Breathing

Recently, I was forced to visit the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital... I was having trouble breathing, one of the worst feelings in the world. I couldn't imagine having asthma or another respiratory disease, in fact I don't know why anyone would smoke for that matter(just throwing that out there). Before I back to the ICU, lets go over how I got there....

Thursday night I was feeling pretty good, I ate some pizza for my second meal, as I was still starving and my aunt had graciously snuck it up for me(not that it was an illegal move or anything). Now I know it wasn't the pizza that made me sick, so don't put that in your head. Some freak bacteria-fungal-viral-parasitic something entered my body that night. By morning I was at a milder fever that would begin to get worse as the days progressed. My fever bounced around ranging from 39.0-42.0, hardly ever dipping to anywhere close to normal. I was sweltering all day, shaking at times, I didn't have hot and cold flashes, but the constant heat was good enough. Of course no one likes being sick, but over four days of having a steady fever you begin to worry.

I was/am still in good hands; as soon as the fever struck blood cultures were ordered, I was rushed to be put on antibiotics, since I was so low with neutrophils I was very prone to infection for a few more days. I had the Respiration Team checking in on me periodically. Then the had the Infectious Disease Team in my room also periodically checking... Let's see if my calculations are correct, I have had about 10,453 chest examinations since two Fridays ago. But who's counting?! I also had like five chest X-rays, one of which I was standing and then suddenly passed out luckily to have said "I am dizzy" and gave enough time for the technician to save my head from the floor. I actually felt a little better after the fainting incident, but it didn't last long. I kept on saying that I would like to faint again... But it probably wouldn't have been a good idea.

So, no eating, cause it was hard to get strength to handle...You know that crap they give you. So I haven't really been eating much until the past four days.

Friday night(almost a week ago) I was having breathing problems, about three days before I had been put on oxygen just to be safe, keep a steady flow. By very late Friday night I was on a steep downward slide, I could barely put out a sentence when the ICU doctor came to see me. He said I better get to the unit immediately...I was on my way.

The name Intensive Care Unit is scary enough, but when they mention tubes, lungs, risk, infection, it seems a lot more scary. It is definitely not a very great place to be, people look bad down there, laying around barely moving, tubes coming out of their bodies....Hospitals I guess are supposed to be like that. But when it might happen to you, you help but feel scared. If my lungs got bad, I would have to be put out and attached to the artificial lung system...That was scary enough, but relieved I "only" had to get a very uncomfortable mask strapped to my face that forced me to trace in oxygen. I didn't get any sleep that night, neither did my mom or dad, who had both been alternating shifts with me by my side.

I stayed in ICU for three nights, and then they figured I was ready to head back to Unit57, a lot less risky up here, since there are so many more infectious diseases down there. My neutrophils were high again, almost skyrocketed, so I had more of a defense against infection. Still what I have is not totally clear, but my blood culture have been coming back negative, so whatever it is, is either hiding, or no longer a threat.

As long as my lungs keep on improving I'll be laughing....You can't really laugh without your lungs!
Justin:)