Happy birthday to me!

It`s my 7<sup>th</sup> week and I`m back at the Nephrology ward. From now on, I will be recovering here. I can still feel the aftereffect of lung surgery. Even though the pneumothorax tubes were taken out, the doctors put a gauze to apply pressure to the wound so there will be no bleeding. It will be stuck to my side for a while. I must exercise my arms and walk to exercise my lungs. I got strength enough to go to the hospital garden. 😺The weather is getting nice, and the flowers are blooming. Technically it is spring here in Japan, but the temperature is like summer. I can even go to the garden wearing short sleeves.

I was starting to have edema again, and it was so bad that I gained 3 kilos. 😟My feet swelled as well as my legs. My skin was so stretched that it hurts.😢 I was advised by my dermatologists, Doctor Kusutani and Doctor Arai to put on tights supporters to my leg because my skin became thin and it is prone to wounds. I have IV of water pill so that I can urinate more. But it seems that it was not working fast so the doctors increased the dosage.

Many tests were done, and it seems that my lungs are recovering fast. 😏They are observing if there are holes still left, but there seems to be none. Based on the blood test, my white blood cell levels were decreasing, maybe because of the antibiotics are working effectively that it also kills the white blood cells. Also, LDH, Lactate Dehydrogenase, was high. When cells are damaged or destroyed, this enzyme is released into the fluid portion of blood. In addition, the infection level was high. These are not good. 😥My doctors told me that these may be due to the operation.

I was complaining that my lower right back abdomen was aching. An echo test was done, and the doctors found out that the tract of my right kidney is slightly swelling. Maybe I am urinating more than the usual, so it has led to this they said. 😡Lastly, the protein level that is found in my urine too was high and it is alarming. As a result, I will be under further observation.

My doctors are very apologetic, we thought that I can go home before my birthday, but I still can`t. 😖 I am confined for almost 2 months now. As of now, the edema is almost gone and I am feeling better without taking pain killers frequently. Tomorrow, I will have a blood and urine test and a CT scan. If the results are good, maybe we can plan the discharge.  

Today is my birthday!🎆🎉🎈

I am very thankful because I even though there are tough times, I am blessed that I was able to overcome it. Thank God!💕 I would also like to thank all the people who support me, especially my family, doctors, friends, co-workers, and group co-members.🙇

Another year and more challenges ahead, but still getting stronger.💜