Hospital, Day 7

Nothing of much excitement to report this time around. I settled in on Friday and got a CXR (chest x-ray), got my port accessed, and took some time to settle in. The Pulmonary Function Clinic was packed on Friday (they had several bronchoscopys waiting to be done), so I was not able to do my PFTs on admission.

Spiromety (meaning the measuring of breath) is the most common of the Pulmonary Function Tests (PFTs), measuring lung function, specifically the measurement of the amount (volume) and/or speed (flow) of air that can be inhaled and exhaled.

The two major #'s that my Dr. look at are my FVC and FEV1.

On Monday, January 11:
Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) is the volume of air that can be forcibly be blown out afer full inspiration, measured in litres. My FVC was 41% when I was admitted last Friday, January 8th.

Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 Second (FEV1) is the maximum volume of air that can forcibly blow out in the first second during the FVC maneuver, measured in liters. My FEV1 was 36% on admission.

Along with FVC, FEV1 is considered one of the primary indicators of lung function.

After a week of IV meds (the same cocktail that I had last time) my #'s have improved slightly to 49 / 46). Given that I had just finished my ventolin aerosol, it might not be the most accurate representation, but I'll take whatever I can get.

After a run-in with a bitch (she who shall not be named) nurse the other day, I was a little irritated. Little John, was my nurse today and I felt bad for taking my frustrations from the day before out on him. Because I have so many allergies and I have to be pre-medicated to almost every antibiotic I take, if my schedule and pre-meds are a bit out of wonk it puts a kink in the system. And I'm the one that as to suffer from that kink. So, I *think* things are back to order at this point.

Tomorrow = Day Eight! (I'm not sure how long I will be staying for sure, but either way you to do the math, I'm either 1/2 way there or a 1/3 of the way. Calgon, take me away!!!