The last few weeks have been tough because I got sick right around St. Patrick’s Day. That was Friday, March 17 and by that Sunday I was coughing up a storm. That Friday I actually did something kind of exciting… I went to the dentist by myself to get impressions made for new retainers. While this might not seem like a big deal, it was “exciting”. I even texted my bff and was like “new #adulting level unlocked” haha. My sister dropped me off and I made my way through the building to get to the clinic on the 2^nd floor. Getting the impressions done was tricky because my mouth is tiny and I had trouble opening it enough for them to get the mold tray thing inside. We got it though! After my appointment I headed back downstairs to wait for my ride. I arranged for a ride over to my office through the campus paratransit system. I love this service. It’s amazing. I used it daily when I was on campus. I was able to set a schedule for regular rides to get to/from classes. Now that I work for the University I am eligible to use the service again. J I don’t use it nearly as much but am so thankful that it’s available. Anyway, I rode the bus over to work but once I got there I started not feeling very good. I ended up having my sister pick me up early because I was really tired.

I was thinking it was a sinus infection because the weather was acting up but by Sunday I was coughing and wheezing a ton. When I get a cold it tends to progress to a respiratory infection. Mucus pools into my lungs and I get “plugs” or wheezing. I can feel and hear them when I breathe. I am able to cough and break them up sometimes but it gets very tiring. Therefore, I have a “sick routine”.

• Inhaler meds every 4 hours
• Saline nebulizer treatments every 4 hours (helps make mucus easier to cough up)
• CoughAssist every 4 hours and as needed (pushes air into lung and then sucks it back out to produce a cough. Not my fav thing haha)
• Chest percussion therapy (someone basically pats my back and chest to help break up the plugs)
• Increase ventilator usage so I can rest

I’ve included pictures so you can see what all the equipment looks like. I enlisted Stuart the Minion to help show what my vent mask looks like when it’s on haha. Even though it was “just” a cold, it took me a long time to recover and I’m still not 100%. I was using my vent pretty much all day/night. It allowed me to rest and be more comfortable. Therefore I watched a lot of tv and movies. I even watched things like Mountain Men and Moonshiners because my dad likes them and he’d sit with me for awhile lol. I didn’t leave the house again until this past Saturday, April 1. My outing was Chipotle for lunch, Barnes and Noble, and Michaels. You know what’s so cool? My best friend Danielle was actually going to the same shopping area so we got to meet up! She and her fiancé Nick came over to Barnes and Noble to see me. J It was fun because I hadn’t seen her in a few weeks. After that outing I went home and rested. I went out the next day to Starbucks but I think that was too much. 

I was able to go into the office on Tuesday but left a little early so that I didn’t push it. I can make up my hours here at home which is great. I had a doctor’s appointment yesterday but I’ll save that for another post in a few days. The plan is for me to go into the office again on Friday. Hopefully I continue to improve and stay healthy!!

Hope you all are having a good week!

<3 Rebecca