at lunchtime as the guy still hadn't arrived by 12 and I didn't know how long he would take when he arrived. In the end he arrived at 12.15 and was gone by 12.30, but Pete had set off by then. Never mind!

At outpatients I was informed that in future to ask for one of the main CF doctors as they would have just put me straight on IVs or just told me to take cipro without seeing me, how frustrating!! Anyway my lung function was actually up to 44%, my weight was stable and my sats were 'acceptable' so I was sent home on cipro and told to phone back on Monday to update them.

Saturday was a horrible day, I think the cipro made my whole body ache and was coughing so much it was hurting my back and shoulders. I had to cancel the night out for my friends birthday and my friend wanted me to at least go around to see them before they went into town, but I couldn't face having to cough in to a pot in front of my friends and their friends who I don't even know. I hate seeing people cough up sputum and I have CF, so I can imagine how much it freaks other people out and it's just so embarrassing!

On Sunday afternoon I started to feel better, I was coughing less and even though I was still coughing loads of sputum up, it was less then previously. So on Monday I called the hospital and said I was improving, so I was told to give it a few more days on the cipro.

By Thursday I'd had enough, I am still coughing, there is just sputum sat constantly in my throat and in my chest, when I breath I can hear it bubbling and I'm starting to get headaches from the coughing. However now I am also getting breathless easily, for example I cleaned the table last night after tea and couldn't catch my breath to shout Alfie to come in from outside. When I do my physio it's like my chest tightens up and even though I know there is sputum there I can't get it up. So I've started IV's today, tobramycin and ceftazidime, I asked for tobramycin as I think it's better than colomycin, plus it's once day so easier to organise around!

My lung function today was fev1 39% fvc 54%, weight is still stable but my sats are 94% which seems low for me. Nobody seems concerned about it though, I suppose it just backs up the fact I'm feeling breathless.

I have been up to other things, my like doesn't revolve around CF even though you might think so reading this blog at times! When you have CF you soon learn that the world carries on and so must you. Pete and I went for Tapas last night, I watched Come Dine with Me on Saturday and she made Tapas and I just had an urge for it so we went the next day. My knitting project is coming on well and I can now cast on and cast off, wahoo! I've also been doing my voluntary work and meeting my new mentee this week and I'm going for a massage session/training which should be good!

Gemma vs the Common Cold

Our fridge has broken! I noticed my milk in my cereal wasn't very cold, so investigated and it turns out the fridge is about 18 degrees, so warmer than the house I think! Luckily I have my IV fridge to use (having CF can have benefits) and all the food seemed OK. So we are finally getting someone to fix it on Friday (its been broken for about a week now), at least having to walk into the spare room to get items out of the other fridge is giving us some exercise...!

My knitting is going well, I can now knit, pearl and do ribbing. I am starting my first proper item soon but I can't say what is is as it's a surprise for someone and they might read this blog!

Poor Alfie has had a bit of a rough week, I took him to the vets on Monday as he keeps getting tummy problems, its gargles so loud and he won't eat and is sick. The vet has suggested a bland diet and given us some medicine to give him when his belly starts to gurgle to help it settle. I was asked if I knew how to use a syringe to give the medicine which made me smile... Anyway he can now only have fish, chicken, turkey, rice, pasta and mash potato. No more pork chops and sausages!! (supplied by my dad for free from his work). He is also on a special dog food for his breakfast that is for dogs with sensitive tummy's and has probiotics in it. Who knew dogs dietary requirements were so complex?! On top of this he has conjunctivitis, very common in chihuahuas as they have massive eyes that stick out and are so close to the ground so get all the dust in them, so he has to have eye drops which seem to have given him the runs! I was welcomed yesterday morning by a kitchen full of his dinner all thrown back up and poo everywhere. Anyway it seems to have settled now and he is back to his cheeky self, fingers crossed!

I haven't had a great few days myself to be honest, I felt fine last week and went to Stockport on Friday to meet a friend and then out for a meal in the evening for my brothers birthday.

Then on Saturday morning I woke with a sore throat so gargled TCP and did vicks first defence all day. By Sunday I had throbbing sinuses, I swear I thought if I looked in a mirror the whole area around my eyes and top of my nose would be visibly throbbing! I continued with the TCP and vicks first defence as well as taking sudafed and plenty of pain killers and went down to Derby to catch up with my friends from university, probably not the best idea but it's been planned for months and I wasn't going to cancel because of a stupid cold.

Sunday night I dreamt I had the worst ear ache ever and then promptly woke up and realised it was true, I was so scared something had crawled in my ear it hurt so much! Pain killers took the pain away thankfully and I managed to fall back asleep easily. On Monday the sinus pain seemed to have settled, I had/have increased my sinus nasal wash to twice a day so perhaps that has helped, i've given up with the vicks first defence. However I now seem to have developed a raspy cough which makes my throat and top of my chest feel red raw, every time I cough I think I might cough up a tonsil or something but so far it's just sputum thankfully!

So my plan of action is as follows: have sputum pot available for me to cough into as otherwise i'll have toilet problems next and be feeling sick as sputum is difficult to digest if you swallow it! Continue to gargle TCP twice a day, continue to do sinus nasal rinse twice a day and do hypertonic saline nebuliser 4 times a day (usually done twice a day) to keep chest clear and stop mother f*cking cold reaching my lungs. I've just had IV's, my body is strong. My body is a temple. I WILL fight this...!

Birthday

Gosh, I don't know where the time has gone!

It was my birthday on Wednesday and it involved quite alot of eating! I went over to Hull with my Mum to see my youngest brother as he is at University there. We had a nosey around his accommodation and then went out for lunch. Then in the evening Pete took me out for Chinese and I ate loads! I think the lunch must have expanded my stomach in preparation.

I got a new charm for my Pandora bracelet, its my birthday stone which is purple and also my favourite colour, coincidence or not?! I also got some pj's, slippers, blu ray dvds, little purple clutch bag and then Pete is taking me to Hever Castle in April as my present, can't wait! I also got some money which is just going into our surrogacy savings.

On Thursday I went to Scope to end my latest partnership and look at starting a new one and then I had my knitting lesson in the evening. I can now pearl stitch although not very good, I keep making it too tight for some reason so got to work on making the loops looser. I'm really enjoying the lessons, it's nice to have a good chat with the lovely lady who teaches me as well as learn something new!

On Friday Pete and I went to Manchester to see a solicitor about surrogacy and then for some strange reason I went to bed at 9.30pm as I suddenly felt incredibly tired and literally as soon as my head hit the pillow I was asleep! No idea what that was about as I'm feeling pretty good at the moment. Sometimes I have lots of energy and feel great and wonder what it must be like to have this much energy all the time, I think I'd be running around like a loony! No wonder other people can do so much in a day!

On Saturday we went out with some of my family to this pub that was having a band night and raising money for CF. There wasn't much awareness raising, just a few posters and money collection tins, we entered a raffle but moved on to another pub before announced the winner! Damn it!

My skin is so bad now though, I have all red bits around my eyes and on my forehead, must have drunk too much and now I'm old it affects me more! My skin has been really dry around my eyes though since I was on IV's, I'm using aqueous cream but it doesn't seem to be doing much! So now I have dry and red skin, argh! I'm also sick of been blocked up, movicols don't seem to be doing much, think I'm going to have to up my dose to two a day instead of one a day.

Here are some pictures from Saturday night