The last time I had intravenous antibiotics was in October of 2010. I'm almost at the one year mark of having no I.V. antibiotics. I try to go a year without needing the I.V. medication. Although, I started to wonder if waiting for the inevitable was really going to help me in the long run. No one has all the answers in the treatment of CF, it's not a black and white disease, it's complicated. I have no regrets in the health decisions I have made in my 26 years of living with Cystic Fibrosis and hopefully my tic-tac-toe decisions will pay off in the long run.
I had a doctors appointment on Tuesday and my PFT's were surprisingly better than my last PFT's! I was feeling a little junky so I expected the numbers to be in the low 40's, however, my FEV1 was 52% pre-RX and then after taking Albuterol via nebulizer my FEV1 was 57% post-RX. I was extremely excited to see those results. I have Asthma along with Cystic Fibrosis so my lungs seem to be happier after a bronchodilator. My x-ray showed a whole different view of my health. My x-ray looked like Casper the Ghost took a bath in my lungs, especially my right lung. A "normal" x-ray shows the lungs in black and the bones in white. This is what my x-ray showed:
The white color that is displayed in my lungs is all mucus. My lungs always have white in the x-ray because Cystic Fibrosis patients are always producing thick mucus in the lungs. When there is an increase in areas or clusters of white parts, I have to be more aggressive and make sure to knock CF and my goodies down a notch with I.V. antibiotics. An increase of white often means exacerbation or infection of the lungs.
I gave my consent to move forward with a bronchoscopy and I decided to show my lungs who's boss! :) I haven't been a fan of getting bronchoscopies because I know that the surgery is invasive. A scope is sent into the lungs to suck up the goodies and saline is also put in the lungs to flush, irrigate, as well as clean the goodies away from the bronchial walls. There are risks of puncturing the lung or the lung collapsing. This was my 2nd bronchoscopy and the surgery was performed on Thursday. I got an I.V. placed in my right hand. Then, I inhaled lidocaine via nebulizer to numb the back of my throat and lungs. I had planned to do the surgery by conscious sedation, but the plan changed because my doctor wanted me to be extra comfy. I was given the Michael Jackson drug, Propofol, through my I.V. and I was sleeping within 2 secs. The drug has an amnesia affect, so I don't remember too much. Hunter and my mom told me that I kept talking really loudly after the surgery, I was telling everyone how great they were, and I even fist bumped my doctor that performed the bronch. lol And I don't even remember talking to my doctor after the surgery.
After surgery, I coughed up blood for the first 2 days and then it went away. It was pinky mucus rather than full blood clots coming up. And I ran 101.4 fever which I was told can happen after a bronchoscopy. After a bronchoscopy the lungs are usually irritated and angry which causes inflammation, bleeding, and tenderness of the chest. I felt as though I had lifted heavy weights. My chest was tender and a little sore, but nothing too painful. I made sure to rest a lot to recoup from surgery.
If you have a weak stomach, don't view the pictures below. The pictures below were taken during my bronchoscopy. My doctor started with a picture of my vocal cords, then took another picture going down my larynx, which continues into my bronchial airways. Fortunately, he was able to get a lot of my everyday mucus up and send the goodies out to the lab to get cultured. I know the day will come where I don't cough, have thick mucus, and can breathe easy. That's my wish.
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*Graphic Pictures Below*
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