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!