COMPLICATIONS & OUTCOMES
 

Please Note:  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.

COMPLICATIONS & OUTCOMES

Posted on June 24, 2013 by Gale

I want to start by sharing my new little mascot with everyone.  When I had my surgery I had a few hallucinations, luckily for me very pleasant ones.  One was that I thought I saw a penguin (yes, a penguin & don’t ask why cause I have no idea!) standing in the corner of my room with this sappy little smile on his face.  My grandchildren thought this was hilarious and they still like to tease me about seeing a penguin.  So I found this picture and it sort of reminded me of the little guy I saw  and the giggles we had over my visitor.

Okay so now back to the blog.  When I decided to write this blog I promised myself I would write honestly about my feelings and what the transplant experience is like for me.  So to stay true to that promise todays addition may not be as positive as I like to try to be but it is what it is.

 

The good news is that I can honestly say that my lungs are still working beautifully and in good health despite all the complications.  However the complications themselves can sometimes be life-threatening and physically draining.  I knew to expect  drawbacks, numerous med changes till we get it right, and that the meds themselves that I will take for the rest of my life can also damage other organs in my body like the liver and the pancreas and the kidneys over time.  It’s a bit like a trade-off and a very delicate balancing act.   

What I didn’t expect is for them to happen so close together and so frequently.  Since my surgery April 20, 2013 I’ve have been in and out of hospital so many times I’m losing  track.  I am starting to feel like home is just a place I visit.

The most recent episode happened during the early morning hours of Wednesday June 19th.  I awoke feeling panicky, unable to breathe and gasping for air and my heart was racing.  I didn’t know what was happening for sure but I knew I was in trouble.  I also knew my oxygen was low because I was experiencing a great deal of confusion.  I woke my husband and he took one look at me and called an ambulance. 

My daughter came and sat with me while my husband was waiting for the emergency people to arrive.  It kind of got easy for me after that because the last thing I remember is two men bringing a stretcher down the hall.  The next thing I remember is waking up in intensive care a day and a half later on a ventilator and not too sure what was going on.  However it was not so easy on my family who had to sit and wait and worry.

So what happened?  Well the doctor said he believes I had an episode of “flash pulmonary edema”.  Basically it means that  I had a fluid overload which caused me to go into heart failure.  The problem may have resulted from a medication or combination of meds and there is some disagreement amongst the doctors as to the cause of my reaction, however they all agree that it was a serious situation that warrants further investigation.

 

My carbon dioxide had risen to dangerous levels which is why I lost consciousness and I came very close to dying.  It took the doctor about 4 hours to stabilize me by putting me  into an induced coma for the next day and a half  and I was put on life support until I was rested and sufficiently recovered enough to breathe on my own.  They also suctioned large amounts of frothy fluid from my chest and lungs. 
This latest event certainly has tuckered me out and I’m feeling a lack of energy and very weak, especially my legs, but with a little more rest I’m hoping to be feeling back on track soon. 

 

It was scary but I am here, I am regaining my strength and I know that I am going to be okay. 

I will continue to count my blessings because I know that I’m better off than many people who have diseases that are terminal.  I have been fortunate enough to have been given a second chance (thanks to my wonderful donor)  and I have made up my mind I’m going to  just keep moving forward with as positive an outlook as I can muster.  I am blessed!