A Typical Day In The Life Of This Sick Chick

A Typical Day In My World

Since I like reading about other people’s lives, I decided to share a typical day in my life. It’s pretty much my average day, except for every nine days, I need to do my immunoglobulin infusion. IG for short. I try to schedule appointments, and shopping in the mid-morning as that’s usually my best energy time of day.

Early Mornings

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Somewhere about 7 am, I wake up due to the morning light streaming in, and the urge to use the bathroom. My little dog, Dottie, is ecstatic to see me. She is ready to head outside for her bathroom break. Me, not so much. I wish I could just crawl back in bed. But out we go. This involves an elevator ride which means I have to pick her up each time we enter the elevator. Otherwise, her nose leads her into trouble. Dot is eager to sniff every inch of the great outdoors, so I have to entice her with thoughts of breakfast to get her back inside.

If the grass was really wet with dew or rain, I dry off her paws when we get back into our apartment. While Dot is eating I make my bed quickly. This is always the place she hops onto as soon as she’s done with her breakfast.

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Nebulizer Treatment

Now it’s time for my nebulizer treatment. For those who don’t know what a nebulizer is, it’s an air compressor that forces air through a medication chamber making a mist you breathe in. While I’m breathing in my nebulizer medicine, I read the devotion for the day on the First 5 app. When that’s done, there are 2 inhalers to use, and pills to take. Then it’s time for breakfast.

Lately, I’ve been soaking steel cut oats the night before, and I put them on to cook while taking my other medicines. Yesterday, I had a left-over white potato, and eggs for breakfast. Some days it’s an apple and peanut butter. One thing for certain is there has to be protein in there, or I run out of energy way before lunch time.

After breakfast I wash up, and get dressed for the day. I find showering exhausting, so I try to plan taking a shower when I don’t have anywhere to go.

Mid Mornings

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Lately, since my daughter is between jobs, we meet at the park, and walk our dogs. She has two rescues, a young, rambunctious Jack, and an “ancient” Elsa. We do one or two laps depending on the heat and our energy levels. It’s a leisurely walk, because of course every square inch of the park needs to be sniffed and peed on. I look forward to these opportunities to get out into nature, but I’m beat by the time I walk back to my apartment. This leads to laying down for about an hour while playing games on my phone.

By now, Dot needs outside again. We say hello to whoever we meet, and circle the building. Dot needs outside about every one and a half to two hours during the day. It’s tiring, but supposedly all that walking is good for us.

Then I check my email, pay bills, check my social media sites, and my blog site. If there are dishes in the sink, I wash them up. Empty the trash if it’s full, or do other tidying up things.

Typical Afternoons

Then lunch rolls around which is usually leftovers, or a salad, or sandwich. There have been plenty of tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini from my daughter’s and dad’s gardens, so salads are frequently on the menu.

On one of my afternoon trips out with Dot, I stop at the mailbox and pick up my mail. Sometimes I sit outside on the benches, and chat with my neighbors until I get tired or thirsty.

Immunoglobulin Infusion Days

On my immunoglobulin infusion days, I need to take my pre-medications one hour before I start my infusion. Since one of them is Benadryl, I make sure the dog has recently been outside, because it makes me light-headed. Here is a definition:

“Immunoglobulin (also called gamma globulin or immune globulin) is a substance made from human blood plasma. The plasma, processed from donated human blood, contains antibodies that protect the body against diseases. When you are given an immunoglobulin, your body uses antibodies from other people’s blood plasma to help prevent illness.”

I take this, because I have an immune deficiency that makes me really likely to get every germ that wafts my way. It’s the only treatment that keeps me out of the hospital with pneumonia. I used to go to a local hospital’s infusion center, and get it through an IV once a month. When I started having severe reactions to the IV medication, I was switched to a different preparation that is given through short needles under the skin (SQ).

I HATE POKING MYSELF WITH NEEDLES! I’ve been doing this for 2-3 years, and it never gets any easier. Since the dose goes under the skin, you can only put like an ounce in each site. My dose is 50 mL so it’s divided into four sites. This is much better than when I first started SQ treatment! Then I used 6 needles! But still it hurts. Dottie stands at a distance, and looks at me with worry in her eyes while I put my needles into my belly. If you would like to see how it’s done you can watch this video.

Thankfully, the infusion is finished in an hour! Then I’m really done for the day, because the Benadryl makes me so tired. Even on days when I don’t do my infusion, afternoons are bad. Fatigue hits hard, and I either lay down on the couch or my bed. Not much of anything gets done in the afternoon.

Typical Evenings

I make dinner, watch some Netflix on the couch, walk the dog, and then start the medicine routine all over again. I like to watch nature or cooking shows. If I have the energy, I wash the dishes. By 10:00 pm I’m in my bed, and Dot is in her crate. I lead a very boring life. So that’s a typical day in my life. How do you spend your days? Comment below and I promise I will respond.

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Till next time, Kathy