Back in the Hospital

Sam Waiting semi-patiently for her PICC line

I forgot to post about Sam being discharged from the hospital back in March, so this post looks a little funny if you don't know the background. She hasn't been in the hospital since March, when the last post was written. I just got so excited posting pictures on Facebook about her release last time that I forgot to make a blog post about it. 

Sam was starting to get sick again this last weekend. We're talking June 21st or so, a mere 3 months after the last exacerbation. Further complicating the issue was that packers and movers were due to arrive on Monday the 23rd. We really couldn't afford to split up with one of us managing children at the house with the packers and the other maneuvering the hospital situation with Sam. Yet we also knew what had to be done. Sam wasn't well and we were about to move away from a good hospital into the unknown.

Alicia called the CF clinic and after trading messages with the doctor, decided to take Sam up to the hospital for a pulmonary function test. I just knew this was going to equal a hospital stay, so I sent Alicia with the vest, which is how Sam does her treatments. If she were to be admitted, they would want Sam to use her own machine.

Sam's baseline is 101%, meaning that her lungs essentially have more capacity than they need, as the respiratory therapist explained to me. You and I, those of us without smoke-filled lungs that is, also have more than we need. Unfortunately, her tests on the 23rd showed her to be only getting 67%...not good.

I knew as soon as Alicia told me that information that we were being admitted, and the doctor confirmed our suspicion within an hour or so. Alicia stayed up there most of the night, then came home around midnight to be with the packers today (the 24th) and the movers tomorrow (25th). I'll be up here in Milwaukee for at least those two days.

We're waiting on the PICC line to be put in now. I had hoped that it would be in by now, but Sam is on the waiting list instead of actually scheduled, so it could be hours still. Unfortunately, she hasn't been able to eat either, so she's not going to be happy much longer. They need to hurry.