Every Breath I Take

REACHING THE 3 MONTH MARK

I am reposting my old blog on this site including old posts that were previously published on another site. After I finish putting up all the old posts I will bring the new blog up-to-date with some new thoughts and posts. Thanks for your patience. :) Also, I am not adding all the previous comments from the old blog because I can't figure out how to add them however I appreciated each and every comment and have saved them all so I can go back and read them every now and then. Thanks to everyone who signed the old blog.

3 MONTH MARK

Posted on July 29, 2013 by Gale

I have reached my 3 month post-transplant mark and for me it is a momentous and pivotal event. Looking back, it’s difficult to describe all that has happened in the past 3 months and some of it seems a little surreal. I’ve gone through a whole gamut of life changing events and emotions which I’ll talk to later.

I also just finished my assessment at Toronto General last week. It was a busy 3 days during which I had a number of tests including a bronchoscopy to make sure my lungs are healthy and there is no rejection or infection happening in them. I also had a 24 hour urine test for reasons unknown to me! ;<)

I had a test that required me to eat a radioactive egg and toast and then go for several x-rays to see how quickly it moved through my system.

I had an esophageal motility test where they put a tube up my nose and down my throat to my stomach for 24 hours just to make sure I was not regurgitating food into my lungs. Then I had lots and lots of blood work, a CT Scan, a 3-D Echo, X-rays, a 6 minute walk test which was SO improved from my pre-transplant days, a Pulmonary Function Test which was also very much improved from my pre-transplant days and finally, my clinic appointment with the transplant doctors. During the appointment they cut back and/or stopped a number of meds which is great news for me.

Based on my results a person would be inclined to think some doctor decided to yank out my old lungs and give me a completely new and improved set. OH WAIT, that IS what happened! *grin*

Some of my appointments were very early in the morning so we decided to stay at the Delta Chelsea for several days so we could have a relaxing couple night’s sleep and not have to worry about the tedious commute from home to Toronto each morning and night. It turned out to be a good idea and worked out well. Here are a few pictures of us at the hotel. As you can see, in this picture I have the tubing in my nose.

The tests continue this week too but at least the tests I’m doing this week are being done locally so I don’t have to travel to Toronto. I have to wear a Holter Monitor for two days and have a MIBI Stress Test to measure how effectively my heart is working. The tests are just a precaution to rule out any possible hidden problems. Last fall I had all these tests and a right and left catheterization everything was great but being that I had that close call with the flash pulmonary edema about a month ago, the doc thought it was a good idea to double check. That’s ok with me because I certainly wouldn’t want to go through that again. The whole thing really knocked me on my keester and it took a long time to bounce back. In fact, I’m not fully recovered even now. I still feel stressed occasionally when I worry that I might have another crisis so I’m using all the relaxation techniques I’ve learned over the last couple of years so I don’t end up looking like this little mouse.