Busy Two Weeks!!

I have been chastised by a few people for not writing on my blog since I got home, so I thought I better post a little something.  :-)  The main reason for not posting has been that I have been busy!  Somewhat with medical/doctor appointments, but mostly just doing normal stuff!  I am slowly integrating back into my routine here at home and it has been so good to be here.  I have had a chance to visit with some friends, co-workers, and family, but there still are lots more people to see!  Hopefully soon!

More of my time this past week has been taken up with medical appointments and issues.  I have a bit of infection still in my lungs, so I have had to go back on IV antibiotics for a couple of weeks.  Bummer, but I know it could be a lot worse.  Just have to suck it up!  The doctors also switched the dosages on a couple of my oral meds, and I think the combination has not been appreciated by my body.  I have been retaining a lot of water, and have been generally uncomfortable for a few days.  We have tried a few remedies; hopefully this feeling will pass soon.  I just hate it because I want to be out doing things, and I haven't felt too much like it this weekend.  Hopefully, by my next post I will be less bloated and more chipper!

My family at my Dad's place

The Dumplins all together again at El Camino's!

Ann, me, Sherman, and Barb!

I got to go see the local production of the "Wizard of Oz"...

...it was great!

HOME SWEET HOME!!!

I arrived home today at 3:30 to a family welcoming committee complete with balloons and a banner!  It was enough to make me cry!  Lots of hugs, laughs, and a little kid chaos - it's nice to be home!  :-)  Sherman and the kitties were very happy too!  I am exhausted (Jane offered to drive, but stubborn me wanted to do it), so I will definitely hit the hay soon - in my own bed!!

Crossing the Finish Line!!!

Well, it took most of the day to find out, but I finally got word this afternoon that all tests looked good, my lungs are showing no signs of rejection, and I am free to go home!!  I met with my coordinator Laura this morning and we went over all of the things I need to do to continue taking care of myself once I get home. At that time, she had all of my test results from Monday and the bronch results from Tuesday and all looked good.  But she was a bit concerned that I had some swelling in my upper left abdomen, so they had me do a CT scan of the area just to be sure.  So although they worked me quickly into the schedule, it took awhile to get the results.  When the results did come, they showed no problems with any of my other organs.  Better safe than sorry though!

Since it was late in the day when we found out the news, we just decided to wait and head home in the morning.  We have packed up quite a bit of stuff this afternoon, so it shouldn't be too bad loading the rest.

I am in a bit of a state of disbelief and awe over all that has happened the past 3 months.  It was very tough the first couple of months for sure, but things have slowly improved each day.  I have been blessed with many visitors/care givers coming here to be with me; there are many people who are not so fortunate.  Plus the unwavering support of those of you following the blog and wishing me well from a distance.  I have definitely felt it and appreciated it so much!

In the weeks following my surgery, I was pretty shaky from all the meds and it was hard to write very legibly.  Now that has improved and I am slowly getting some Thank You cards out.  I hate that it has taken me so long to do that, but I thought I was going to have a lot of time while waiting for my surgery. God had other plans for me however!  :-)

Sweet Maureen from rehab

Soft-spoken Larry from rehab (he called me Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam)

Delana from rehab and I enjoyed talking about her chickens

Laura, my post-tx coordinator and me on my last day!

The Homestretch?

It has been a busy week so far!  On Monday morning I had a myriad of tests at the hospital, all in anticipation of me being released to go home in the very near future.  I got to the hospital by 6:30am and had blood work, EKG, X-ray, pulmonary function test, bone density test, and met with the pulmonologist all by 10:00am!  I couldn't believe that all of my appointments were right on time!  I took a big nap that afternoon and at 5:30pm my Dad and his sisters Doris Jean and Jane arrived.  I didn't know Jane was coming with them, so that was a nice surprise!

On Tuesday, I had my bronchoscopy scheduled for 7:00am, and my family went with me.  It went well, and we were back at the hotel by midday.  I don't remember much about getting back to the room, but they said I gave my Dad good directions.  :-)  I slept most of the afternoon/evening, and my family went and did a little sight seeing so I could rest.  Later that evening, another of my Dad's sisters, Mary Lynn, and her husband Brad arrived.  They had already planned a trip to St. Louis to see the sights, so it worked out well that I was still here!

Yesterday, I was still a little groggy from the Versed, so I stayed in the room while my family went to the botanical  gardens.  That gave me time to start packing up a few things in the hopes of going home later today or tomorrow.  We made plans to meet Paul and Kristi for dinner at a restaurant on The Hill called Favazza's.  We ended up being a party of eleven when I got a call from my friend/co-worker Suzanne that she, her husband, and her mother were coming thru St. Louis on their way to Colorado.  It worked out great and we all had a wonderful time!  A lot of the talk revolved around my transplant journey, and it was really amazing to think how far I had come in three months.  Pretty heavy stuff.  The parting was emotional, as everyone thanked Paul and Kristi for all they have done for me, and it would probably be the last time I would see them for awhile.

Afterwards, even though we were stuffed from dinner, we went to Ted Drewes!  My aunts twisted my arm and made me go!  HA!  They loved it of course.  My Dad acted like he wasn't impressed, but he ate the whole cup!

This morning I meet with my transplant coordinator and I will hopefully get the results of my bronch and other tests and will find out if I am released to go home.  I have to admit, I am pretty nervous!  Will keep you posted!

Lafayette Square

My Dad, Howard, Mary Lynn, Jane (on floor), and Doris Jean

Paul and Kristi are the best!

Our celebratory dinner!

Some Independence

Since my friends Kerry and Tammy left Thursday morning, I have been on my own more than I have since I moved here to St. Louis.  It is both empowering and scary all at once.  I am proud that I have come this far and am able to do so much without assistance.  But I am also still worried that something could still go wrong and I will be alone.  I am told by my other transplant friends that these are very normal feelings, so I just try to go with the flow and ride them as they come.  Having Sherman here with me has helped a lot too; he is such good company to me.

I have tried to fill my time these past few days with both rest and doing things I wanted to do before leaving town.  Since I was released from rehab on Wednesday, I actually had four days off from hospital activity!  (It was very hard not to return to KY for another long weekend!)  On Thursday after my friends left, I had a very lazy day here at the hotel, which I needed after all of that dancing on Wednesday.  :-)  But I got up energized on Friday morning and had the hotel shuttle take me back to the Missouri Botanical Gardens.  It was quite warm, but I arrived at around 10am and just paced myself while walking around.  I had mainly gone back to see the Japanese Garden and I am so glad I did - it was beautiful!  I took many pictures while there for about three hours, a few of which are below.

The sacred lotus were blooming

The koi were large, and hungry!

On Saturday, Paul and Kristi helped to keep me from getting too lonely by inviting me to go to St. Charles with them.  St. Charles has an old town section that has brick-lined streets and lots of quaint shops and restaurants.  We had a very nice time perusing the shops and having lunch and ice cream.  I even bought a few Christmas gifts and some doggie treats for Sherman.  It was a good day!

Daniel Boone and me in St. Charles

Main Street in St. Charles

Sherman got a little horse doggie biscuit!

Today I slept in and then got out and took a few pictures at Lafayette Square and did a little shopping.  It was very hot and humid today, so I didn't stay out too long.  A nice nap this afternoon and just relaxing and blogging this evening.  Another thing that has kept me occupied this weekend has been the Harry Potter weekend on ABC Family.  :-)  I so hope to be home by this weekend so I can see the final movie with my family!!

Girlfriend Fun!

I spent Monday thru Thursday morning with my dumplin friends Tammy and Kerry and we packed quite a bit into a few days!  As I stated in my earlier blog post, it is their fault I was too tired to blog sooner.  Just kidding!  I enjoyed all of our running!  They went along to my hospital appointments on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, but we had the rest of the time to do fun stuff and just relax.  On Tuesday afternoon they showed me tough love by insisting that I drive them around.  It was my first time driving, but I think I did okay.  They didn't complain anyway!  We drove out to the Galleria and had a delicious lunch at the Cheesecake Factory.  Then when went for pedicures.  A nice indulgence!  We spent the rest of the day relaxing at the hotel.

Tammy and I drying our tootsies

On Wednesday we went to Union Station here in downtown St. Louis.  There are several shops and restaurants there, so we walked around and bought a few souvenirs.  We also had a caricature drawn of the three of us (Kerry had always wanted to have one done, so she twisted our arm).  It was quite a funny experience!

Me, Tammy, and Kerry with our likenesses  :-)

Waiting for the shuttle outside the Hard Rock Cafe

We had a late lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe and then headed back to the hotel for a little rest.  We needed to because we had planned to meet Kristi for some line dancing at a place in St. Charles.  I was a bit tired prior to going, but I am glad we did because it was fun!  Kerry, Tammy, and I were a little rusty, but we still managed to dance a little.  Plus, it was good exercise for me!  I continue to be so excited about the things I can do now that I could not do a few short weeks ago.  So thankful!

Me and Kerry - all smiles!!

Boot scootin'

Kristi and me goofing around on the dance floor

Weekend Musings + Good News

During my weekend at home, I was in such awe of all the things I could now do that I could not do the last time I was home. Just to name a few - taking Sherman for a walk in my neighborhood, doing laundry, doing dishes, walking stairs - all without oxygen! I am so appreciative of all those things we normally take for granted.

I will try to run down my activities without boring you too much. :-) Upon arriving home Thursday evening, I chatted with some of my neighbors who were very happy to see me home. Then I had visits from Terri and Avery, and then Bayly and Sawyer. On Friday I went to the office to see my coworkers and we had lunch at one of my favorite restaurants. That afternoon/evening I relaxed and simply enjoyed being at home with my critters.

Bayly, me, and Sawyer at my house

On Saturday, I spent part of the day at my sister Terri's house, simply enjoying the company of her and Avery.  Avery has changed so much in the past few months and it is such a hoot!  On Saturday night I went to a cookout at my friend Robin's house.  It was a combo July 4th/50th birthday party for her husband Allen.  They had a band, lots of people, tons of good food, and fireworks.  It was a good time - I even line danced with my friends to one song!  So thankful for these new lungs!

Avery at the "drive-in"

I rode with Terri and Avery over to my dad's house on Sunday.  My sister Cara and niece Laurel came also, along with several relatives and friends who all brought food!  It was delicious and we had such a good time catching up with each other!  I continue to be amazed at how blessed I am to have such a wonderful support group of family and friends.

Happy gathering of relatives at my Dad's house

Avery busts a move

Me, Terri, Avery, and Cara (Avery had enough dancing)

It was very hard to come back here after such a happy weekend homecoming.  But hopefully in a few short days I will be home for good, with only periodic visits back here for check ups.  It is now Thursday afternoon; I have been so busy with Kerry and Tammy I have not had much time to blog.  It is all their fault!  :-)  I will tell about their visit in my next post - we had a good time!

I did get some good news yesterday - at rehab I was told it would be my last day coming there!  They released me!  They gave me a workout program and wished me well.  I was totally shocked as I was expecting to go there every day until I left St. Louis.  I will probably go back and say a final good bye, but it was hard to say bye to everyone yesterday.  So I am free from hospital stuff until early Monday morning!

Awesome Weekend!

I am sitting back in St. Louis in my hotel room with my friends Kerry and Tammy, and Sherman. It was hard to come back, but knowing that I may only be here a couple more weeks did make it easier. My weekend at home was definitely a huge shot in the arm for me. To be back in my own home, among all things familiar, around my family and friends, was wonderful. I am tired from the trip, but I will post more tomorrow about my weekend and include a few pics. To everyone I saw over the weekend, it was so great to see you! For those I didn't get a chance to see, I hope to see you soon!