A Not So Fun 4th and Tough Week for Faith

The other day Faith and I were standing in line at the pharmacy, and someone asked her, "How was your 4th of July?" She responded quite honestly, "Terrible!" 

Yes, it was definitely not a very fun 4th. In fact, this whole week has been one challenge after another. The only thing we really did for the 4th was go to Art in the Park in Mandan, which was last Friday. Faith found a new tie-dye t-shirt, and I enjoyed a yummy root beer float. 

Art in the Park in Mandan on the 3rd

I had actually gone with the goal of getting an Indian taco, but it was so humid, I didn't feel like eating anything hot. Because it was so warm, we only stayed for an hour before heading back to Bismarck.

That night, I noticed that Faith seemed uncomfortable in her chair, almost like she was having pain. She told me she needed to get out and lie down. I thought maybe being out in the high humidity had been too much for her or that she was having muscle spasms. After she lay down for a bit, she seemed to feel better. 

The morning of the 4th I tried to explain that it might be too hot for the parade. She wasn't happy as that is the one thing she looks forward to every year, but she eventually stopped fighting about it. I was a little bummed that we weren't going to be doing anything to celebrate the United States of America's 250th birthday. I am not overly patriotic, but I feel blessed to be living in this wonderful country with all of the freedoms that we have. 

My mom and aunt ended up stopping over for a bit and brought food from their barbecue. At least that was something! Our neighbors across the road (who are outside of city limits) had an amazing fireworks display, so she did have a chance to see fireworks, but she was so tired that she just wanted to go to bed. 

Thanks Mom, for bringing food over on the 4th!

There were 3 or 4 times on the 4th that Faith seemed to have pain while sitting in her chair and asked to lie down. I finally put it together that she needed to be changed after every time that happened. Even though this was not a typical symptom of her having a UTI, I didn't know what else it could be. I did notice that she had started her period, which probably exacerbated her discomfort. 

The next morning, I disappointed her again by saying we couldn't go to church and instead we had to see a doctor for the discomfort she was having. I really truly did not want to have to take her to the ER, but unfortunately that is the only place they can check for a UTI. It is not possible to get a urine sample via catheter at the walk-in clinic. Plus, she has a fear of exam tables, so it's best for her to lie on a bed where she can be more comfortable for any tests they need to do.

Thankfully, the waiting room at the ER was empty and we were able to go right back. She began having another pain episode and that, along with her anxiety, sent her heart rate into the 170s. 

Two nurses got her out of her chair and onto the bed and hooked her up to a monitor. They wanted to keep an eye on her heart rate and blood pressure, which was also higher than normal.  They had also put an IV in, so that they could give her pain meds. Once those kicked in, her vitals looked much better.

Not doing so great on the 5th 

Along with a urine sample, they also wanted to do a CT scan to make sure everything was ok. She handled the CT scan like a champ but getting a urine sample via catheter was a challenge due to her high tone. They tried 3 times without any success, so they decided to attach a u-bag to catch urine that way. Thankfully, that worked and minutes later we had the results that she did indeed have a UTI. 

We were at the ER for a total of 5 hours. While there, they had given her a dose of cephalexin through her IV. They also sent us home with a prescription for that antibiotic. Since the pharmacy was closed by the time we were discharged, we got it filled the next day, which was Monday. 

I gave her the medicine that day but a few hours later, she was sick to her stomach and throwing up. She had thrown up all over her bed, herself, and me. Feeling exhausted and overwhelmed, I kept thinking how much easier things would be if I had a second pair of hands. 

I called one of our respite care staff, but she wasn't able to come. I called my sister who had just sat down to eat at a restaurant with one of her granddaughters. I was in tears talking to her because I was so worried about Faith. 

While getting Faith cleaned and dressed, she was very pale and kept closing her eyes. She wasn't really responding when I talked to her. When my sister and great niece came, Faith didn't even make a peep. She then began dry heaving, so we thought it would be best to take her back to the ER. 

This time, the ER had quite a few people in the waiting room, so I figured it would be a long wait. A pastor and his wife from my hometown happened to be in the waiting room. Visiting with them helped pass the time. Faith had perked up a bit and enjoyed getting lots of hugs from them! 

About 3 hours after arriving, we finally got called back. We had the same doctor as the day before. I explained to him what happened, so he decided to switch the antibiotic and also gave us a prescription for Zofran. 

ER: Round 2 on the 6th 

She took a dose of each that night before we left the ER. We were also sent home with an extra dose of the antibiotic. This ended up being a good thing because when we went to the pharmacy to get the new prescription filled, they didn't have any of that or the Zofran in stock. Because of that, we had to wait until the next day to continue with the course of antibiotics.

Thankfully, I had respite staff come, so that I could get a bit of a break. I ran a few errands but then really didn't feel like doing anything else so I went out to my parent's place for supper. 

Pretty much sums up my week!

This evening, Faith was supposed to go to a birthday party for a friend from her day program. But unfortunately, she is still not feeling the best. To add to it, the antibiotics are messing up her digestion and causing her to become constipated. I have been trying all day to get things going for her. Needless to say, it hasn't been a very fun day! 

She hasn't gone to her day program all week and she missed two appointments, plus the birthday party. On Saturday, she wants to see Toy Story 5 at the movie theater, which she has been looking forward to. 

Today she watched parts of Toy Story 1, 2, and 3 to get ready for it! (I don’t think we have seen the 4^th one). She was actually laughing at some of the parts, which was nice to hear! Faith laughs especially hard at this scene and asked me to rewind back to it like 10 times! 

I pray we can get her digestion back on track and she finally starts feeling better so that she can still go. We have not had a challenging week like this for a long time. I really hope that things turn around soon and that next week is better!