Organ Transplant

[Beernik]

Wow, it's been a rough day. It started about 2pm yesterday when my mom was called in for her lung transplant. She has had pulmonary fibrosis for 6 years and has been on the transplant list for 3 about months.

She went into surgery at 2am. Got out around 11am.

She's in ICU now. All indications (I'm being told about) are good. But I haven't gotten to see her since 9pm last night. At that time she was in good spirits and joking around.

Not sure how much I'll be around for the next couple weeks. I might be around a lot trying to blow off anxiety. Or I might disappear for a while if things turn for the worse.

 

[Bedlam]

Good for her, keeping her spirits up! Must be a relief to have the waiting part over...now is time for recovery! My best to yer moms.

 

[Beernik]

Thanks.

I'm pretty much killing time right now. The team of doctors makes their round through the ICU between 7 and 8:30pm. At 8:30 I'm meeting my wife there so we can visit her and take turns sitting in the lobby with our daughter.

No new news. But no news means she's stable, and that's all we can hope for right now.

 

[Soulrebel]

Ask lots of questions and remember you are her ONLY advocate. The more the staff knows your are paying attention and asking questions, the more they will mind their P's and Q's. Best of luck to you and your fam.

 

[Airborneguy]

Best of luck!

 

[buenaventura]

I extend my thoughts and well wishes to you and your family.

 

[Beernik]

Thanks everyone.

I just got back home. All signs point to a good recovery. She's extremely poofy and has more hoses, tubes, and IV drips than anybody I've ever seen. But with all that, she looks better than the last time she had pneumonia.

Tomorrow morning, they are talking about pulling the ventelator out and making her breath more on her own. Hopefully not too long after that will be the intubation tube. I think she hates that thing most of all.

 

[jgbrown]

Good luck and a prayer for her recovery. Organ donor myself, I always get **** from the cashier for having the sticker on my ID when I pick up a 6er or a pack of smokes. This story makes me reconsider my and

 

[Beernik]

Thanks.

Having the sticker on your card is good, but you need to talk about it with your family. Your family can over rule what's on the card.

Having 2 or 3 drinks a night isn't going to damage your liver. It's when it becomes more than that every night it can have an effect.

And I've long since given up lecturing people about smoking. All I'll say is watching my grandfather and my wife's grandmother die of emphysema was enough to make me quit for good.

 

[jgbrown]

The sticker is on there so they know as soon as I flatline to rush me to the butcher. My family knows as well. I guess I just feel a little selfish having perfectly good organs and not taking the best care of them, especially with all the people waiting for organs.

 

[glenn514]

My wife was the recipient of a kidney almost seven years ago. And the donor? Our youngest daughter! Who played rugby three months after surgery!

Anywho, been there, and I know what you mean about the recipient looking soooo much better following surgery! It's amazing!

Prayers for a full recovery!

glenn514

 

[Beernik]

Just got home from visiting her.

About 1/2 the IVs are out. The ventelator is still in, but turned down 80% of what it was. The intubator is still in. They are talking about removing both early tomorrow morning.

The poofiness is way down.

If both the ventelator and intubator come out, I'd imagine being moved out of ICU isn't far behind. At least that's what I remember from her pneumonias.

 

[Homercidal]

Glad to hear!

A friend of mine's dad had several smokign related problem and the doctors refused to put him on any list. He refused to quit smoking and they were not going to waste the lungs etc. on him when someone more deserving deserved it more.

It was rough watching him slowly decline. I've seen enough problems from smoking, including from my own family (Dad, uncle, grandpas, etc.) that I never got hooked on it. Tried it as a teenager, but never enjoyed it for any reason.

 

[Beernik]

If he had multiple problems, they may not have listed him anyway. The lung list is a real Catch-22. If you are too healthy, they won't list you because of the potential transplant complications. If you are too sick, they won't list you because you are less likely to survive the transplant.

I saw her again this morning. Her lung function is still 70% of what they would like to see before they release her from ICU. My theory is it's diarettic and steroid she's been on. Going into the surgery, she was on a higher dose than they wanted, but it was either that or she would have started getting fluid in her lungs.

She's much more aware today. She can write and mouth a couple words. She's getting onery, which means she's feeling better.

Hopefully just another day or two and they will move her out of ICU.

 

[azscoob]

My prayers go out to her, God willing (or forbid) she will be yelling at you in no time! it is amazing what the human mind can accomplish when it is not bent to destruction, but rather to healing.

 

[Beernik]

Finally the news I've been waiting for. The intubator and ventelator came out today. If the next 3 hours go well, she'll get to keep them out.

For now she has a full face respirator mask on.

 

[TxBrew]

Good News! Awesome.

 

[Bedlam]

Finally the news I've been waiting for. The intubator and ventelator came out today. If the next 3 hours go well, she'll get to keep them out.

For now she has a full face respirator mask on.

YESSSSS! Doin' a happy dance in your honor:

Still sending good thoughts her way...

 

[Beernik]

Thanks.

She had good days yesterday and today. I'm kind of pissed they tried to switch her to a canula this morning before my dad got there. She didn't feel ready for it, paniced, and hyperventilated again. They had to call my dad and have him calm her down over the phone.

Other than that it's all good news. She sat for 15 minutes yesterday and she was supposed to do some walking in place today and some other exercises.

The next big step will be for her to redevelop her cough reflex enough that they will let her eat.

 

[Beernik]

I haven't given an update for a week.

The last couple days have been really good. She has gone from the surgical icu to a regular icu that is more pulmonary focused to a "maintenance" care unit. I guess that's 1 step up from a regular hospital room. They are talking about sending her home in 8 - 10 more days.

The main concerns right now are a pretransplant infection in one of the lungs, some weakness in her left leg, and her blood sugar is all over the place because of her medication.

Otherwise, everything else is looking very positive.

Thanks for the prayers and well wishes!

 

[Hang Glider]

Prayers and thoughts continue for you and your mom...