Multiple Speed Bumps

Wow hi hello its me! Long time no blog post I know. I have a few updates for my friends and family so I wanted to write to you about it.

First : I had and have recovered from COVID19.

Fourth of July week I decided to go to the beach with a couple friends who had all tested negative for COVID19. When we returned from the trip one of my friends lost her sense of taste and smell. We both tested positive for COVID19 and the other two girls tested negative .

I amped up my breathing treatments and medications in hopes of not getting extremely sick. LUCKLY, I had no symptoms and recovered after the two-week quarantining period, or at least I thought.

Second : I got a cat and she is my BFF

This is Pepper and she is perfect

This four month period of isolation made me absolutely crazy. I missed my friends and family so much that I got a cat and she is my saving grace.

Having a cat is actually proven to improve mental health which I can testify to. I am 100% certain without Pepper in my life my anxiety and depression would be much worse than it is now. Moral of the story get a cat :)

What happened next?

It is now November and my doctors have given me a task that has skyrocketed my anxiety. On October 12th I went to my first pulmonary check up since recovering from COVID19. My spiro test confirmed that my lung capacity has gone from 75% to 64%. This 7% difference has my doctors worried that I either A) have another lung infection like I did in March or B) My lungs did in fact react to COVID19 and now my capacity is going down. Lung capacity is a major determinant for people with lung issues.

Me posing with the Spiro machine

COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) is separated into "sections". There are four stages of COPD: mild, moderate, severe and very severe. Here is a breakdown of the different stages of COPD:

• Mild COPD: 80 percent or higher lung capacity

• Moderate COPD: 50-70 percent lung capacity

• Severe COPD: 30 to 49 percent lung capacity

• Very Severe COPD: Less than 30 percent lung capacity

My score going from 74% to 64% puts me into another category and this worries my doctors. My doctor gave me three options on October 12th:

1. Be hospitalized and be administered IV antibiotics

2. Go home with a PICC line and do at home antibiotics

3. Go home, try and fix it on my own, and go back to the hospital in a month to see if there is still a decline.

I chose #3. With COVID19 the last thing I want to do is be hospitalized or have an at home PICC line. I now have an appointment on November 9th to re check my lung capacity and a game plan will form from there. I will make another post with updates after my appointment.

To my friends and family thank you for supporting me and being there for me at my lowest points this year. Everyone stay safe, drink water, be nice, and for the love of God WEAR A MASK!!

Peace and blessings,

Emily