over the weekend:

They're starting to wean me off the oxygen. I've been at 4.5 L/min 27/7 since I came in on Tuesday and now I'm at 3.5. My O2 saturation stays above 90 (the minimum they want me at) most of the time unless I've been coughing or exerting myself. Without oxygen I drop to below 87 sometimes, so I'm clearly not ready to be off it. I went downstairs today (IV pole in tow), excuse me, down the elevator. Took a small walk around the floor. It seemed like nothing but I needed to sit and get my sats up afterward. They also decreased my steriods by a little, and I'll continue to slowly taper off that for a month or so. They upped my benadryl, which has completely eliminiated the reaction from the antibiotic but I think a combination of that and high steroid doses has given me the shakes. I couldn't hold my hands still if my life depended on it! Breathing between treatments has gotten a little easier. I'm hardly coughing at all most of the time. I'm hoping for a improvement tomorrow when they do PFTs. I still haven't used the bike or gone to the gym like I'd wanted to, but hopefully that can change this week.

I ate every morsel of the spaghetti Todd made me. (big surprise there!) It was spicy and delicious... two things you don't get with hospital food. I was going to order Quizno's delivery tonight but the one near the hospital closed down. :( Had a few friends stop by to visit. Another CFer came by and we gossiped about nurses and respiratory therapists and bitched about CF in general. It's nice to have someone who understands exactly what you mean!

I think I'm going to go for a little walk around the floor now. I need to keep building up my strength a little more every day so I'm able to function when I leave.

teeny