Jilly's Musings

Here's a spot to leave messages for me. I'll try to keep it at the top of my journal. 

I'd been all set to get going with life again... got in touch with friends, making my way through email, Mom was contemplating when she'd head home. Then the sky fell in. I started getting really sick again, and very fast. Sudden relapse. So back to the hospital. But the suddeness of bad respiratory issues gave the doc pause, add to the fact that my Mom had developed a bit of a cough. He said my home had to be checked out ASAP. So while I was back in the oxygen tent, we had the house checked out and I got an environmental report. Turns out I had a rabid mold issue I'd been living with for some time. Damn, damn and double damn.

Putting it all together now, the doctors thinks my immune system has been taxed for some time fighting the effect on persistent mold exposure. When I caught the flu, my body couldn't cope and basically shut down. And once I was sick, I couldn't cope with the mold anymore.

All that to say it's been a crazy month! Once I got out of the hospital (again!) Mom and I went to a hotel down in Monterey... to recouperate, and it was a little like a vacation too. Getting well on the beach!!

Meanwhile, my brother flew in to take over the situation at my "flat." A professional crew came in and did the tear out in the bathroom and the mold removal/killing. Then my brother took over and have everything cleaned to within and inch of its life. I had him get rid of most of the upholstered furniture because I'd always be wondering, "Is that harboring mold spores??"

So I got home last night... for real this time.  A few weeks on the beach was way nice. And it's weird coming home, because it doesn't feel like home. It doesn't look the same. New couch, new chairs, what little carpet I had has been replaced, and the bathroom is functional but not finished. it's all way cleaner than it's been in years. And my family got me air sterilizers for every room. So there are this little sliver things with blue lights in every room.

It's like getting a do-over in some weird way. My place doesn't feel like my home right yet, but I'm sure it will. Sometimes it feels like the last few months have been a dream... everything feels surreal all the time, and I wonder when it'll be time to wake up.

My fervent hope is this is the end of my drama. I've hit my drama quotient for the next year.

Hope everyone is doing well. I'm really looking forward to getting caught up on some good reading!

-JJ

Mom is chomping at the bit to take my computer, by I just noticed something... About a month ago I set up some Halloween virutal gifts for a few people and I'm assuming they went out. That must have been weird considering that I'd dropped off all other communications.

Anyway... I do hope you had a happy Halloween. Sorry if I caused any confusion.

Okay, mom... loggin goff now! :-)

And never so grateful to be able to say that!


Sorry for dropping off the planet for so long and being out of touch. Shortly after my last communication with everyone I had a serious relapse and wound up in the hospital for over 2 weeks. I had respiratory failure... got my very own isolation room and oxygen tent. Even had a machine breathe for me for a while. Not an event I really want to repeat. Although, in truth, I don't remember much of the last few weeks. It's weird to have missed most of October.

My mom flew out to take care of me, which was great. I don't think I'd have made it out of there without her. She's still here, and driving me a little batty. She makes me follow the doctor's orders to the letter... dammit!

I'd asked her to post a message in my journal letting folks know I was in the hospital. She did, but I just realized that it's marked private. I guess I should have been clearer with my login/post instructions... here I was thinking everyone was updated, but no one was, and I feel kind of yucky about that. I'm so sorry!

So, that's it. I'm recuperating at home.... doctor told me it could be 6 months to a year before I can breathe normally again. But he also said I'm lucky to be alive, so I'll learn to live with the restrictions and the annoyance of the situation.

As of ten minutes ago, I have 832 unread emails. It's going to take me a bit to get through them all. Especially with Mom confiscating my laptop if she thinks I'm too tired :)   I'm going to do my best to stay on top of new email, but it may be a long time before i get to read some of the older ones.

Hugs to you all! Hope you're doing well. Will be reading your journals to catch up on what's going on!

happy to be alive and back home!
-Jilly