What a week!

How is everyone doing?

Ya'll BREATHING?!?!

What a week it has been!   My God! 

So - I'm a pretty open person.   I believe in advocacy.   I believe in educating folk.    While I am a pretty smart chick, I've got to say, I've got crappy genes.   I just do.    I have two genetic autoimmune issues.    Two.    Didn't ask for them.    Didn't "earn them" from bad habits.    Just the luck of the draw. 

I have something called Hashimoto's disease (AKA my thyroid is brokies) and PCOS.    It's a very chicken vs egg scenario.     I've dealt with the pain, the issues, etc for a long time and for the most part, I've got my body down.    I know what does what to do what and all that.    There are many times I'm in pain and you wouldn't even know it because I'm awesome at hiding it.    I do the best I can managing it.    It sucks because the illnesses are "invisible" but if I'm being completely honest, it could be way worse.

Five years ago THIS week, I went into pre-term labor with my daughter at work.    Wasn't good.   For some reason, my lungs got weak and it was a scary mess.   Thankfully, I had my amazing admin who got me to safety and Nora was FINE.    I was very close to losing her.    I'll never forget that experience.   April.    No buenos.   I never had asthma until after having Elliot.   Sometimes the doctors suspect asthma came on for me because when I was pregnant with Elliot, he kicked me so hard that he broke my ribs.    When I was further along with Nora and closer to her due date, she broke my ribs, too.     Makes me think of the book of Genesis in the Bible.   Damn ribs.   

Almost three years ago (again, in April), we got new carpet in the house.   At that time, Nora was learning how to scoot and was close to crawling etc and BAM.   Lungs quit.   Hospital time.   Scary.   At that time, they declared that I must be building up immunities to medicines despite having two autoimmune diseases.   

Here comes the irony.   Oh the irony.

Because of what happened five and three years ago, we made sure as a medical team to make sure I switch up my asthma meds every 2-2.5 years as a safety precaution.    I literally HAD AN APPOINTMENT SCHEDULED FOR TWO WEEKS AGO TO DO THIS but the Pulmonary doctors office had called and said they'd be canceling the appointment because of Corona/COVID-19.   They asked how I was feeling, if I felt my meds were still working, etc.... I was FINE.   For reals.   Fine.  No issues.   Nada. 

Last Friday, I woke up and I was short of breath.   It was down right terrifying.   I got up and I felt like I had run miles in my sleep.    I tried to calm down.   I did mindfulness things.   I took deep breaths in through my nose and out through pursed lips.   I hit the inhaler.   I grabbed the nebulizer.  It wasn't good.    I managed to get up and I stumbled to the bathroom.    At this point, my husband is terrified right along with me.   What in the world is going on!?! 

The children are sleeping.   I'm sitting in the bathroom and I'm just not okay.    I look at him, terrified, and I said, "I love you.   I love you.   I need you to call 911."

When the ambulance came, it honestly just made things worse at first.   Because of COVID-19/Corona, they did not want to come into the house.   They preferred that I'd come down to them.  At this point, my fingernails were blue and they needed to come and get me.    By the time I was in the ambulance, my Oxygen levels were in the 50's.    Everything was a blur.    Needless to say, I was admitted right away, tested for COVID/Corona and the doctors began working me up.   

Friday night into Saturday morning I was on the "Covid" floor.   What an interesting experience that was.   I learned a lot about what this illness is and what really isn't being reported in the media.   For example, when it gets to the lungs... you're already screwed.   Sorry, no nicer way to put it.   Many people are having GI issues first or shrugging things off as allergies.    I learned that hot water with lemon, and any hot beverages are the way to go.   Social distancing and masks are no joke.   Once my test came back negative, I was still on the breathing machine, so I had to stay in my own secluded room.    Anyone who came in was in a special suit.  No visitors.   Friday night sleeping was hard and interrupted but I was slowly improving.    By Saturday, I had been cleared from my second testing and moved to another floor with a room-mate.   However, because I still had to use the breathing machine from time to time and it had "particles" I was only with a room-mate for about three hours until I got my own room again.    Saturday I was making improvements but my lungs decided on one last mood swing and I needed medical intervention by an entire team of doctors again.    By about 10pm Saturday, life was good.    We got my body adjusted, my blood sugars were improving (not diabetic), and all of my other tests came back FINE.    All day Sunday was spent on Oxygen and I was literally improving hour by hour.    The real test was sleeping on Sunday night.   If I could sleep on Sunday without my O2 levels dropping and without the Oxygen, they'd discuss me going home on Monday.

I needed to be distracted and luckily they did let my husband at least drop off a bag in the lobby with my laptop.    Not even kidding, I was THRILLED about online education while in the hospital.   I kept myself entertained with school work, coming up with fun ways to talk about The Little Prince with my students, watched some Netflix, just kept myself CHILLLLLL.    I woke up Monday morning at 4am to the tip tap of a nurse doing my labs and my third and final COVID-CORONA test.   I passed all my physical tests, I promised to be a good girl, I scored some free samples of the new meds, I had meds called into the CVS in town for me and by 2pm my dear buddy was at the hospital picking me up to drive me home.   

This week I've been keeping a journal on the med portal with my doctor and I'm feeling so much better.    Despite my new medication being $324 a month, plus being on some steroids, I'm doing quite well.    Next week I have a video appointment and then I go and see Pulmonary.     I am never ever allowing the Pulmonary office to cancel me again.   Ever. 

I'm so blessed that despite these two autoimmunes, being a bit fat, and having crap lungs - I'm pretty healthy, LOL.   Heart/ticker are good.   Blood sugar/blood pressure good.   CBC with differential, good.   Lipids, cholesterol, good good good.   

I'm optimistic about the new meds.   But because this really did scare the crap out of me.... I put "Don't die" on my Google Calendar for April for the next four years just in case.

Mad love to my amazing work family for these GORGEOUS flowers!   They really perked all of us up here at home.    My son LOVES Monarch butterflies!