Going To The Hospital

Talk about a hectic weekend! Friday, my Mom rushed to the Emergency Room complaining of extreme pain. The pain would sometimes be localized on her side and then would "float" around. It took about three hours for the ER Doctors to get to her but when they did they found out she had appendicitis. Later that night they performed an appendectomy (removed her appendix) and she is doing better now. I say "better" because the pain is gone. But she also has Restless Legs Syndrome and she is on medicines called Clonazapam (seizure med) and Foltx (vitamin). Lately, she has been experiencing EXTREME fatigue. Her blood pressure at one point was 90/53. That seems really low so her next step is to go have a stress test performed. I'll keep you updated on how that goes.

I've been doing fine. I'm on a medicine called Zithromax. I only take it twice a week but it really makes me sick to my stomach. I have to take the Zithromax because of the bronchiolitis obliterans. While the Zithromax does not cure bronchiolitis obliterans there have been studies to indicate that it may improve lung function.

I went to Hobby Lobby today and had a somewhat difficult time breathing walking from the back of the store to the front. This isn't really anything unusual. I've been experiencing this since being diagnosed with bronchiolitis obliterans.

My appetite has been fair. I wouldn't call it excellent. I weighed two days ago and I weighed 70.5 pounds. I'm 4'10" so while I am underweight I'm not horribly underweight for my size.

Brandi

Going To The Hospital

Going To The Hospital - Making Doctor Appointments

I don't know if you've noticed but I've added a chat box to my blog. If it shows I'm online, then just sign in and we'll chat. I'm happy to answer questions about transplant, cystic fibrosis, etc. I haven't used this chat box a lot but even if it shows I'm offline then you can leave me a message and it will let me know that I have a message that needs to be read. I'll be checking it often and I'll leave an answer to your message in my next post.

It's been a good day healthwise. Because of being diagnosed with bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome I have decided that I will be seeing doctors in Dallas. I have to say that even at the age of 26 I still can't get used to adult hospitals. I've always been in children's hospitals where they have brightly colored walls, and furniture. Usually a child's artwork is displayed on the wall. It just has more of a playful feel. But goodness you sure can't say the same for an adult hospital. The walls are just as white as they can be. And for the most part there is not a lot of cheerful surroundings.

I know you're thinking "Well it IS a hospital!" But I've actually been in children's hospitals that were rather fun. They had a video game room, a room to do crafts, play board games etc.

Anyway, after doing some blood work it has been determined that I am rather vitamin deficiant. I'm on a vitamin called ADEKs. It's a very hard pill to swallow but it's got Vitamins A, D, E and K all in one pill. I'm also on another Vitamin A pill and another Vitamin D pill. Not to mention the OSCAL. Yep. I have rather severe osteoporosis. But to be honest, that's the least of my worries.

My breathing was not extremely difficult today. This morning it was a little tough but it got better through out the day. Not perfect mind you, just better.

Well, I guess I'm going to go figure out what I need to wear to work tomorrow.

Be well,
Brandi
http://www.goingtothehospital.com

Going To The Hospital

Going To The Hospital

HI! This is my first real post to this blog. Before I start chronicling my journey about having a double lung transplant 14 years ago, I first want to give you a brief synopsis of my medical background.

My name is Brandi Clark and I'm 26 years old. At the age of 12 I underwent a double lung transplant due to Cystic Fibrosis. I had the transplant at St. Louis Children's Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. Directly after transplant I began having difficulty breathing. It was determined that I needed a stent to keep my airway open. They placed the stent and my breathing was great! So after several months they removed the stent and all was well.

Without going into a lot of detail right now, I will tell you that about three years ago I was diagnosed with bronchiolitis obliterans. The best way for me to describe this to you is this: it's a chronic scarring of the airways within the lungs. There is no cure and it usually does get worse. Because of the bronchiolitis obliterans my breathing has become rather difficult. My Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) results have dropped significantly. For those of you that don't know what PFTs are the simplest way to understand it is to know that they measure how much you blow out in one second. There are many aspects to PFTs but this is the one feature that I look at most because I understand it best. Anyway, I once blew out around 1.60 liter in one second. Now, because of the bronchiolitis obliterans I blow .52 liter in one second. This is a significant decrease.

But this blog is not a pitty party for me. My hope is that this blog will help others who are in the same situation so that we can all learn from each other. But I also want this blog to be for those who have never had a transplant, or even have an illness because I want this to be an educational tool for you folks also. This is a great way for you to learn more about how some people with chronic/terminal illnesses handle situations and what is dealt with on a daily basis.

To Your Health,
Brandi

Brandi also has blogs on Wedding Decor and More!,Looking At Cooking, Easy Kid's Craft Ideas, Craft Ideas,Father's Day Craft Ideas, 4th of July Craft Ideas

Going To The Hospital

Going To The Hospital

Going To The Hospital - Welcome

Welcome to my blog. I, Brandi Clark, am now 26 years old and at age 12 I underwent a double lung transplant due to Cystic Fibrosis. I will be chronicling my journey on a regular basis to discuss the success and problems that I'm experiencing.

Going To The Hospital