Cheers and jeers...

I am getting outta here today!  It was a longer stay than I anticipated but all in all a good hospitalization and I feel like once I'm off the meds, I'll be feeling much better and hopefully have lots more energy than I had just before admission.   Here's a look into the highlights and lowlights that comprised these past eleven days.

CHEERS:  To my amazing IV pole that not only appeared to be manufactured before 1979 but actually had a free wheelin' ability to make walking the halls a much easier feat. I even considered contacting the dark-underbelly of the hospital supply network and going into "business" hooking up good IV poles to people willing to pay.  The pulmonary floor by itself could put me on easy street.

JEERS:  To dietary who never seemed to get food delivered in their 45 minute delivery window (in the past it's usually been here within a half hour.)  Waiting for an hour and a half for your meal to come while juggling crazy blood sugar levels is bad form.  P.S. Milk is meant to be cold!
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CHEERS:  To the new state-of-the-art bed that was delivered to my room on Tuesday.  It is supposed to do just about everything but make itself.  I was almost giddy in anticipation when I found out my noisy, not-all-buttons-functioning bed was one of the few slated for replacement.   Since I was the first to ever sleep on it, I decided a Sherri Schloss Memorial  Bed Plaque would be a fitting tribute.

JEERS:  To the new state-of-the-art bed that was overhyped by every CNA and nurse who had just come back from new bed training.  I spent the night on the couch!  At 2:30 a.m. I gave up trying to sleep on all the bumps and total unsoftness and curled up on the futon.  Cancel one plaque order.

JEERS:  To the fountain maintenance man who made my outside treks less pleasant and my 4 year old niece downright offended by its lack of flowing waters.

CHEERS:  To the Dallas Mavericks and America's Got Talent who gave me something to cheer for and laugh at during a very dry run of television viewing.  Also, cheers to indexing Census records!  It gave me something productive to do and focus on, passing many hours.

CHEERS:  To large fluid boluses given before meds to keep my kidneys healthy and happy.

JEERS:  To large fluid boluses given before meds at 10 p.m. that require non-stop bathroom visits until wee hours (pun intended) of the morning.  In a battle of Ambien vs. Bladder, bladder wins every time.

JEERS:  To high blood pressure--what's up with that??

CHEERS:  To friends who visited, played Skip-bo, massaged my feet, and talked.  You were a blessing.

CHEERS:  To the nurses who went above and beyond the call of duty--one even went shopping for contact lens solution and brought it back the next day.  You rock!

CHEERS:  For increasing PFT #'s since my dismal 27% showing upon admission.

JEERS:  For not as much increase in PFT #'s as I was hoping for.  Since I can breathe so much easier, I thought my numbers would be outrageously good.  I guess a 30% should be happiness enough.

CHEERS:  For courageously talking to my first doctor on the transplant team without becoming a blithering idiot.  Saturday one of the transplant docs was covering for the floor.  I decided to be brave and ask a few probing questions (which I already knew the answers to from following fellow cf bloggers) to "test the waters."  To my delight, he was a very nice man who was willing to take the time to talk with me and be encouraging.  It wasn't a long visit but it helped me in my process of processing.  Deep thought, I know.

JEERS:  To the severe thunderstorm that decimated my garden with drifts of marble size hail.  Tomatoes stripped.  Peas flattened.  We didn't even get a drop of rain here but an hour north at home, all heck broke loose. Not looking forward to seeing all my work ruined.  Stupid hail.

CHEERS:  This round goes to Sherri.