That's literally true.
Note for those who don't read on FB - if you want to come see me in the next few months you MUST have a current flu vaccination for this season. I can't take the risk, and I (sadly) can't risk being around kids. I can trust adults to wash their hands and not sneeze on me (or whatever), but the stakes are too high for me right now to risk kid energy and kid germs. Note that it takes a full two weeks for you to reach full immunity with the flu shot. I cannot get one myself until this current issue is resolved. Even if you don't plan to see me, you should still get a flu shot. :) This has been going around the webs today, and I think it's good information for people who are worried about vaccination with all the B.S. that's been going around the web lately - http://www.redwineandapplesauce.com/2013/10/28/setting-the-record-straight-dubunking-all-the-flu-vaccine-myths/
The process of getting oxygen support was interesting - they cleared me to leave the hospital but I couldn't go until a portable tank was delivered to my room. The way it works is the medical supply company delivered an emergency tank with a four hour supply to my room, and then followed us all the way home (we live about 60 miles from the hospital) to install a big oxygen concentrator machine in our dining room with two 50 foot tubes that basically keep me on a leash around the house. He also left me with smaller, 7 pound canisters and a backpack to carry one at a time in.
When we went back out to pick up prescriptions and food on Saturday evening I took one of the emergency tanks with me. Those work on negative pressure - they only deliver oxygen when I inhale through my nose. The concentrator delivers a steady stream at steady pressure.
The way it's worked out is thanks to the weirdly skinny and tall nature of our house, the fifty foot tube is enough to get from the dining room down to the couch, and up into the master bedroom and even into the shower if I need it, so I haven't had to use the rescue tanks or lug them up and down the stairs at all, which is nice.
I slept with the oxygen on Saturday night, but other than that really haven't needed it except to take the stairs (both up and down). I spent most of yesterday and today in my office (same floor as the kitchen) and per doctors orders have been getting up once every hour or so to work on my breathing with the incentive thingy-whose-real-name-I-can't-remember, and do 5-10 minutes of "comfortable" activity. So that's amounted to making a snack or putting my dishes in the dishwasher, starting to organize my pill bottles for the next round of chemo, some small picking up and shuffling of crap around my office. I'm moving a little faster today and not getting out of breath, but I'll continue to use the concentrator for anything involving the stairs until I can do that without breathing heavily, and I don't intend to leave the house until I'm done with my course of tamiflu and antibiotics, and my fancy new face mask has arrived - I ordered a pack of those generic paper ones they give away at the hospital, and a fancier one with exhalation vents which I hope will be comfortable for public use, so I can do things like go to the movies or the grocery store with more protection for my lungs.
At that point I'll start venturing out with the mask and the rescue tank and see how I do.
I'm spending this week really (for real, I promise) doing the stuff I need to do so I can feel comfortable shutting down my work email client on Friday and not opening it again for several months. This morning coincided with open enrollment starting for benefits for next year. Tomorrow I'll start the disability stuff. I've killed most of the meetings on my calendar, but am keeping a few open so I can do an official handoff by phone on to close a few open loops and say goodbye for now to the people I work closely with.
I expect things to be quiet for the next few days. I'll start having followup visits to assess when I'm ready to start chemo and get that node biopsied early next week. Otherwise I've got nothing to do but get better.
Note for those who don't read on FB - if you want to come see me in the next few months you MUST have a current flu vaccination for this season. I can't take the risk, and I (sadly) can't risk being around kids. I can trust adults to wash their hands and not sneeze on me (or whatever), but the stakes are too high for me right now to risk kid energy and kid germs. Note that it takes a full two weeks for you to reach full immunity with the flu shot. I cannot get one myself until this current issue is resolved. Even if you don't plan to see me, you should still get a flu shot. :) This has been going around the webs today, and I think it's good information for people who are worried about vaccination with all the B.S. that's been going around the web lately - http://www.redwineandapplesauce.com/2013/10/28/setting-the-record-straight-dubunking-all-the-flu-vaccine-myths/
The process of getting oxygen support was interesting - they cleared me to leave the hospital but I couldn't go until a portable tank was delivered to my room. The way it works is the medical supply company delivered an emergency tank with a four hour supply to my room, and then followed us all the way home (we live about 60 miles from the hospital) to install a big oxygen concentrator machine in our dining room with two 50 foot tubes that basically keep me on a leash around the house. He also left me with smaller, 7 pound canisters and a backpack to carry one at a time in.
When we went back out to pick up prescriptions and food on Saturday evening I took one of the emergency tanks with me. Those work on negative pressure - they only deliver oxygen when I inhale through my nose. The concentrator delivers a steady stream at steady pressure.
The way it's worked out is thanks to the weirdly skinny and tall nature of our house, the fifty foot tube is enough to get from the dining room down to the couch, and up into the master bedroom and even into the shower if I need it, so I haven't had to use the rescue tanks or lug them up and down the stairs at all, which is nice.
I slept with the oxygen on Saturday night, but other than that really haven't needed it except to take the stairs (both up and down). I spent most of yesterday and today in my office (same floor as the kitchen) and per doctors orders have been getting up once every hour or so to work on my breathing with the incentive thingy-whose-real-name-I-can't-remember, and do 5-10 minutes of "comfortable" activity. So that's amounted to making a snack or putting my dishes in the dishwasher, starting to organize my pill bottles for the next round of chemo, some small picking up and shuffling of crap around my office. I'm moving a little faster today and not getting out of breath, but I'll continue to use the concentrator for anything involving the stairs until I can do that without breathing heavily, and I don't intend to leave the house until I'm done with my course of tamiflu and antibiotics, and my fancy new face mask has arrived - I ordered a pack of those generic paper ones they give away at the hospital, and a fancier one with exhalation vents which I hope will be comfortable for public use, so I can do things like go to the movies or the grocery store with more protection for my lungs.
At that point I'll start venturing out with the mask and the rescue tank and see how I do.
I'm spending this week really (for real, I promise) doing the stuff I need to do so I can feel comfortable shutting down my work email client on Friday and not opening it again for several months. This morning coincided with open enrollment starting for benefits for next year. Tomorrow I'll start the disability stuff. I've killed most of the meetings on my calendar, but am keeping a few open so I can do an official handoff by phone on to close a few open loops and say goodbye for now to the people I work closely with.
I expect things to be quiet for the next few days. I'll start having followup visits to assess when I'm ready to start chemo and get that node biopsied early next week. Otherwise I've got nothing to do but get better.
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