I have been in the hospital since last Monday.
Thanks to everyone who has inquired about my health and recovery. I appreciate your interest and concern.
I have a lung disease that is incurable and grinds on steadily over time. At best it can be managed using steroids and immune suppressant drugs. When the managing part hits a wall, a relapse occurs. This can be triggered by anything; pollen, injury, stress, you name it. Anyone with it is affected differently.
This disease, non specific, idiopathic interstitial lung disease with fibrosis is still somewhat rare. It also falls under the category of cryptogenic organized pneumonia. It's called a pneumonia but isn't. It feels like pneumonia but there is no bacteria, yeast or fungus causing it. It's just your body attacking itself for whatever insane reason. In hindsight I can see where this relapse, my first since a February 2021 diagnosis, began in late April. I tried to get well at home but by last Monday it was plain to see that wasn't going to happen. When admitted I had very low oxygen saturation, acute renal failure, and was full of fluid that needed to be pulled out from my chest on down.
What needed to happen is the hospital stay. In here I am getting banged up daily with IV steroids. This is to fight the inflammation. (That I can channel the rhoid rage of any dead, heavy jock user of steroids is a byproduct I am trying to suppress as well.) Since it appears I do have a touch of bacterial pneumonia over laying the disease, I am also getting IV antibiotics to address the additional inflammatory distress.
The other drug used for this is called mycophenolate, or Cell Cept. It is an immune suppressant drug. It also has side effects. It can cause additional lung infections, it decreases the types of antibiotics you can use, and it can in some cases cause an irreversible deadly brain illness. For me it is causing neuropathy and unpleasant tastes in food. Mostly metal and motor oil tastes. Don't ask. There wasn't a columnar choice option. If there was I would have picked "hands go off on their own in Joe Cocker imitation without warning."
The hands do this but there is no option choice. Before I can be discharged I need to meet a certain blood oxygen saturation level with oxygen use. I also need to show a decrease in inflammation using oral steroid application rather than IV application. For now this seems possible by Saturday. Possible but not certain. The hospital is literally around the corner from our house, and is convenient. It's also a blessing I have one tough tireless bride who works full time, is taking care of everything at home, visiting me and tending to our furr baby Bud who is a bit ill himself this week. Thanks again for the inquiries. For medical advice I am still offering this: Decentralize for peace and freedom!