Peaks and Valleys

The gradual crumminess I've been feeling reached a peak yesterday -- woke up with extra water weight (a sign that my organs are having a hard time moving fluid around) and a headache.  Tried to rest it off with morning laziness, then tried to power through it running a few errands...but by 1pm, my oxygen saturation level was  pretty low (in the mid 80s at rest -- normal people should be at 99%, I'm usually in low/mid 90s) and I was feeling absolutely horrible so Scot came immediately home from work (and I cry a lot when I feel horrible so I was super pathetic when I called him), Jen picked up niece Zella (who is staying with us for the week) and she also picked up Jack and Charlotte from school and took care of them all afternoon/evening.  

Things were rough yesterday afternoon but I was finally able to keep a big dose of my diuretic down by 3:30 and was heartened by frequent peeing all evening.  For dinner, Scot ordered chinese food and we asked for something with absolutely no sodium and they delivered a fresh and tasty dish of chicken, veggies and noodles.  I find it important to keep my tummy as full as I can or else I'll tend to be drawn to quick, sodium rich snacks like cheese and chips.  The only problem is that to get them to deliver way out here, Scot had to order $40 worth of food so there are tempting yummies all around -- thankfully, it's all in the garage fridge and those stairs are prohibitive to me right now!

I woke up feeling way better this morning, though I didn't leave bed (hooray for kids who can make their own lunch!) and finally around mid-morning, Zella and I spent 20-30 minutes making dinner for tonight.  Turns out, that was my limit -- slept for a bit after that, woke with headache and cruddiness feeling again so have just been laying pathetically in bed, waiting this thing out.  Feeling okay right this moment (though all this iPad typing is really cramping my fingers).

All this to say: I have the most amazing friends and family in the world.  There isn't much I need right now -- we are pretty well stocked up on food and meals.  I have little stretches where I'm feeling okay and, more importantly, Scot's working from home today, so I'm able to do enough to at least get by.  But man, you guys go to TOWN when I'm down -- it's like a military mobilization -- the emails, the calls, the meal offers.  The most important thing, and the one that bring tears to my eyes, is just knowing that you're there.  I promise I will call and let you know when I need something but that feeling sure gets reinforced by all the love you guys give me and the family.

As long as my body keep responding to the diuretics (i.e. I keep making my pilgrimages to the toilet), I can avoid the hospital.  If my belly becomes too full of water that it can't absorb the oral meds, that's when I'll have to go to the hospital for IV diuretics...and that would be when we'd need some family meals and playdates.  But for now, Here's to the Pee!