Hospital Time

Nick is back in the hospital for the second time in 2 months. He really needs sinus surgery but for some reason the sinus DR doesn't want to do surgery at this time. I don't think he has felt good for over 2 years. I read in a book once when a child with Cystic Fibrosis breathes it is like someone was sitting on their chest. They have to work that much harder to breathe then we do. To many of us take life for granted, if you have your health you are already a head of the game. Nick had a port put in this morning and we hope it will do a better job then a pic line. It will stay in for a couple of years instead of just a six to eight week period. He has so many scars on his arms from the pic lines he said people probably think he is a drug addict. The port goes in under the collar bone and near the lung. He will get meds through the port for 3 weeks. His mom said it takes about 8 hours to go through all the meds and that doesn't include his breathing and percussion treatments. Nick will be pretty much home bound except for very short periods of time for 3 weeks.

Intravenous (IV) medication administration refers to the process of giving medication directly into a patient's vein. The primary purpose of giving IV medications is to initiate a rapid systemic response to medication. It is one of the fastest ways to deliver medication. The drug is immediately available to the body. It is easier to control the actual amount of drug delivered to the body by using the IV method and it is also easier to maintain drug levels in the blood for therapeutic response.

I just want him to feel as good as possible!

Angels Among Us

I just read one of my co-workers here at ESSDACK latest blog http://iswearitstrue.com/ and it reminded me of a time we had a tire blow out on I-70. We left early one morning to get Nick to Childrens Mercy in Kansas City for sinus surgery and tonsil removal. Just out of Emporia I was passing a semi at 70 miles an hour, another semi right behind me and the tire blew. Well our guardian angel was looking out for us because this grandma remained as calm as she has ever been and pulled to the left because there was no where else to go. After the traffic had passed us by we moved to the right side of the interstate, breathed a sigh of relieve and collected ourselves. Our first thought, "THANK YOU GOD WE ARE STILL A LIVE AND WELL". Second thought was how were we going to get Nick to his surgery third was how were two women and two small children going to change the tire and get Nick to his appointment on time. Fourth thought "THANK YOU GOD WE ARE STILL A LIVE AND WELL"!!! Thank goodness for cell phones because we called grandpa and he called Cooper Tire in Emporia. I should say thank goodness for cell phones, heavenly angels and earthy angels. By earthly angels I mean grandpa with his quick thinking, Cooper Tire for sending two very nice men to quickly change the tire and we were on our way. We made it to Childrens Mercy on time! I always thought we would do something for Cooper Tire when going through Emporia for more of Nick's Cystic Fibrosis appointments but lots of appointments and years later we haven't. Heavenly angels I KNOW we have them "WE ARE A LIVE AND WELL" to prove it! Nick is now on his 10th or so sinus surgery and is getting ready for another one which is something that comes along with CF.

Therapy Begins

Spring is finally here and that means cleaning out flower beds and pots, trimming off the old dead foliage before the new sets on. I "LOVE" this time of year because it seems to be therapy for me and gives me a new lease on life. Give me a hand spade some plants or seeds and turn me loose! Even the crabby elderly backyard neighbor can't get me down, at least not until he starts trimming MY vines off of MY fence which he has HIS roses growing on (well that is another story). The redbirds, finches, wrens and even the sparrows give way with song while I work. Work did I say work I meant while I'm doing therapy. We have a small yard so it doesn't take long before it starts to take shape. I usually don't like to start planting bedding plants until the first of May. I'm afraid it will frost and kill them but with 80 degrees it is making it hard to wait. I like spring-a-rye baskets hanging from the patio roof, silver lace vine on the fence, geraniums, alyssum, lime green sweet potato vine in the window boxes. Zinnias, black eyed susan, bunny grass, lilies and hosta in the flower beds. I tend to use pinks, lavenders, purple, yellow and white. I like to use old chairs, old metal wash tubs, watering cans and a wooden wheel barrow that Dennis's dad made for us, for containers. I like bird houses, bird baths, fountains, and old wagons. On my patio is an old buffet painted white with a small table and chairs. Above the buffet is a candle chandelier and a picture painted on an old screen. There are a couple of rocking chairs, for guess who, and a big pot of impatience. Are you starting to feel my therapy yet? If not...to each his own.

Now I don't like hot weather and it gets "HOT" here in Kansas. You will only find me out doing therapy in the early morning or later in the evening. The time goes by so quickly I might be out there for hours before I realize it. It is sort of like some people I work with at ESSDACK that can be on the computer for hours on end when they are at home. I don't get that but...to each his own!