Ready for Things to Start Calming Down

So I apologize in advance for all the pitiful poor me posts. It has just seemed to rain shit lately! Once one thing starts looking up, something else pops up. So I have this wonderful an exciting thing coming up with Intrepid… which might I add that as of right now it is 15 days until I go to training camp for the week. Which might I add worked out perfectly for me to be able to get vacation days the week of Thanksgiving. I will have off Monday and Tuesday, work Wednesday, off Thursday, then work black Friday. The following morning we will be going to Llano for our family's Thanksgiving. Then will have a long training week out in Dripping Springs for Intrepid. So all this is great.

This last Monday, I get sick AGAIN!!! I had to take off early Monday night and ended up having to take the rest of the week. Man, do I have timing or what?? I mean I guess it could have been worse, it could have been the week of training. But it doesn't look that great missing almost a week of work before taking VACATION! I sooooo blessed because I have the best manager ever though and work for such a wonderful company. They truly understand my special needs and never make me feel bad about it.

So this time (I am not sure if I said in my last post, but Mom was sick again as well). Hit me like a ton of bricks… I started coughing and having that "tickling" feeling in my throat--which means drainage--which typically means its going right into my lungs. Even though I really had no other outward symptoms, we called Dr. Shapiro's office and his assistant, Barbara Jones called me in some azithromycin antibiotic and some Pulmicort steroid nebulizer meds. By about Wednesday my nose started up. Kind of the cross between running and stuffed up and felt all "sneezy and itchy" … Man I tell you, I haven't been that miserable in a while. Because my muscles are so weak, I can barely blow my nose. Even what I could, nothing much would come out. My docs office didn't want me to take any antihistamines because in someone like me it can cause all secretions to thicken and can get mucus plugs and such in my lungs. By the time the nasal congestion had gotten really bad, I had completed my azithromycin. We were doing nebulizer treatments 3-4x a day, CPT, and cough assist … even though my cough seemed to have gone away. Anyone that knows me knows it ALWAYS goes to my lungs. I was having to take Afrin 2x a day just to be able to breath and had to take Nyquil to sleep. My nose was so irritated it started bleeding. So by Friday, I called Barbara back and she finally agreed to let me have Astelin (which I call the super nose spray--its what helped me get over my last sickness) and it is an antihistamine. She also put me on another antibiotic, Levaquin. Barbara also told me to try nasal irrigation with a Neti-Pot… but this scared me and I couldn't think of how I would be able to position my head right to work. I had even resorted to putting mentholatum up my nose, and sitting in the bathroom with steam going to ease my sinuses. This is how I looked...

Note how swollen my right eye is and the red side of my nose--this was my worst side for congestion. The other side, I was obviously kind of black and blue under my eye. Not sure what caused that other than just pure sinus inflammation. So since I couldn't do the Neti-Pot… my best friend Jessica, which suffers from SEVERE allergies, told me to try this other type of nasal irrigation that doesn't involve tilting your head. 

http://oceannasalcare.com/products/ocean-complete-sinus-irrigation/

I have NEVER done this sort of thing before. It is not the most comfortable experience, kinda gross and scary as well because you can feel it going down in the back of your throat and you feel like you may aspirate or choke. But I have to say… this is the best thing since sliced bread!! I felt totally cleaned out and was able to blow out what was bothering me so much. I combined this with Sudafed, and started my Astelin yesterday and totally I am almost totally well. I can't believe that I kept all of this crap out of my lungs. I think this was my first official sinus infection.

All of this while my dad is on vacation too… my poor mom had to handle me all by herself.

No new news on my wound other than it is continuing to show improvement. I think it was down to 0.7 on the last visit and the circumference was smaller all the way around as well. I am on my last Apligraf… next week I will start Dermagraft.

Did I mention that there is only 15 days until Intrepid comes home?? <smile>

Here is a picture that was posted on Texas Hearing and Service Dogs website. Might I encourage you all to become a fan on FaceBook and also make a donation through their website.

THSD Director of Training Al Kordowski and President Sheri Soltes take Service Dog Intrepid to an open house hosted by a law firm in downtown Austin - roof top!