weekly medical update

there's good news, and there's notgood news.

the good news is, the driving restriction has been lifted. in and of itself, this is maybe not huge. but it is the first step to resuming independence. and it's nice to take a step in that direction. it was also nice to actually drive my car for the first time in 6 weeks or so. it's just like riding a bike. and i didn't hit any cyclists on the way home from rehab.

the notgood news is, my lung function has plateaued again, i have another bronch scheduled this friday to swap the stent, and the IV antibiotics have been extended another week. so none of that is much fun.

the CT scan did show a decrease in the pneumonia and pseudomonas colonization, but the bronch last week seems to have rustled up some junk in my left lung, which is why they're playing it safe and extending the antibiotics. of course, if the bronch does that every time, i'm going to be stuck in an endless loop of IVs and bronchs. unlikely, of course. but i'll feel better when the lung function is climbing again and the bronchs are less than a regular occurrence.

also, they'll be taking another biopsy during this bronch to check for rejection. which is not standard procedure, so i'm wondering why in particular they made that decision.

anyway, dad is heading home tomorrow on the train, so i will be on my own -- for the first time in a long time -- until....thursday night. then mom comes back down because i need a ride to/from the bronch. but i guess 36 hours of independence is a nice test run.