Keeping busy

I have been keeping myself busy over the past few days. Intent - to be productive. Yes. Productivity. That, and having fun and relaxing. Not distraction. Not at all. We'll go with fun and productivity because it makes me feel a little more normal and a little less sick and like I am waiting for scary surgery and lots of pain. This week I am nothing more than a college student enjoying her time off between final exams and the start of the next semester. Just like all of my classmates and friends, or the thousands of other students doing the exact same thing right now - enjoying the end of the summer, soaking up the sun and long evenings. But I am not, and I am lying to myself when I say that I am normal and relaxed and completely enjoying this well earned time off. The surgery is always there, at the back of my mind, drawing closer. I wish so much that I could just forget. For a day, even an hour. But the closer it gets, the more I think about it. A week or so ago I would joke about it with my mum, minimize what will happen. I haven't really been able to do that the last few days. Lots of nervous banter alternating with anxious silence.

Anyways, keeping myself busy and productive. Wednesday through Friday I made myself several new PICC line covers. I got some lovely fabric a week or so back and figured now is the perfect to make the covers. I have at least two more months of IV antibiotics, so I might as well add some variety to my wardrobe. I hand stitched everything. My sewing machine skills are not that great and there is something soothing about sewing by hand. Rhythmic, relaxing. And time consuming, which was a contributing factor to doing it by hand.

My bed throughout the past few days. A cozy comfy place to sew.

The five PICC line covers I made this week. Still need to be ironed. They turned out really well; I was a bit skeptical when I first started. I think they look fantastic. My mum keeps telling me I should sell them online XD

I worked off these PICC covers, which my mum made for me back in 2012 the last time I was on IV antibiotics. I made some alterations as I went since I have different dressings now, which are a bit bulkier and bigger in diameter.

When I finished with the new fabric I looked through my basket of sewing/embroidery supplies and found this fabric. I bought it in 2012 to make a PICC line cover but never got to it. But I still really like it, so will make another one next week on Monday or Tuesday.

Thursday morning at 9:00 am I saw infectious disease to discuss my PICC line issues. She said that it is not a full blown (systemic) allergy to the line, but a localized reaction to the hub (purple part for those who have seen pictures I posted before) that is contact with the skin. My doctor thinks that it started at a reaction to the statlock, tegarderm, tape, and chloraprep, which caused blisters, swelling, redness, and resulted in fluid leaking from the skin. The fluid got trapped under the PICC, preventing it from drying up and then healing, which then reacted to the skin. I am not entirely convinced, just because of the whole allergic to rubber boots which are also made of polyurethane thing, but at least we all agree that there is some sort of reaction between my skin and the part of the line located on the outside of my body. ID recommended using a Mepilex dressing instead of gauze pads and bandages (encircles whole arm, causes all the skin to dry and flake off... my arm is now as smooth as a baby's bottom!). The Mepilex is a god send! Still some itching, but much less than before. And the parts that have been draining seem to be drying and crusting. And I have been able to use q tips with sterile water to try to clean under the PICC. Still hurts quite a bit to do so, but it is now no longer embedded in/stuck to my skin!

Friday morning I went to clinic just to PICC up more supplies. Nurses were nice, but running low on everything. They only had one set of tubing for me, which I used this morning. So I have no tubing for when I return home after surgery. Will ask the hospital for some to tide me over until home care (pretty sure I am getting it) can meet with me and order more supplies.

I am drowning in medical supplies for the PICC line at home.
My mum found some stuff on Thursday from 2012 that we can still use, so that took over my nightstand.

And then I got more stuff on Friday from clinic: Mepilex, sterile water, saline syringes, gauze pads, sterile swab thingys, etc.

 

This is where I keep all my PICC supplies. Already pretty full before my mum found the older supplies and getting more at clinic. Took a while to sort through it all and organize it.

 Now all the drawers are completely full!

After clinic, mum and I went to the Book Depot.

Find of the day:

I am super excited about this! I love crafts, I enjoy birds. Combine the two, and I am happy as can be! The box was a bit damaged, so it was in the green sticker (clearance) section, where everything is really inexpensive (usually 1-3$), but the stuff inside is completely fine.

Also found puzzle books. Date is late 2014. I guess bookstores and magazine stands sell them on to other stores once they are out of date to make up for the loss. I don't mind at all. Green one was 4.99. and orange was 2.99. I love puzzles and already stocked up on some books for surgery. All PennyPress but obviously current issue. The current version of the green one was 10$, so 4.99 is a pretty good deal. Unlike newspapers, puzzles don't go out of date.

And another book to read. Wonderful to have time to read for fun rather than for school.
Best part was that I had a 10$ gift card, so I only paid about 8 bucks for the craft kit, two puzzles books, and the book below.

In the evening, on Friday, mum and I went to Happy Ralphs to look at the animals - there was a calf, and two baby donkeys. Then we drove past the canal, and went home to make s'mores.

Other good part of Friday - I found slippers! I have been looking for slippers for weeks. They are really hard to find in the summer months. Well, unless you want grandma slippers XD
I already have really nice slippers but they are big and bulky and shaped like hedgehogs. Can't really take those to the hospital. Also, slipping hazard once on crutches after surgery.

My birthday is on Sunday. About a week ago I found a lovely "free" gift that comes with a cross stitch magazine at Chapters. I saw it an instantly loved it and thought "I am going to stitch that for my Birthday". The design is by Margaret Sherry. I have stitched a bunch of stuff by her before and find her work whimsical. This one took about five hours to complete.

The kit, which included the pattern, card, envelope, Aida fabric, needle, and thread.

 

Finished stitching; taping the fabric to the card itself. You know you are sick too long when you figure out you can use medical paper tape to finish a craft project when you can't find the double sided crafting tape. It worked great, by the way!

 Finished product, now on display on my bookshelf:

 And the gifts my family placed in the living room this afternoon. Lovely to look at. Almost a shame to open everything because it looks so cheerful set up like this =) I am so happy that surgery is after my birthday. I just want one day. Just one where I feel normal and a little bit special for a good reason... not the bad kind of 'special' that comes with being sick, where people pity you and look at you with those sad "she is young and sick, thank god its not me" eyes.

One down side of the last few days is that the always being cold thing has come back. No explanation for it. I was having some pretty bad bone pain a few weeks ago, but hardly any in the last week. Only explanation is that the infection is doing something, just something different than what ever makes it cause bone pain. Fingers crossed that is goes away after surgery. My nose is so cold I can feel it, without touching it. I am sitting here, typing, and my face feels my cold nose. And the chills are there too. So over them.

I am going to the zoo tomorrow to celebrate my birthday. Just my mum, brother and I. I was very indecisive about whether I wanted to go or not. In the end, it comes down to a fear of being in a crowded busy area all day with a PICC line. I don't want to get it stuck somewhere, or have a kid bump into me and tug it by accident. My mum reassured me that it will be fine. I will try to wear a sweater over top of the line and leave as little sticking out between the blue IV bag and my sweater as possible. That set aside, I am thoroughly excited to go to the zoo! I hope to see the penguins being fed.