Today is Friday, so im on day 6 of my hospital stay.
I saw my consultant yesterday and after our chat i was feeling quite positive. My lung function has improved slightly, its gone from 32% to 36% which is what is was in clinic 2 weeks ago so i was pleased with that.
We discussed my fatigue and how we think it isn't entirely down to the infection.
The first thing to look at was the gas exchanges. Retaining carbon dioxide is very common in cf, it can make you sleepy and give you severe headaches which i also experience, so this morning at 6am the Dr came round and took a blood test from my wrist. Unlike normal blood tests that are taken from the vein, blood gases are taken from the artery (arterial blood) the needle has to go quite a lot deeper and its sometimes difficult to get a sample as the artery can be difficult to find, however i was quite lucky this morning and had an experienced Dr who managed to get the sample first time so not to much digging around :)
I also had a oximeter test over night to measure my oxygen levels when im asleep as it is common also for the oxygen levels to drop when asleep which would result in needing overnight oxygen. Its a simple test, just a probe on my finger attached to a small machine strapped around my wrist whilst i sleep. My physio is due to see me soon so will discuss the results with me, i am slightly worried as when i turned over in the night a few times i looked at the machine and it was only reading 89% was 86% at one point eeek :(
I am also waiting for another round of bloods to be taken. I am anemic and take iron supplements but they want to check im on the right dose as anemia is a main cause of fatigue. They will also test my thyroid function, then the normal kind of tests like infection levels, full blood count and a load of other stuff that i cant remember at the minute but basically a lot of blood is being taken
I have been feeding every night( a bag of what is like a milkshake is hung up, and dripped in to my stomach over 8 hours via a tube that goes up my nose, to the back of my throat and in to my stomach giving me vital calories firstly to gain weight and secondly to give me the energy to fight the infection) the feed im having is 2000 calories, on top of that im also on a sip feed (meaning i drink it instead of having it through an NG tube) which is 1200 calories and i need to make sure i drink all of it throughout the day, they are also encouraging me to eat which i am finding really difficult as i just have no appetite, im managing fruit and biscuits but struggle to eat a full meal once a day let alone 3, dad has been bringing me a hamburger most nights which i eat with bit of a struggle, but i have gained a kilo in 6 days so the feeding regime is defiantly working well.
I'm also having a liter of fluid at night, again for 8 hours and this is dripped in to a vein to keep me hydrated as im not managing to drink very much in the day either. Although its sometimes a pain feeding and being hydrated artificially it does take the pressure of to consume so many calories when i feel to poorly to eat.
Well my physio is here now so i will continue this post when she has left to tell you about the antibiotics im on, and 'the plan of action' to get my chest feeling better
Till then....x
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