Surgery...

More Get better vibes

Thanks for the vibes everyone I appreciate it!

My mom wound up taking me in to see my primary care doctor today - two days ago I started coughing non-stop and had fever/chills to go with my latest lovely symptom. I didn't want the weekend to get here and me to be stranded so I went ahead and went in today. Apparently my body's immune system is crap and I caught the lovely crud that my dad had the last time I saw him...I have bronchitis and an upper respiratory virus in addition to everything else right now The doctor gave me some medicine for my cough and said to use my breathing treatments, so that should help clear things up. I am beyond frustrated, but still praying this all resolves itself quickly.

As far as my heart goes- it seems to be healing on track, but they're still concerned about it because of the new c. diff issues, so we'll see. In a bit of good news, right now I'm still down to only one heart pill, for the most part my heart rate is staying normal (still having a little pain and some arrhythmias but that can take up to 6 months to go away) and I should be able to loose the heart monitor at the end of the month- YA!.

The biopsey results from the scope my GI doctor did earlier in the week came back positive for C. Diff., so I definitely have it along with ulcers and colitis in addition to the rest of the stuff that was already going on. The GI doctor gave me a prescription for vancomycin, so it looks like I'll be on that for a while. Hopefully that will clear everything up soon. (He also gave me another prescription to try and counteract any sort of thrush issues the antibiotic could cause again, so that's good.) Please pray this new round of treatment works and I get back to normal asap! I'm am sooo ready to get back to school/clinicals and my normally crazy schedule- I miss it! Since I won't be well enough to go back to school in time for the October session, I will have to wait until January so that my body has time to heal. I'm definitely going a little stir-crazy not being able to really get out much, but hopefully the quicker I heal, the more I can do.

Thank goodness the furbabies are such good company!

*hugs*

Sorry to hear that you are having less than a stellar recovery!

Don't try and rush the healing process. If you can't get back to school until January, then January it is! The important thing is for you to stop stressing and concentrate on getting better!

Just get lots of rest and don't worry about starting school. You need to take care of your body first . I am hoping and praying this will end for you.

and Nikki!

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

*hugs*

Sorry to hear that you are having less than a stellar recovery!

Don't try and rush the healing process. If you can't get back to school until January, then January it is! The important thing is for you to stop stressing and concentrate on getting better!

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Originally Posted by mbjerkness

Just get lots of rest and don't worry about starting school. You need to take care of your body first

. I am hoping and praying this will end for you.

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Thanks you guys I'm just taking it easy right now and letting my fluffy nurses keep me company. I'm frustrated about school, but I guess in the big picture of things, a few more months isn't really all that big of a deal while I heal up...that way I'll be 100% when I go back. In the mean time, I'm using this opportunity to fully stalk my SS

Originally Posted by gemlady

and

Nikki!

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Thanks Jan. You'll get a laugh out of this: when Jack called earlier to check on me, we reached the conclusion that I sounded like a tranny and a frog had a child together...my voice is worse than it was last night when I talked to you!

The vanco should get you on track. I was surprised how quickly it worked for me. Did they ever give you any cholestyramine? It does a very good job of binding up those toxins so they can be removed from your colon.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

The vanco should get you on track. I was surprised how quickly it worked for me. Did they ever give you any cholestyramine? It does a very good job of binding up those toxins so they can be removed from your colon.

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I'm glad to hear that! I would love it if my body would heal up and stop attacking itself! The stomach pain seems to be a lot better and has resided a lot thankfully. (I was having constant stabbing pains in my left lower abdomen for almost two weeks there). Now if my stomach will chill out a bit that would be lovely!

I started my breathing treatments today, so that is definitely helping my lungs right now along with the coughing!! I'm SOO glad I caught it the bronchitis and upper resp. issues early before it got worse! (you spend enough time doing RCP clinicals, and I guess you learn haha). It felt soo weird hooking up a nebulizer treatment for myself today and not a patient...if anything, I guess this "break" is teaching me that I definitely found the right career for me (didn't think I'd miss it this much! )

The doctor didn't give me cholestyramine, but I will definitely ask about it! Thanks for the tip

Originally Posted by StarryEyedTiGeR

The doctor didn't give me cholestyramine, but I will definitely ask about it! Thanks for the tip

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Not knowing everything you're taking, there could be a reason the doctor didn't. It will block absorption of some meds, obviously as binding stuff up is what it's good at.

More to get better quickly.

Wow, I hope you start feeling better soon, that has to be aweful!

Many more get well vibes!!!

Thinking of you, sweetie... hope you're starting to feel better...

I hope this new round of meds kicks the badness out once and for all so you can start to feel better and back to normal soon!!!

Thankyou everyone for kind words & vibes. No change on my stomach or cough today. Last night was a rough one, my stomach was in rough shape and I wound up coughing soo much I started coughing up blood (nothing serious though-I've done several rotations as a Respiratory Care Pract. student, so I know when to panic/not to) it was just a little bit of blood due to all of the inflammation and the constant coughing. I've been constistant with my breathing tx's and medicine, so hopefully everything will clear up soon so I can get back to normal! Jack stayed with me last night and helped out a bit and then my mom came over earlier today to help as well. I'm definitely blessed to have a good support network through my lovely TCS friends as well as my friends/family here !

I really appreciate all of the vibes

Oh Nikki, you just can't catch a break! you beat ALL of this, and fast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Thankyou for the vibes I definitely need them.

Last night was rough yet again, so today I called my doctors office and told them that I needed something else to help with the coughing (it's aggervating my stomach pain and my heart issues at this point and leaving me completly short of breath.) They called me in a new medicine, and so far so good! It's definitely helping since I started it. I'm praying that I actually get a full nights rest tonight!

Last night I'm pretty sure that I kept poor Jack and my niece Taylor up with my coughing. I told Jack to stay at his place tonight at catch up on his rest (poor thing must be exhausted!) and now that I'm using the new medicine, I'm pretty sure Taylor will get a good nights rest as well. My sister Kimmy and my nieces took me to the grocery store earlier, so I was able to get a lot done and had some good help! I'm definitely enjoying the tea that I picked up earlier- it's helping my throat for sure! (That was my first real trip to the grocery store since my heart surgery, so I definitely needed to stock up so Taylor and I have food to eat on for a while!)

(I haven't posted about it yet, but as of right now, my 15 yr old niece is going to be living with me for a while.)

Oh hon, feel better soon

How are you doing now Nikki??


feel better vibes and lots of em

I do not know how I have missed all htis, but I do really hope you feel better soon and that the worst is over. You have had the roughest possible time at a stage with school and everything where you need to feel on top of yourself. Good vibes for a complete and speedy recovery.

Originally Posted by Carolina

Oh hon, feel better soon

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Originally Posted by jennyranson

I do not know how I have missed all htis, but I do really hope you feel better soon and that the worst is over. You have had the roughest possible time at a stage with school and everything where you need to feel on top of yourself. Good vibes for a complete and speedy recovery.

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Thanks you guys Yesterday was a little rough for me - my classmates sat for their RT 401 final (thank goodness my best friends in that class all passed! ) I was thrilled for my classmates, but also just a little bit bummed since I wanted soo badly to be finishing school/graduating with them, not having to wait it out while my body attacks itself. I'm just trying to stay positive though and look at the big picture- I know God has a plan for me. I know without a shadow of a doubt now that I absolutely picked the right major for myself considering how much I've missed the school and clinical work! In the big scheme of things, a few additional months really isn't aweful to wait on a degree that will set me up for the rest of my life, I just have to keep reminding myself that when I get down. In the mean time, I'm just thankful that I have supportive family/friends and to help me out right now.

Originally Posted by Snake_Lady

How are you doing now Nikki??


feel better vibes and lots of em

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Chris thankyou for asking I'm not any better yet. I can't sleep through the night at all...I wake up every 1-2 hours with coughing fits and asthma attacks. The new cough medicine helps a little bit, but this virus/bronchitis is just taking a while to heal with everything else that is going on in my body right now (I'm still dealing with the C.Diff as well). I've just been resting a lot and trying to take it easy on myself. I'm looking into adding some probiotics to my daily regime to see if that helps at all (still waiting on the doctors ok and recommendation for that). I still sound a bit like a man at this point...normally I'm a soprano. I've also found that hot tea & lots of honey gives my throat temporary relief and hot showers with those suda care shower soothers help a little too. I'm also using my nebulizer/breathing treatments and my other meds too...hopefully everything will improve soon. I was already weak to start with comming off of the heart issues and recovering from that, so I think my poor immune system has just been thrown for a loop.

I've got a little added stress right now too since my niece has just moved in with me this week (long, long story). I pretty much just became an instant parent to a teenager for now, it's a little stressful. On a positive note though, Taylor is really helping to pull her weight and help me out around the apartment and with the animals, so that is a lot of help right now.