Back in the Hospital.....bummer

What a difference a week makes! Last Sunday we were getting ready for Christmas in our shorts, this Sunday I am back on the Transplant Floor being treated for sinusitis.  I'm going with the theory that some dust blew in my face when we I opened a window last weekend to enjoy the day.  In hindsight, maybe I shouldn't have done that, Brant and the kids will do anything I ask, but it is hard not to do it yourself when you are feeling good.

So the sneezing and runny nose started on Monday, and by Christmas Eve night I was starting to feel kind of run down.  We had a wonderful Christmas morning together and had dinner later with some of Brant's family, but I was tired and the whole right side of my face  hurt, especially around my eye.. We came back up to Richmond for clinic on Thursday and Friday and they checked me out really well, and started me on antibiotics.  I felt ok to come home Friday afternoon but should have trusted my gut and stayed.  I was in miserable pain most of the time.  Then I spiked a fever yesterday afternoon and that couldn't be ignored.

So back we came to Richmond last night and I was admitted.  Even though it was 8:00 pm at night on a Saturday, my doctor came in so he could "lay eyes on me" and make sure everything was ok.  They can get a lot done really fast when you are inpatient.  I had an MRI of my head late last night.  They had to stop and restart because they said I was moving - which I was sure I wasn't.  But then I figured out that I was dozing off and twitching.  It is hard to stay awake when it is almost 1:00 am and you have received Benadryl two hours earlier!  I have never had an MRI before and this machine was loud.  They put ear plugs in you.  And the whole table shakes and vibrates at times with no warning.  I felt like I was on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride at Disney.

Today I was seen by an opthamologist since my right eye feels like it has been punched.  I am still recovering from the dilation so this post may have more than the usual amount of typos.  Then the ENT doctor came and scoped up my nose.  That was fun......not.  Everyone is concerned about a fungal infection but so far, it looks like an expensive case of sinusitis   Apparently, a white cell count of 0.3 is not sufficient to fight it off myself, so I will be staying here a few days getting IV antibiotics and good care.  I will miss being at home with Brant and the kids, but am very thankful that we have had so much time together in recent weeks.  It is a good wake-up call that I am still very sick and need to very careful.....no more sneaking out to stores or trying to clean.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and is ready to start a new year - 2014!!  Even though I get really down sometimes and just want life to be "like it was", we have experienced so many blessings this past year that only happen when things get really tough.  So we look forward to 2014 as a year to keep fighting and finding ways to enjoy life "like it is".