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Browsing: My Own Health on a Rapid Downward Tailspin

How To Stay Positive When Your UTI Goes Septic

by Becca on February 2, 2022

Medicating Jeff

Before I went septic from my UTI a second time since moving into Side by Side, Jeff and I kind of got a routine going.  Every morning around 6:30 AM he would call me up to see if I was awake. Of course, if I wasn’t awake, his calling me would wake me up.   We would say good morning to each other and how much we loved each other over the phone. I would ask him if he took his Lactulose yet or his other morning medications.

“No, I forgot, I’ll take them right now,” he would tell me. On the other end of the phone, Jeff would start rustling around. Grabbing the lactulose and opening his mini-fridge he would pull out a Coca-Cola. The Cola was a chaser for his nasty tasting Lactulose that he hated so much. He gulped down the lactulose making a big deal … Find Out What Happens Next

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How To Survive Crashing Vital Signs and Bad Doctors

by Becca on January 26, 2022

Trying to Maintain Normal Vital Signs

My life has never been what you would call easy or simple.  Every day was a struggle to even attempt to maintain normal vital signs. Doctors unfamiliar with Small Fiber Autonomic Polyneuropatny had no idea how to treat me. Over the last few years, I had been losing more and more mobility. At this point, I was wheelchair-bound. I needed one or two people to help me stand and pivot to transfer in and out of my wheelchair.,

Because of my gastroparesis, I could eat nothing by mouth and was on tube feeds 24/7. My body was starting to reject the tube feeds. The problem was, I had such a poor immune system that the doctors were reluctant to start me on TPN (IV nutrition). Because of the high sugar content in TPN, it is a breeding ground for infection. In addition to the … Find Out What Happens Next

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How to Pull off Chronic Illness and Grand Mal Seizures

by Becca on January 25, 2022

Chronic Illness is a Vicious Monster

Chronic illness is a vicious monster.  Jeff and I knew this all too well.  Jeff is the man I met at Side by Side Assisted Living, (my home at age 26).  As soon as I laid eyes on him I immediately felt a deep emotional and physical connection with him.  Eventually, with some coaching from my caregiver Melody, I had asked him out.  He was now my life partner.  While my health was going downhill fast, Jeff’s was on the upswing.

Jeff and I snuggling in bed together, we both suffered from chronic illness but Jeff's health was improving and mine was worsening
Jeff and I cuddling in bed at my apartment at Side By Side

In his younger days, Jeff used to drink a 12 pack of Molson Ice before lunchtime.  His liver didn’t like this, threw a fit, and then failed on him. His GI doctor sat him down and told him that he had two choices, keep drinking and die, or stop … Find Out What Happens Next

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Life: It Comes with No Guarantees

by Becca on January 24, 2022

I was closing in on my first year spent at Side by Side Assisted Living at 26 years old. As bad as that sounds, it was one of the best years of my life. From my very first tour there, I knew I was going to love it, because it was such a big improvement to the nursing home I’d been living at prior, where my primary care doctor had come very close to killing me in her attempts to cure me.

Also, at Side by Side I had laid eyes on this sweet but spunky forty year old man named Jeff who by now was my life partner and had completely changed my whole outlook on life, turning it into a place I wanted to stick around for as long as possible to enjoy my time with this wonderful man.

Not only was Jeff kind, smart, creative, funny, and … Find Out What Happens Next

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