Health Update 2-5-10

Things were up and down last month. A couple weeks into the month, it seemed like things took a turn for the worse again. My oxygen requirements increased, my shortness of breath was worse, and I was feeling pretty weak. Last Friday (1-29) I saw my pulmonologist. She had the results from a recent sputum culture and, based on those findings, took me off Tobi (the nebulizer medicine for the pseudomonas) and put me on an oral antibiotic for something else that looked like it was pretty low-level at the time of the specimen collection. She also prescribed me a steroid inhaler to calm things down and digestive enzymes to aid absorption.

Over the weekend I actually felt worse. However, just a week later, it seems things are taking hold. I think it just took my system several days to adjust to everything but lots of little indicators (O2 levels, heart rate, strength, mood, and more) have improved sufficiently to indicate to me that maybe this concoction is what my body needs to do some healing and get back to optimum, what ever that is for me.

I was also able to get referred to several other specialists in the UCLA system and have set up appointments over the next couple months. This is truly an answer to prayer - at the beginning of December I was afraid I was going to have to wait until November of 2010 to switch!

Brief Health Update

The last 2-3 weeks have been good. I finally feel like things might be turning around for the better. While I have been left with little reserves and am, in many respects, worse than I was several months ago, I do finally feel like I can say "this week was better than last" and have been able to for a few. I think there are a few factors going into this: diet, exercise, and state of mind. I have been paying special attention to all three relative to my general health. I also want to bring prayer to attention: I can think of at least five instances in the past month where people have specifically prayed for my health and am sure that's playing a role.

I switched my primary care physician to a doctor with UCLA so [the Western Medicine portion of] my care can be better facilitated among the various and sundry specialists.

I have one goal for 2010 health-wise: take a more active role in the maintenance and management of my own health. Of course, that's one of those poorly-worded vague, immeasurable goals. Thus, I need another one: gain 30 lbs by the end of the year.

A Candid Update

I must come clean. I haven't been exactly forthcoming with you, my loyal readers. I have actually been on disability leave from work since early August - soon after I had the first reaction to the Nebulizer. The intent was to take a few months, get things normalized, put on some weight and strength, and get back to work around the first of next year.

Thus far, this has not happened.

Since my last post, things have been a bit rough. I had a bad bout with GI problems for about a month which exacerbated everything else - you can't heal if you aren't digesting your food. Pulmonary got worse, I lost a few more pounds (all of which seems to have been muscle mass), and all that together certainly hasn't helped my mental and psychological well-being.

I also kind of feel like I have lost my way. Not working is making me feel unproductive; although I have personal projects to work on, I am a bad procrastinator and waste a lot of time on useless crap from browsing the web to watching NCIS reruns to playing Spider Solitaire, obsessively undo-ing and re-attempting until I beat every game. Man I am neurotic. Also, as a result of the further weight loss and the requirement for supplemental oxygen, I haven't ridden my motorcycle in about a month.

There has been a glimmer of hope the last couple weeks though. I don't want to jinx it, but I can say I feel a bit better than a couple weeks ago. I saw a new pulmonologist at UCLA on the 6th who I really like. She's proactive and has some new ideas on both defeating my acute problems and managing my chronic condition. This has certainly improved my outlook, if nothing else.