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Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Just An Update

Hi to anyone who reads my blog,
Please leave me a comment... even just "Hi" is enough.... just so that I know I am not talking to "thin air".
I am just updating this blog, sorry it is with health news again.... but I have been in hospital for a total of 5 weeks and 3 days, and only came home from hospital a week ago.
Again it was due to a chest infection and asthma.  Quite bad again.  Last time I was in hospital for four weeks, so this time was a bit longer.
I was blessed to have a private room in the new part of the hospital, with a private bathroom.... so even though I was a private patient I couldn't go to a private hospital as my new specialist doesn't visit any.  As I said though, it really didn't matter as my room was very good anyway.
I think the only real advantage to a private hospital is perhaps the food.... as hospital food is pretty ordinary, whereas private hospital food I have noticed has been just that bit nicer and a bit more to choose from... but "hey" it that is the only thing I had to complain about, I am a blessed person!
It is funny how quickly you get used to being in hospital, and the routine that goes with it.  I got used to the nurses' names too... I was in there for so long I didn't have to ask them what their name was after a little while.
The staff, from the kitchen staff, and porters, and volunteers right through to the nurses and doctors etc., were all excellent, and I truly feel blessed to live in a free country where I can receive top health care like that virtually from the moment the ambulance brings me in, until the day I leave.
There is no cost either, until you go past day 36 I think, and then the Federal Government have brought in a new fee that you have to pay $55 per day after that unless you are still classified as "critical".  Thankfully though, I was able to leave a couple of days after that day, so it shouldn't cost very much, plus the cost of the medications I was ordered while there too.
So... I am home again... Praise God!  Thankful for absolutely everything.  Walking into my beautiful new home the rooms seemed huge after being in a little hospital room for so long.  The garden is overflowing with gorgeous roses and lavender, the hanging plants under the pergola have grown about double the size they were, and it is just WONDERFUL to sleep in my own bed again, and to sit in my lovely comfy leather chair (with push button leg lifter) to watch tv.
I keep falling asleep... as I am SO tired.  Having been on regular nebuliser's at least every 4 hours for so long, it has been impossible to get any proper sleep.  You need to sit up fairly straight when you have asthma too, as lying down makes it impossible to breathe.
So, all in all, I haven't had a very good year so far due to my asthma, but I have a lot of confidence in this new specialist, and he has me seeing a couple of other specialists soon too.
They did find out that I have a new kind of "super bug" which has colonised in my lungs now, it is called Serattia... and will unfortunately always be there, and there are only a couple of new type of anti-biotics that work on killing it off.  They don't want to give me a long course of these new anti-biotic, as if my body gets "used" to it, and then I got really unwell with perhaps pnuemonia the anti-biotic would not work as well.  So they gave me a 7 day course of it, which has certainly helped, but I was still unwell when I came home, so I am now on my 2nd lot of a different anti-biotic that is not so "special".
Well, that is all from me for now.  I do hope the next post I put in will be a bright, happy one with lots of photos of my upcoming 60th Birthday.... which is coming up very soon.  I have a few fun things planned, so I am really looking forward to them all.
Bye from me for now...

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