2008 no more!

Happy New Year everyone!

Morning, grumble grumble

Good Monday Morning all.
It's the last Monday of 2008. So far, it's bright and sunny outside. Maybe it's as warm as it looks, but I doubt it. I'll find out later when I go outside for my daily walk. It's part of the routine I'm supposed to go through to rid myself of the pneumonia as well as start to build up my stamina. Unfortunately none of my restrictions were lifted last week (due to said pneumonia), so it's more of sitting at home in front of the TV for me. If it was nicer out, I'm sure I'd do more outside (I'm kicking myself for not being more active pre-stem cell transplant now), like yesterday, but with the wheezing, coughing and other gross stuff, it is pretty much do my walk then get home and cough for a bit.

Enough about my misery. Here are my New Year's resolutions for 2009:
1. To not have cancer anymore and start to get back to my previous life (not something I can hold myself to so much, but I can try)
2. Lose weight. This one may be easy or not, depending on how things turn out. I'm down 20 lbs from when I went into the hospital in Oct. But since most of what I lost was muscle, there's still plenty of stuff to lose. That and I'm not supposed to be losing weight now, I'm supposed to be gaining a little a week or maintaining.

That's what I have so far. I still have a few days to come up with more, so I'll keep thinking about what else I'd like to work on for 2009.

I just have one hope. That 2009 is a much better year than 2008 was. Many people have great memories of 2008, and had enjoyable experiences. I too had a few, but overall, the year was probably the worst of my entire life. I'm looking forward to it being over. 2 more days. Then I can start 2009 miserable, but getting better, knowing I can look forward to the rest of the year and the good things it will bring.

Happy New Year all!

We wish you a merry mucus, and a happy new beard.

Bleh. The holidays suck. I'm feeling better in some ways, but I feel that my viral pneumonia (we've decided this is what I have) is holding me back. So over the last three or four days, I've starting having massive coughing fits. My body is trying to do something about my condition. It's just painful and horrible and disgusting, and that's just from Ti's comments as she watches me go through it. But apparently it's what will make me better. If I wasn't a cancer patient, we could use a humidifier to help break up my congestion, but alas, they're breeding grounds for all kinds of nasty things I shouldn't be near. I got an early present from the clinic; an incentive spirometer (yes Angela, they finally gave me one). I breathe into it, it makes me cough. It's kinda like a stationary bike for my lungs.

Anyway, enough about me. I'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I hope tomorrow brings you everything you wished for from Santa (but only if you were good), and that the hassles of dealing with family aren't too much.

I'll have some post-Christmas stuff to put up after the holidays. Until then, Merry Christmas!

These are not the droids you're looking for

Visited the Dana today and met with my actual doctor today for a little bit. The good news: they decided to let me go home and not keep me at the hospital for a few days. I reported yet another fever (the one I had on Tuesday) and the return of the coughing fits I had when I came home. He contemplated keeping me there, apparently, but instead told us I could go home. Also, officially I'm off of three more of the scripts I was on when I came home in November.
Bad news: because of my fever/cold/cough/general miserable health for the past few weeks, no restrictions lifted at all. Maybe next week (appointment set for Christmas Eve - that would be a great early present to get - dinner from Bertuccis or Uno's?) we'll get a clear for something. I'm still only on day +52 today, with another 48 to go before all of the restrictions are lifted and I can resume normal activities. Barring any more complications.
Really bad news: This isn't official from the doctor, but I may be showing signs of lung damage from one of my treatments. I've had a very fast heartbeat, and have also been unable to take deep breaths for a few weeks. It's better over the past few days, but I've also been coughing up stuff out of them. The doctor rattled off several causes for the heartbeat, including possible lung damage. Not enough O2 getting to where it needs to go, heart working a little harder to get me moving around. We'll keep an eye on this and see how it develops. I'm hoping with a little more moving around and exercise, I'll start to get back to normal.

According to Dr. F, we're still on for going to my folks next Thursday for dinner. Unless I'm still infected with whatever it is I have. We'll know in a few days if I'm going to kick this or not. I'm hoping I will.

Have a good snowy Friday night. Stay in and stay warm.

I finally found a benefit to not being able to go anywhere. When we get snowed in, it's just another day.

Not well, but at least I'm home. And miserable at home is better than hospital food.

So last night I had a fever. It was back up to 101. I did NOT call the clinic, because this is what I spent the weekend there for, only to be sent home without any reason why I was sick and nothing to take for it except for antibiotics. Which would be great and all, except I was told that most likely I have a viral infection.
I'll tell them how my week went on Friday. Today I haven't had a fever, but Ti made a pizza for lunch that didn't agree with either of us. I used to think that I knew what heartburn was. I was wrong.
Anyhoo, enough with the cheerful news. I think I'm done with my Christmas shopping, I'm 3 days away from maybe having some restrictions lifted (I think I'm jinxing myself by saying that in almost every post).

I'll talk to you all later. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll get to see some of you in the next few weeks. But we'll see. It's up to the doctors.

Home, again.

They let me out. Yesterday there was a new restriction added where they were making everyone (including Ti - apparently they thought she worked there) wear yellow vinyl gowns when coming into my room. Whatever it is that I have, they didn't want me spreading to everyone else, I guess. Even though they still don't know what that is yet. We go back to the Dana on Friday, and I'll meet with my doctor, and we'll see where we are at. I'll be at day +52, and even with the hospital stay, I should have a few restrictions lifted. Maybe.

That's it for today. I'll talk to y'all later.

Ugh. The hospital.

I've been re-admitted to the hospital. I spiked a fever yesterday morning, called the clinic and they told me to get there asap and pack a bag; I was getting a stay in a 4-star hospital room complete with room service, towel service, and free blood pressure and temperature checks every few hours.

It's been weird. I wasn't feeling great yesterday morning, but after all of the waiting around DF all day for the tests they wanted to run, I started feeling better. We got the DF around 9:30, and I wasn't getting settled into the hospital room until 7:30. They took my vitals and I still had a fever, and the rest of the vitals were a little off from what they've been, but nothing too bad, no flags.

This morning, I feel better, if I was home I wouldn't think anything was really wrong with me. But my heart rate has been really high, and my blood pressure has been really low. I can't explain it. I've been drinking, I ate this morning, I was even able to shower without any problems.

After all of the tests, the doctors are starting to think my infection is viral in nature. It's frustrating because it's interfering with not only my quality of life, but also my forward progress. I'm getting my energy back, and I want to start to do stuff, but with the infection lingering and causing all sorts of issues over the past month, I'm feeling limited. I get winded walking up even a small set of stairs right now, because the infection has been interfering with the amount of air I can draw in, and I can't really take a deep breath right now.

I should be home as early as tomorrow, if not then Monday.

I'll post again once I'm home. Just a little bump on this long road I'm travelling.