Quick Health Update

Not a whole lot to report. I've been off the IV antibiotics for a week and off the oral antibiotic since Friday. I've been doing the breathing treatments with the nebulizer, which seem to be doing the trick. The albuterol that I mix the antibiotic in with makes me a bit jittery after the treatment. I discovered that it's similar to adrenaline so that's not much of a surprise. The adrenaline crash is part of the reaction too.

I'm generally feeling like the infection is gone. I still cough up a little stuff but it's not menacing like before. I didn't feel great this afternoon - kind of full, bloated and uncomfortable after my afternoon smoothie. I think maybe it's too big. I also had a long couple days at work so I was just generally kind of wiped out.

I started tracking my diet last week using a website called FitDay. By late afternoon the first day I was only up to 1250 calories and got disheartened and quit tracking. I still need to get back to the gym. It's tough to do when one doesn't have any energy reserves at the end of the day, but I know it'll help my lungs and my appetite both.

Quality Time With Grandma Jean

Grandma Jean, my mom's mom, has been visiting from Florida for about a week and a half. She leaves tomorrow to return home. We've been having a good time and I took a couple days off last week to hang out with her. Some of the highlights include:

• Eating at both my favorite breakfast places (Rudy's and Crème de la Crêpe)
• Selecting pictures from Grandma Grace's 100th birthday party for a collage (seen at the end of this post)
• Watching classic family favorites like It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World and The Princess Bride
• Greek food at George's Greek Cafe in Long Beach (The roasted shoulder of lamb special on Friday nights is the best lamb and some of the best meat I've ever eaten)
• And lots of Pinochle!

It's been a fun week and a half and I'll be sad to see her leave. I'm already planning my next trip out to Florida - hopefully around November.

Long-Term Treatment

As of today, I finished the IV antibiotics and started the nebulized (inhaled) antibiotics, which will be a long-term thing. I finish the oral antibiotics Friday. The intent is that whatever the IV and oral didn't kill off, the nebulizer will keep suppressed. I am, quite honestly, glad to be done with both the oral and the IV antibiotics. The oral are starting to bother my stomach and the PICC line is often itchy. I feel much better than a month ago and can only hope that the nebulizer does the trick.

On another note, I did a bit of Googling and discovered that Vita-Mix offers a medical needs program. I called to confirm and found that it was indeed true - all you need is a note with affirmation of medical necessity from your doctor. Considering I've lost 1/3 of my body weight since I was "healthy," I certainly think I qualify, and my immunologist agreed to write the note for me. Some might wonder if a Vita-Mix is simply overpriced hype. I was certainly skeptical until I used my grandma's. It blew every other blender out of the water - and it's about 20 years old. When I made smoothies, it even pulverized the berry seeds (which unlocks the nutrients within). I'm confident that it will be a big help toward returning to a healthy weight.

I've been a slacker and haven't kept a dietary journal. I'll start this week.