Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Gardening, Rehab Class, Saturation Rates

No Wind! Into the garden I go for the next two days. They are a total mess from the massive two-day 60 MPH winds. Lots of small branches from the birch trees are scattered all over the front yard and everything is now so dry. The plan: The back yard today, the front tomorrow along with buying and planting annuals. I feel good. I slept a full 9 hours without waking during the night. I am ready. Oh, and it is supposed to be in the mid-70s this afternoon. Just about perfect.

We also confirmed cocktails and cake with Rick and Natalie on Saturday evening. Since the housekeepers are coming tomorrow and the gardens will be finished, the only thing we need to do in preparation of their visit is to set up the new swing in the garden, buy German food Friday night and bake a cake on Saturday. If the weather is still nice, we can serve cocktails outside.

Yesterday's rehab class was satisfying. I got a good workout, chatted with Sherman and Kathy told me that she was heading to Chicago next week for the very first time. We talked about all the things she should see, how to get to the top of the Hancock Building without paying for the observation deck (go to a different bank of elevators behind the main ones and up to the restaurant/bar just a floor down from the observation deck), the Shedd Aquarium, Navy Pier and, of course, Marshall Fields!

We have been watching the Giant's games in the evenings but they end too late for me! Michael gives me an inning by inning replay every morning.

I had a wonderful chat with the beautiful Susan from the ILD Support Group. She was diagnosed with IPF in 2010 and is retiring in a couple of weeks. She has had a sudden and terrifyingly fast decrease of her saturation rate. Just a small flight of stairs reduced it into the 70s. We worried about a possible pulmonary embolism or that an infection she had in January had not been totally eradicated and has developed into bronchitis or pneumonia. She was going to the ILD meeting and maybe a stop into the Immediate Care to have someone listen to her lungs and maybe a quick CT Scan. Downturns are so scary but such dramatic ones are terrifying.

My saturation rates are still increasing during rehab so I am excited to see Dr. K. in a few months. I think the bronchitis is finally gone. During the gardening today, I will have lots of oxygen and a good mask to protect my poor lungs from the bacteria in the soil.

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