A stint in the hospital and turning to God for help with UTI

 Labor Day Monday, we went to the ER after a week of reoccurring UTI discomfort. Sometimes I felt I was getting a hold of it with D-Mannose, over the counter products like AZO, cranberry juice. and good-ole' Shaklee Alfalfa. I would take Advil occasionally. The week before, I knew I had an infection but by the time I got in to be tested, I had cleared it with all the measures I know.  So how many times do I go back? Keep in mind, I had just finished my 3rd antibiotic. It is scary to think I have an infection with chemo. I haven't really traveled this way before.

When I was explaining what's been going on to the ER doc, I was so out of breath that you would have thought I'd just run there. I told him I had no idea why I was having such a hard time talking. They took lots of blood tests and shocked me when the doc poked in his head to tell me I was being admitted. For a UTI?!?

It turns out, they tagged me as septic. The shortness of breath and a white blood cell count of .1, when it should be at least 1.4 - along with an infection I can't seem to beat, gave me that designation. I guess shortness of breath is a symptom of the low white cell count.

They started me on a daily shot of something that works like Neulasta to get my bones to spit out more neutrofils (part of the white blood cells). By day Tuesday, they were getting visibly worried because the count was only .2. Keep in mind, I got Neulasta after chemo that is supposed to guard us from this whole thing.

All the while, they are monitoring and supplementing for things that were way low like potassium. 

They nurses were great but it is yukky in the hospital. The take blood and give more and more meds, the food wasn't great, and they treated me like a very sick person. That was a first for me.

Eating was especially hard because I also had a painful yeast-type infection in my mouth. They kept treating it 4 times daily with a drug you "swish and swallow" but I am still dealing with remnants of it. It's hard to brush and eat. And my taste buts are really off now because of chemo.

I've lost 30 lbs since going into the hospital the first time for in-patient chemo July 11. It feels good to have my normal face back and the inflammation all over my body is much better. My ankles and wrists and fingers are all as small they've ever been. 

By the 3rd day in the hospital, they had given me quite a bit of IV Antibiotics but I would still feel symptoms of the UTI periodically. We celebrated when the neutrofil count was 1.4. I could tell they were relieved. My own system was now at a point that it could fight bacterial infection alongside the antibiotics. I spent a day feeling pretty good with no UTI symptoms. 

They sent me home the 4th day with Augmentin, because the culture of the infection reacted to it. I'm in scary waters, though. There are essentially no other options but to put me in the hospital for IV antibiotics if I come down with more UTIs because I am allergic to sulfa drugs and others antibiotics reportedly are not strong enough. 

My first night home, I could feel the yukky feeling coming on. I literally got on my knees and turned this over to God.  I asked to wake up feeling good. I told him of my fears and what the doctors had said (as if he didn't know). I needed (need) his help and surrender it all. Believe me, I have prayed all along and I am so grateful for so many who have, and do, pray for me. But this was different. I am at the end of my rope and I need hope. Lo and behold, I slept great and woke feeling no UTI symptoms. I am so so grateful. I only have 1 more Augmentin. I just know the UTI is completely healed. Thank you, Lord! Thank you.