A Step Backwards

I went to my first cardiac rehab session this past Monday morning, eager to participate in the program which everyone says is the key to a good recovery, then started running a fever that night.

Wednesday, I tested positive for flu!  My doctor prescribed Tamiflu and said I am highly contagious and should quarantine for 5-7 days. Fever has ranged from 99 to 102.

Needless to say, I’m discouraged and feeling lousy, but flu is probably a gift considering the other scenarios health care providers were considering. (Tested negative for Covid!)

A chest X-ray showed that my lungs, although the fluid has resolved, are not back to normal.  Individual air sacs have collapsed, which I’m told often accompanies this surgery.  There is also something going on with the pleura. My doctor said coughing and breathing exercises are good to open up the lungs and didn’t prescribe anything.  Because I was so sick with the flu, I didn’t ask more about this … and I’m not sure how much of what I’m experiencing with the lungs is flu related and how much post surgery.  I do know it’s worse than a week ago—not the direction I hoped to be moving.

Neighbors and friends have again stepped up, leaving soups and fruit and flowers and medications at my door. And although I can’t walk around the Garden Hamlet, I can witness spring’s unfolding beyond my windows. In fact, I had a special visitor two days ago.

Thank you for your continued love and light, notes and well-wishes. I would appreciate focused prayers on the lungs and a quick recovery from the flu..