After a week with pneumonia and a long week with pseudomonas, I’m home! I was given a sufuser. Everybody calls it a line or a pick.
I was frightened when the technician told me she would put a line in my arm! I asked if I could watch her doing it! She told me it would sting, then it would go numb. She put an anaesthetic gel on the spot of my arm. Then she pricked me with an injection. She filtered through a very fine plastic tube into my arm. I didn’t feel a thing and as amazed at the easiness with which she introduced this.
The second part is like a bottle. There’s a balloon the keeps a pressure for the antibiotic to go into my arm. There’s a sensor on my arm which captures my temperature and attracts the antibiotics (Tazocin) into my veins. I have this device for a fortnight.
This morning the checking murse told me she had to take the whole thing off, because they found a new bug. I had to go to hospital again to change the antibiotic. After a lot of talk, the doctor decided that I was fine with the line and the antibiotic!
So I’m back home and fairly shattered.
Last night, a friend came to fetch me from hospital. I begged him to help me clear and clean the fridge, as I didn’t want any more infections due to old food. He did this marvellously for me. I had time to order some fresh food from Sainsbury’s which came today.
I still feel wobbly. I have to sleep upright to maintain my breathing and oxygen level which oscillates from 86% to 95%. I’ve learned some exercise with the physiotherapist to bring the oxygen up. Sit up. First, breathe “in the tummy” ten times (It helps to put one’s hands over the tummy. Then you breathe deeply in , leaving a little bit at the end to force sniff a bit more. Repeat this 10 times too. it works wonders to boost the oxygen level.
I leave this to you, as I am fairly tired. Love to you all, Mike.
Written by
helingmic
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
You have been through the wars but you sound very positive which is brilliant. Now settle yourself down and get your strength back, they taught me those exercises when I was in it does help.
Hi Mike, glad to hear that your back home. It's such a good feeling getting back to your own environment, I was discharged yesterday. All you need to do now is take things nice and steady and build up your strength. It sounds like you have some good friends who will help you out if needed. Take care, Richard.
Yes,indeed! I'm indebted to such friend. I thought the cleanliness of the fridge is ultra important. Especially with the prepared meals from the supermarket. It's easy to overlook that little "beasties" develop extremely quickly . My immune system is already weak and any contamination can rapidly trigger a bad illness. I recommend the cleanliness of the fridge!
I couldn't agree more. I've been checking the contents of my fridge today and several items have gone in the bin, just to be on the safe side. As they say at the hospital, infection control. Take care, Richard.
Mike that was an incredibly detailed account of your stay, which was very very helpful to read.
At the moment my only defence to rotten lungs is Symbicort so after reading about the fridge, I am going to despatch my son into the kitchen to sort it out. Bless you for that.
I think this is a really good prevention. Well hopefully!
take it easy now your home,in your own surroundings you will feel more at ease,i use bicarbonate soda,to clean the fridge microwave with, and water,and any meats always never store close together in the fridge,xxx
You have had a rough time sweetheart. So glad you had a good technician - I had a baby doctor put my line in in July (what a b farce - bane of my life, baby doctors).
Glad you have such a decent, kind friend Mike, but I guess if it was the other way round you would do the same hun.
Lots of r and r for you and I hope you feel stronger each day.
Hi Mike.So glad your home and on the mend.I too have the same bug as you this is my seventh day of I'V. Treatment with antibiotics and have seven more days to go but at least I am at home and the rapid response nurses who are treating me twice a day are marvellous so I hope it helps to stop these constant infections I've been plagued with for months.Stay well Mike.Bengunn.
Peeg, they gave me a back rest so I can sit upright to sleep and keep my O2 level up. It doesn't half hurt my neck, though!
Bengunn, I think the new scheme, Hospital to home is a brilliant scheme. Indeed it feels good to be home. I still feel wobbly. I want to regain my energy and then, ha,ha,haa, I'm going to the gym! At the moment, I've got this suffuser; it's a bottle filled with antibiotic. It goes through a line that was put in my arm. i was very scared that it might be painful, but, not at all, the technician was brilliant. So may brilliant people around, Bengunn and Peeg!
Tell you what, Casper, all who have COPD are tough ones. As it gets difficult to breathe, you want to breathe more, and then you take yourself in charge and Bob's your uncle
Glad your home Mike. It was a very interesting post. You will have to give yourself plenty of time to recover. I have been in countless times but after the pneumonia at the end of December and another stay in february i get so exhausted. So do please take special care. I will need to get stuck into my fridge soon. M xx
Morning MIke - Oh my goodness that all sounds very traumatic. At least you are home and settled and have some food in. Take it easy, rest and take good care, wishing you the speediest recovery TAD xxx
Hospital to home, TADAW. I've got a nurse who comes everyday and changes my suffuser ( bottle with antibiotic). does anybody do Taichi (of a sort) at home. I must dig up my old DVD and follow Mr Lang! It's easier to listen to radio 3, ha,ha,ha!
Evening Mike from here! It must be great to be home again,& able to sleep in your own bed.Do take care of yourself,& take things slowly.You sound as if you have great friends,so that's a bonus! Interesting post you wrote there.
Morning Mike glad to hear you are back home and on the mend, you have been missed, rest up a bit now, and get yourself stronger, nothing like home and your own bed, Take care.xx
Welcome home again Mike after all you've been through, which is a lot by the sound of things. Interesting info regarding your treatment and also the breathing techniques your physio has shown you.
Glad to know you had help on returning home and getting your fridge,etc sorted out and well done for organising your groceries...good old online shopping, eh! By the way, Morrisons supposed to have joined in now, must check that out.
Take care of yourself meanwhile. You're bound to feel weakened yet awhile but it sounds like you're doing all the right things. Wishing you well again soon...Lovelight x
One exercise the physio showed me for when I get short of breath is:
sit quietly. Put your hands just above your belly button and fill it with air ten times. Then you put our hands on the top of your chest. You breathe in slowly, leaving the very top for a big sniff. (The physio had big nostrils when he did that and he swelled his chest like Tarzan!). Do this ten times. It works marvellously; the shortness of breath disappears and it feels good actually.
Well you are having a rotten time of it ! I hope you soon feeling more "chipper " . Bugs in fridges are literally little buggers arent they. . I get obsessed with my fridge etc with also having no immune system. You cant be too carefull can you. ? Keep your feet up. And get loads or rest. Lots of love. Sue. X
Sue, I couldn't agree with you more. I take GCSF (Granulocyte Clonising Stimulating Factor) to boost my neutrophils which are depleted in no time!
I think because my immune system is so weak, I caught Clostridium and a thrush, diseases grown in hospitals! and annoying too! They really churned me over!
I have immunoglobulin infusions weekly. Do it my self at home. Saves me going into bug infested hospitals. I go to heartlands hosp in birmingham ..where do you go ? We live in staffordshire so bit of a trawl but keep it down to every 3 months. ! Anyway how you feeling now now you settled in back home in your own surroundings. ? Hope you feeling bit better. These bugs certainly take over dont they.? Have you allways had this. Or was it caused by something else ??.....sorry to be nosey. Sue x
Sue, I have neutropenia, lack of neutrophil. I inject myself every 9 days.
The bugs I had were pneumonia and pseudomonas. Added to this, I had from the hospital Clostridium difficile, a real turn off, and a thrush on an intimate part. I could've done without those,as they are unpleasant and difficult to remove!
Had a look for this neck support, as I was asked to sit up in bed. The back rest I received from the physio is very kind but does not support my head rolling on the side. I think I found something from Amazon. I'll tell you later when I receive it.
Do you sleep with a back rest or just lying down? I hope you have a good sleep free of coughing.
Sometimes if i need to sleep sitting up ...but keep sliding down. I put couple pillows infront of my feet then it stops u sliding down the bed ... anyway sleep as well as you can. If not. Just rest nite n bless. Sue
Hi Mike Glad to here your home. Regarding the back rest, have you tried putting a softer pillow on top (one that will cradle your head) it may stop you slidding off and ending in a heap. I have a soft pillow with a shaped one under it and find the soft one stops me from falling off the other. Not everyone can use a soft pillow though as most are feather/down and asthma patients can't have them. Hope you start to feel better soon PTxx
I can use a soft pillow, but there's a hard support just where the head is!!! I think I should invest in one of those travel pillows which is a bit like a horseshoe. I have never used this, but I've seen this for plane travellers.
I have used the travel pillow on a plane and it was just OK but don't know if I could sleep every night on one, but good luck, I hope it works for you.
I have ordered tow of a kind. One J-pillow which has a chin support, as well as the conventional neck ones. the second one is the "toilet seat" type where your head is supported all round. I don't know what they will be like. but what I need is for my head to be supported and roll away to the side. last night, I actually achieved some comfort by adding a pillow to the side , so when my head rolls it encounters the side pillow. This has stopped the stiff neck I got the other nights and feels more comfortable.
All these things are sent for us to try!
And you are quite right, I don't know if such a pillow is good for everyday use, rather than a 12 hours floght to Australia!
I don't suppose I shall need a jet lag lamp which keeps my eyes lit with a lamp cap and switches off after 12 hours!
Good Luck, I know we will all do anything to obtain a goods night sleep. It is so important for our general health and to enable us to fight off the nasties.
I have never been to Australia but the cure for jet lag seems a bit extreme
Poor you flower. I do you take Chloraseptil for your throat? It contains a disinfectant and a pain killer. it may not kill the virus, but it soothes no end.
don't let this deteriorate though, The doc is a phone call away.
Phone your doctor for an appointment please. ask to give a sputum sample too so she can target the best drug for it. don't let yourself cough into a bad infection, please.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
I.v. Antibiotics at home now
HOSPITAL
Rushed into hospital
