Friday, September 2, 2011

Thankful Thursday on Friday - PFTs & Wifey

It's thankful Thursday time! We all have so much to be thankful for and we love to take this opportunity just to write down each and everything that comes to mind. Please take this time to share with us what you're thankful for as well. If you have a blog expressing your thankfulness, please share the link! Without further ado, here's what we're thankful for:

Mandi's List:
I'm thankful for Ronnie's last PFTs. We may be in for a tune-up right now, but I couldn't be more thrilled with Ronnie's PFTs before he came in. An FEV1 of 69% when he's not feeling great is fantastic in my book, especially when he got out of the hospital last time at 61%. I'm just so thankful that the extra working out and eating well is paying off!! I couldn't be more thankful for how hard he works and the results we're seeing.

I'm thankful for tune-ups. Man am I SO thankful for the privilege for Ronnie to go into the hospital, have meds and get feeling better. What a huge blessing that there are IV antibiotics that work and an opportunity for improvement. I'm also thankful for a little quality tune-up time together - nothing like bunking up like it's camp, vegging out and enjoying each other's company in a different setting.

I'm thankful for freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. I made a dangerous discovery last night...around 9pm they bring out HOT, freshly baked cookies in the cafeteria. We're talking while I was standing there they brought out the cookie sheet and it was hard to get it off the sheet onto a plate it was still so gooey. Oh.my.goodness...there is nothing more yummy!!


Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful for my latest PFTs. Short story - last time I got out of the Hole I was blowing an FEV1 of 61%. About one month later I was blowing about a 72%. My last PFT showed me blowing a 69%. I just feel so blessed that 5 1/2 months after my last hospital stay that my lung function has actually improved.

I'm thankful for understanding and trusting doctors. After what I said above, many of you are probably thinking the same thing - why in the heck is he in the Hole?? I'm here because I need to be here and my doctors trust me when I say that something is going on and we need to nip it in the bud. I've had a slow decline these last couple of weeks and I didn't see that improving without the intervention of some hospital time. I know that some of us out there have to fight to get into the Hole - I'm fortunate that with a little bit of trust and open communication, I have a team that has my back (I'm still seeing my old team in clinic and they make the decisions as to whether I go in or not).

I'm thankful for an understanding wife. Hospital stays are not as awesome as being at home. Running around the hospital grounds is not as cool as running around the neighborhood. Working out at the hospital gym is not as fancy as Fitness Works. Hospital food doesn't even come close to as tasty as the food we prepare at home. Sleep in the Hole is disrupted 10 fold when compared to sleep at home. Yet my wife, she doesn't complain. She just "sucks it up" and makes due. I think in part, it's because she knows how important hospital stays are, but that wouldn't necessarily mean that she would have to have a great attitude about it all. Yet she does, and she makes due with what has been given to us. I love her.

So, what are you thankful for today?