After Jacob's family left, I went downhill fast!! I had been dealing with coughing since the first of the month. I had been put on Levaquin antibiotic and felt like that helped. Then my cough picked up again and I couldn't figure out what was going on.
Ever since our hike to Annie's Canyon, it was really bothering me. By Friday and Saturday I felt like a full-fledged cold was coming on. I was sneezing like crazy!!! Nose was running. Coughing and difficulty in breathing really increased. My lungs were really getting constricted.
But...I plugged along doing what we needed to do. We did our grocery shopping Friday evening as I mentioned in the previous post. Saturday we had baptisms scheduled to attend all day. After going to two and needing to leave in the middle of them because of all the coughing, Glen brought me home while he went to the other baptisms.
Sunday morning I was pretty miserable. I was still sneezing like crazy with nose running and my lungs were getting even more constricted making me cough all the harder and all the more. Glen went to the early morning Vista stake missionary coordination meeting. We had planned to go to two wards that day, but I didn't feel ready to try going to the morning one. Glen didn't want to go without me, so we stayed home and he got a lot of stuff done during that time.
He really needed to go to the sacrament meeting in the afternoon in Temecula as he is trying to pick a new counselor and he was supposed to see one of the recommendees at a ward that afternoon. I was in no shape to go and sit on the stand with him, so I sent him off on his way alone.
After dinner Glen went to the Carlsbad stake missionary coordination meeting. He managed to keep a pretty full schedule despite my issues going on.
Those issues intensified to the point where I was really struggling to fill my lungs. And then I was coughing so hard trying to cough up gunk that felt like I would strangle before I could clear my lungs. This went on all night long.
Monday morning (March 26) we headed to the Urgent Care in La Jolla where our mission doctor works. Unfortunately he was working all week in Texas. UGH!! But, they took good care of me despite his being gone. They kept me for nearly 7 hours giving me two bags of IV fluid, another IV of prednisone plus three breathing treatments.
They did a double foot-long swab into both nostrils going past my eyeballs up into my brain (or so it felt) to test for influenza--which turned out negative. I knew I didn't have influenza. I have had it twice before and this didn't feel like influenza.
It wasn't my best needle stick day--taking a total of 5 sticks to get all the IV and the blood work done. OUCH!! They talked about using a vein in my neck for an IV. They talked about admitting me to the adjoining hospital, but then decided to send me home.
My lungs were still so tight I was really worried about going home. I felt like I was still going to be in trouble, but off I went.
Mondays are such busy letter days for Glen. I always feel horrible taking him away from his computer on that day, but he assures me if he has his iPad, he can get the letters done no matter where he happens to be that day.
He pretty much ignored me all day. He gets in his zone and that's where he stays. I don't even think he noticed I left the bed.
The doctor put me on Amoxicillin, told me to finish my prednisone pills and keep doing my albuterol nebulizer breathing treatments at home. She did warn I could need a return visit if I didn't get feeling better or if a fever developed.
Love the diagnosis paper where I kept being called a he instead of a she. I blame that on my unisex name.
We got home in just enough time to prepare dinner for our departing group of sister missionaries who would be having testimony meeting and spending the night at our home.
I was never so happy to know we were hosting a small group of such fine, mellow sisters. It was an easy night.
The assistants are our handy-dandy kitchen cleaner-uppers and van driver bringing the missionaries (and all their luggage) to our house and then driving them (and all their luggage) to the temple and the airport the next day.
The previous day's breathing treatments helped me get through the temple session with only minimal coughing. I was still very short of breath all the time.
No matter how many tries, we could not get all five sisters jumping at the same time. So funny!!
Off to the airport they went eagerly anticipating reuniting with their families later that day.
We went with the assistants to Tom Ham's Lighthouse Restaurant which has become our new tradition after dropping off the missionaries at the airport. There are some pretty water scenes by the restaurant.
Since we only had two new sisters arriving at the airport (a third new sister was being dropped off at the mission office), we swapped out the van for our car and sent the assistants back to the office to get some work done instead of hanging around San Diego for several hours waiting...waiting...waiting...
I was very short of breath and coughing, coughing, coughing. I needed a breathing treatment. We went to the library and fortunately the librarian was kind enough to let us use a little room to run my nebulizer machine--even though we don't have a library card. He admonished next time we would need a library card! Here's to hoping there will never be a next time for a need to have a breathing treatment on transfer day!!
Off we went to the airport to pick up our sister arriving from the Mexico MTC. We waited around for an hour for the other sister coming from the Provo MTC. Because of my panting and shortness of breath, I waited with the sisters just outside the airport for Glen to go get the van instead of hauling suitcases through two full parking lots as we have done every other time.
Why haven't we been doing it this way every time??!! So much easier and better!!
Back at the mission office church building Sister Radford was all prepared for us when we arrived with the traditional California breakfast burrito meal--even though it was dinner time.
It's tradition and tradition will continue even though we are now receiving new missionaries way later in the day as per the change the MTC made some months ago.
Once again I was giving thanks it was a small transfer which made it so much easier on me that I only had to talk to three missionaries instead of a dozen or two or more as in past transfers. The office couples did their training with the new missionaries. Glen had completed his interviews with them shortly after we arrived at the mission office. Things were running smoothly.
The three trainers arrived to pick up their new missionaries at 8 p.m.
Everyone is always excited when new missionaries arrive. It livens up the mission. We love the feeling at the beginning of a new transfer cycle thinking about all the wonderful possibilities of miracles and good things to come.
I fought to breathe all night long. I was so miserable! My lungs were so tight I just could not get my breaths. I could not sleep even while attempting to sleep sitting upright. I would have to jump up to cough because the spells were so violent and I felt like I was going to suffocate. I was hoping I would make it through the night.
I was glad I was sleeping on the main floor so I wouldn't keep Glen awake. He told me he didn't sleep well. He would awaken when he heard me coughing and then would awaken when he didn't hear me coughing wondering if I was still alive.
On Monday when we were at Urgent Care, we were put in a room with beds on either side of me and curtains for the barriers between my roommates. We heard four patients rotate through those beds throughout the day and heard all about their various health ailments.
On Wednesday (March 28) I was back at Urgent Care again for round two. This time I was put in my own room where we spent the entire day again. Less entertainment from eavesdropping on others, but I liked the privacy. Glen brought his computer and worked on that all day, so he was feeling productive.
I had developed a fever during the night and was feeling even more miserable than usual. My breathing was not improving. I was so swollen from all the bags of fluid from two days earlier that my body was retaining. I kept needing to be unplugged to make countless trips to the bathroom. But at least the extra fluid was finally releasing.
When I sent out this photo to the family letting them know I was back under medical supervision, Sarah commented, "Bless your heart. Like literally. And your lungs."
My comment, "They put a mask on a girl who is panting to breathe and it feels like all oxygen is being cut off."
Sarah wanted to know if this was a scheduled return or an I-can't-breathe-again return.
Glen's report: "I-can't-breathe visit. Tough night. Heart rate above 140. Not breathing well. Oxygen 93. Should be above 95. Doing the second EKG in three days. Temperature at 101.8"
They put me on oxygen, gave me medication to get my heart rate to go down, gave me more breathing treatments, did more chest x-rays. Nothing showed from the x-rays on Monday. Nothing showed on the x-rays this day.
They decided to do a lung CT scan with contrast. That resulted in needing another vein. UGH!! The male nurse worked wonders getting the IV spot in my hand the first try. He also worked wonders getting the bigger vein for the contrasting IV in my upper arm necessary for the CT scan. I loved that guy!!
Nothing even miniscule showed up on the CT scan either. Pneumonia ruled out.
I kept going into A-fib from time to time. My oxygen levels were not improving. Well, imagine that!! I had been telling people for days that I CAN'T BREATHE!!!! This was finally giving definitive proof that it wasn't all in my head--it was in my lungs!!! They were talking with the hospitalist about whether to admit me to the hospital because of my low oxygen levels.
After a third breathing treatment they released me. They changed my antibiotic to doxycycline, put me on more heart medication, added another medication to the nebulizer machine and added 5 more days of prednisone.
As I walked out of there with my lungs all tightened up again, I was worried. Sure enough, I had another rough night of no sleep. It was terrifying to try to go to sleep because I felt like I would suffocate. Since it was a sleepless night anyway, I decided to get the laundry done as I hadn't been able to do it on my usual Monday laundry day with being at Urgent Care all day.
Doing the laundry kept me alive through the night!! I felt a little bit better in the morning. The intense tightness in my lungs was letting up a little. I felt like I would stay alive while Glen went off to the new missionary training meeting all morning. When he checked in with me after that (they fed him lunch afterward, so he didn't need to worry about food), I told him I was doing okay and he could go ahead and stay at the mission office to have weekly planning meeting with the assistants as we had originally planned.
Friday's update: "Took a turn for the worse again. Coughing more again and getting harder to breathe again. I felt so hopeful yesterday afternoon that I was getting better. I will keep plugging along."
At that point we had learned Dr. Neuendorf would be back in town Saturday and we would talk to him then. I finally got a little relief again that afternoon and was hoping for a better night. Turns out Dr. Neuendorf texted Saturday to tell us to go to Urgent Care on Sunday. Another day I had to wait...! UGH!! He was actually working a day shift on Sunday instead of his usual all-night shift and wanted to see me then.
It was so wonderful we were having general conference weekend. That meant no meetings scheduled and we had planned to just stay home and watch conference on television Saturday and Sunday. Our assistants dropped by a get-well card, some flowers and some Hershey's kisses. How very kind and loving of them!!
Craig (worked with Glen at G&K in Salt Lake City) and Kathy Beals and two of their five children were in town and had requested going out to dinner with us. Craig wanted to go with his son and Glen to the priesthood session Saturday evening after dinner.
Since I wasn't feeling up to going out, we ordered in from Texas Roadhouse. The men went off to the meeting and the women stayed home to play Qwirkle.
The only bad thing about that was we hadn't been listening to the priesthood session as I would have done if I had been home alone, so we missed yet more new announcements and policy changes made. So much new and exciting things happening!!
Easter morning I was back at Urgent Care. Third time in a week. Wished it was an April Fool's joke. HAPPY EASTER!!!
Whether Dr. Neuendorf had requested I go in or not, I would have gone in. I was still struggling so much to fill my lungs with every breath. And the coughing!!! Coughing!! Coughing!! Coughing!!
Everyone there now recognized me--the coughing lady!! Off I went for lung x-rays for a third time--which showed nothing. I got a shot of cortisone in my hip and another breathing treatment.
I figured if we were already there and Dr. Neuendorf was there this time as well and Glen has been needing a physical and has wanted Dr. Neuendorf to do the physical--why not NOW??!!??
Glen went back out and checked himself into Urgent Care and became Thomas patient #2 for the day.
I got the familiar dreaded feeling when they brought in the blood draw container thinking they were going to draw blood on me again or put in an IV, but turns out it was all for Glen!! HA!!
The man who brags about what good veins he has for giving blood. They always get the needle in a vein the first try. He always fills a bag with blood amazingly fast. He gets a thrill out of watching all the needles, blood and gunk going on with his own arm. What turns my stomach and makes me feel faint just gives him some kind of a rush. Weird!!
Well let's just say he experienced a first--or in other words, he became a little more empathetic toward my experiences with needle sticks. A new nurse was drawing his blood and she was very timid and had a hard time with getting enough blood out of him.
The older nurse finished up the job by sticking him a second time in his hand. He is now sporting a big ugly mark where they were digging around in the first stick trying to make that one work. UGH!! Grosses me out!!!
We did get a good chuckle out of the little funny Ben sent to us after observing our ordeal with blood draws at the Urgent Care over the past week.
Thanks for the laugh, Ben, although laughing just makes me cough even more...!!
The kids had posted something on Instagram another day that made Glen laugh and he commented back to them, "Some welcome comedy relief as I prepare to send another medical issue missionary home."
Ben asked, "Sister Thomas?" Hahaha!! Funny kids!!
When I pointed out to Dr. Neuendorf the black spot on top of Glen's head that has recently appeared and is getting bigger and has very uneven edges, he said he didn't like the looks of that thing.
He said he could biopsy it right then and then have a dermatologist take it all off. Or he said he would rather just send him to a dermatologist and have a clean margin biopsy done right away. We chose the latter option and the appointment has been set.
I escaped Urgent Care that third time with no needle sticks. Well, I guess the shot in my hip would classify as a needle stick. But they didn't need to find a vein, so it was relatively easy and painless...until time wore on and I could feel it more and more. But, no worries compared to finding a vein!!
Dr. Neuendorf prescribed me a larger and longer dose of tapering prednisone treatment. Aside from the fact that prednisone gives me insomnia, I was doing a little better. The feeling of needing to manually inhale deep breaths to fill my lungs lessened. It is usually in the mornings when that is the worst.
I have been housebound the whole past week and then some. I need to do round-the-clock breathing treatments. It feels like I am a nursing baby. Every three hours I need to hook up to the nebulizer and it takes a while to do the treatment, especially every other time when I have two vials of medication in it.
Wish I could say I'm massively improved. Fact is, the coughing and wheezing has been worse again today. So frustrating!
It has been a challenge for Glen to have to deal with me. We always have medical issues going on with missionaries--two knee problems this past preparation day, for instance, plus a possible elbow fracture I just barely learned about--and we just don't need to have anything else add to his worries and problems.
It makes me sad he has to go off and do things by himself when I would usually go with him. But, this is what we're up against right now and we'll get through it. Let's just remind him right now of his favorite daily saying, "It's just another day in paradise!"
So, let's go back to the blessing of general conference this past weekend. Oh how we loved watching each session to see what was going to happen. What an inspired new prophet we have at the helm of our Church. How amazing that he is 93-years-old and looks and acts so much younger.
We really enjoyed the documentary about his life. His daughter Sylvia and her husband are our friends and it was fun to see her and President Webster (our stake president from back home in Utah) sharing their thoughts and feelings about her father/his father-in-law.
It was beautifully done and we loved watching it.
I have always believed in the doctrine of personal revelation and revelation we can receive in each of our callings. I know the Lord leads his chosen and divinely called apostles and prophets. After hearing President Russell M. Nelson and others testify to the fact helped strengthen my testimony even more.
It has always felt like such a blessing from heaven whenever I have received personal revelation in my life. I could feel the prophet and our other leaders have experienced it and have felt it and continue to do so at this time. What a feeling of comfort.
I loved how the choir sang "We Thank Thee O God For a Prophet" to open the conference. My heart swelled as I was giving thanks for our new prophet. It was very fitting to end the conference with "Press Forward Saints." That is what we must do. Continue on the covenant path all the rest of our days for the reward will be great in the kingdom of heaven.
I love this Church. I love our leaders. I love our prophet. I love our Savior. I love my Heavenly Father. Rich blessings I have felt through the years as I have developed an intense love for and knowledge of the truthfulness of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.
