things are not getting better

This is a catchup to Monday the 27th, a week later than my last blog. I saw Rob today and he thought that I didn’t have pneumonia but that the flu could hang around for weeks. I have now had it just over two weeks and I am getting pretty depressed. I think my asthma has returned and Rob agreed so he is prescribed two new inhalers to try to get the asthma under control. I will see him again on Friday and he is hoping to see some improvement by then. He also okayed me to do some light exercise and to try to clear my lungs as much as possible. I did my knee exercises for the first time since I saw the ER doctor on Thursday and I am going to try to do some light biking later. I was angry with Rob on the phone but I apologized when I saw him. He said the prednisone does that but if I don’t get better soon he may put me back on 60 mg of prednisone to control the asthma. I am very tired, still coughing but I am getting some sleep after I take some cough suppressant and do the nebulizer. This is not the toughest time of my life (cancer and chemo was) but it is getting harder and harder. I talked to Rosemary and she was supportive. She said I signed up for summer school but I know I didn’t but what is the point of arguing. My kayak friend got the bear today and loved it. This is Thursday the 30th and the day has started out okay. My breathing is not the best but I have only laken two puffs of the Albuterol in the early morning. After a cup of coffee I forced myself to take a hike to my first resting place just past the big white pine. I made it down in one shot but coming back was rough with at least eight to ten stops and some coughing up stuff. My lungs did feel clearer after the hike. I saw rue anemone, star chickweed, ground ivy, cl toothwort, and blood root. I did the same hike yesterday and also my knee exercises, and twenty minutes of biking. Yesterday I went into town for supplies and a fast food dinner of baked potato and a cod sandwich. Today I am going to stay at home since my meds won’t be ready till tomorrow and I have to go in to see Rob at 2. If I can just get the asthma under control and a little more time from the Influenza A I think I will start to really recover. This is Sunday, the second, and my treatment will be changing this week. Rob and Trivedi agreed that the CellCept is not working and they will be switching me to another more traditional drug next week and I will also be getting some meds to help with my energy problems, which have gotten more and more severe (yesterday it took me two hours just to get off the couch). Rob somewhat reluctantly agreed yesterday that I could go back on 60 mg of prednisone and while it didn’t seem to do much last night, after I took 40 mg this morning (I had been taking 20) my energy level seemed better and I did my knee exercises and a lot of things around the house. I am even hoping to take a walk later. I certainly cannot continue to live at this energy level. That would be like living as an invalid. My kayak friend suggested I move into town for a while but the amount of time and energy, plus not knowing how long it would be, plus the expense, just doesn’t make sense right now. After I get a new treatment plan and the first dose of the new meds for energy will be the right time to think about other options. The redbuds are starting up so my ride to Kroger to get supplies was nice. This morning I am looking at the redbuds starting up by the solar panels. If I can just get my energy up to a reasonable level (60 percent from its present 20 percent) I could work through the asthma. One problem that certainly will not affect me till January is teaching again. Right now there is no way I could teach but after doing a lot of figuring, I need to teach until December 2018, my original plan. I will just have to see how things go and if I start teaching in the Spring of 18 and I can’t do it, I will have to go on sick leave again. It is Monday the third and I had an okay day. I did most of my knee exercises, then napped then took a walk down to the first stump. Bluebells are flowering and the trilliums have started. I head titmice and a Louisiana water thrush. I drove in to Rob’s office for my urine sample then picked up some supplies, then had a healthy drive through dinner at Panera. I had Claire Hall come by and I gave her the rest of my gift for her new house. Gabes texted and I should talk to him tomorrow. I talked to Danny Sisson and he seemed unlikely to buy the hollow at the 230K price I gave him, even though he didn’t completely rule it out. I told him I would get back to him in 6 months. I talked to Darbi and she is going to see if there is any interest in the hollow. My energy level was not as good as yesterday so I think the prednisone is losing a bit of its kick.