Monday, March 14, 2016

Miss Me?? Im back, im off Orkambi, and im fighting harder than ever for the life i deserve!!!

if your reading this youve stuck around through my more than sort break from this blog, which was much needed for various reasons, so thank you!!! I had a lot of hardships in the medical sense and i was doing pretty poorly for a little while and really needed to take my time to focus on my personal well being and health, and it payed off!! ( i was still keeping up with writing for CBS2 Chicago so hopefully you caught all those posts!)

I also struggled with finding my topics. I know there is a lot to write about, as lots has happened this past month, however i wanted to try to stay away from too much of the medical mumble jumble and if youve spent any time in a hospital you know that maybe to you the addition of rainbow jello on the menu instead of just orange or cherry is a huge deal, but maybe other people dont really care if your food now matches your hair. Even though it does. and its so flipping awesome your really missing out on that one!!!

anyways....

So my crazy month of medical downfall began as i started taking Orkmbi, supposedly a miracle drug and for some it really was. It helped lower hospital stays, raised lung function, did wonders for weight gain and general breathing!! It was truly amazing and i was approved for it! It took so long to get approved and finally get it delivered but i was ready for the change. I had been feeling great, doing small workouts everyday and working my body and my lungs to the max to try to get to a place where id be considered healthy enough to take a hold from being actively listed for new lungs. (a topic ive gone into before and can always touch up on again if there is any confusion as to why id want to hold off as long as i can. its a tricky situation. always feel free to send me emails and comments and i will do my best to explain to you the details that goes into a decision like that!!)

I knew from speaking to as many people as possible that there would be a rough patch but i wasnt sure how to gauge it as it seemed to hit everyone differently. Some people felt sick for a few days some felt it for weeks, and some, like me, had hospital stays and serious complications. I tried to stick with with, we tried to play with the dosing but it got to the point where i was admitted for a week, then let go for 2 extra weeks on home ivs then on orals for a week, and back in the hospital for another 2 week course of iv antibiotics which was very scary for me.

I have a general routine when i go in for ivs and since ive recently switched hospitals there were a lot of new protocols and changes i had to get used to. I had way more doctors caring for me from many different specialties and while the care was amazing and i felt i was in the best possible hands it was confusing to hear so many different things from so many different groups of doctors. It was a t a point where my meds were changed on a daily basis, and one combination left a whole half of my body totally numb and my head spinning to the point i could not leave my bed without assistance. I was absolutely terrified.

Heart monitors were keeping track of my high pulse and my low oxygen levels were becoming a concern and that familiar flash of panic that this could be the time i walk into the hospital and never walk out was constantly on my mind. Im very happy to announce that after 2 weeks they had figured out all the causes to these issues and found what medicines were making what symptoms appear and we ultimately decided Orkambi was not going to work for me. It was a tough blow to take considering i watched so many peoples lives bloom into something so surreal, something they never thought that could happen, and i never got my chance,

Im getting back to a place now where i can start little work outs and yoga again and try to work my lungs back up to the healthiest they can possibly be right now. This is no easy task and i cant stress how hard it is to sit in my bed on a weekend, at 25 years old, and scroll through my friends plans and pictures on facebook living it up and wishing so badly to be there with them. Im making a promise to myself to try to get involved with more plans, maybe initiate dinners or movie nights as much as i can. Ive always been adamant about not wasting my life and what i have left of it. I want to lay down and take my last breaths knowing that i did everything i wanted to. So far im right on track.

Im not sure the direction i wanted this post to go, it doesnt seem to have a plot, or much of a point, its just some general ramblings but i needed to get them out!! Which was the ultimate point of my blog in the first place anyways haha. My next few i have a couple topics i want to cover specifically and im playing around with the idea of doing a few video blogs as well. If theres any topics you think would be good for me to cover or any sortts of questions you have that i can talk about im always looking for suggestions!! please feel free to email me at any time!! i love hearing from all my readers!!


also make sure to make a stop by my CBS posts and give those a read, and visit my facebook page as well, it has day to day updates adn pictures and links to my CFF fundraising page which im very passionate about!!! Thank you all for sticking through my rant post here haha, im excited to get back into the writing game and get back on track!! <3

Great Strides donation page
http://fightcf.cff.org/site/TR/GreatStrides/45_Greater_Illinois_Chicago;jsessionid=34044FF6E24A8837669793923E31E59B.app212a?team_id=47045&pg=team&fr_id=4942

CBS Chicago Blog pages
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2016/03/07/when-the-sick-life-wears-you-down-25-with-cystic-fibrosis/

Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/breathlessinthewindycity/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

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