Operation Bronch. - OVER.

Hidey Ho Heffers.

I'm home from the bronchoscopy. Well, I mean, I've been home. Since around 2:30 or 3:00 pm. I completely pigged out after the procedure. We stopped on the way home at McDonald's. I got a cheeseburger, large fries, AND 5 chicken tenders with ranch. I ate all of it, except 3 of the chicken tenders. I was STARVING. Then I attempted to get online and check my facebook. But after falling asleep in the middle of fb'in it, 3 seperate times and almost dropping my laptop, I gave up and laid down to nap. A nice long nap.

Of course when I got up, I was hungry again. It was around 6:30 pm so Mom and I walked down to the community kitchen and cooked some generic Chicken Voila for me and some dinner rolls. It was soooo tasty. I ate a big helping of that and then a bowl of orange sherbert icecream. Mmmmmm. Now my tummy is hurting a little, but I think it will go away.

Anyways...about the bronch. Everything went as well as it could go. Except that when Mom and I went out to the car to go to the hospital this morning around 6:40 am (had to be there at 7 am to register, bronch was scheduled for 8 am), our front left tire was FLAT. Just what I needed. *rolls eyes* So we ended up trying to call a cab but in the end my friend Victoria's husband Chris (my bf Luke's brother) came and picked us up and drove us to the hospital. Then picked us up afterwards and drove us home as well. THank God for him today!

So once they sedated me and began the procedure, I don't really remember anything. I guess I fell asleep. The dr. said that everything looked fine, but that I had some pulmonary edema in my vessels. SO, he prescribed me some lasix. YAY! i hope i lose weight! :) He didn't seem too concerned about the edema, said the lasix should take care of it. The xray looked stable he said, the same as the last one basically. I hope that the lasix helps with the pleural effusion as well.

I'm feeling okay so far post bronch. My left side was pretty sore afterwards, but the Dr. told me that it was probably from the biopsies. He said they found a little bit of mucus in my lungs, but not too much and they sucked it out and are culturing it to check for infection. So all in all, I guess things went good. I did have to stay a lil' longer after the procedure b/c my sats were being stubborn and not coming up like they should have. but after a lil oxygen for a bit,t hey came up and I was released to the homeplace! I've been coughing up a little blood off and on from the biopsies, but that is normal. Even though aggrivating!

Well, my tummy is hurting and It's time to climb the pill-alayas once again. So i'll holler at y'all later! Thanks for your prayers today!

Bronchcoscopy - Not a happy camper.

Hi Y'all.

Not much to report today. Had P.T. then went shoe shopping for new sneaks. (AGAIN) I needed a new pair so they can insert that thingie into the bottom to help with my ankle pain. They couldn't use the other ones I bought for it. Poop. There went another $65 into the black hole. Anyways...

Tomorrow I have my bronch and I'm a little nervous about it. Not really nervous about the process or procedure, but about what they may find. If I hadn't been coughing and stuff lately (Which is why they moved it up), I wouldn't be as worried. But, I'm going to try and not worry about it too much. I'm going to bed earlier tonight b/c I have to wake up at 5:30 am so I can be at the hospital by 7am.

Wish me luck tomorrow. *sigh* Thank you, drive through please!

Everyday should be a Duke day!

What's up my people?!

Hope everyone is having a fabulous week so far. Mine is going pretty good. Haven't had too much pain. Sunday was good. I spent the evening alone, all night. My brother left around 2pm in the afternoon to go back home since he had to work yesterday. And Mom didn't come back until yesterday morning in time to pick me up for P.T.

It was nice having freedom to do what I want, say what I want, walk around naked if I want. I watched Hounddog. GOod movie, but a little on the disturbing side. Dakota Fanning plays a young rape victim a little TOO convincingly. Ponder that for a while, folks. *shivers in disgust* Oops, sorry if i spoiled the plot of the movie. But you will probably thank me for it later. I have to admit, while the movie is pretty disturbing, she is good at putting on a REALLY southern accent. No girl her age should be so frickin' talented. It's just uncalled for. Anyways, I digress.......

Like I was saying, It was nice to spend the evening alone for once. But, at one point I did get bored as hell. And then I got a little sad for no reason. (F-You Prednisone - I survived you're attack!) After crying for about 30 minutes for no apparant reason, I took an ativan and calmed down. Yay for ativan!

P.T. went well as could be expected on Monday, with a lame ankle. Enough said.

SO...today was a great day. Mom and I went to Duke! YAY!!!! My first time on Duke's campus since 1993. I was 12 years old. And I walked around all day! It was such a blessing! (Both to be back at Duke and able to walk around and not get out of breath) First we went to the Bryan Center and ate at the Armadillo Grill. It was pretty tasty. THEN, we went to the University Store, where I dropped way too much cash on Duke shit. But it was so worth it. THEN....we went to the Duke Chapel.

The Chapel is so beautiful. Just as beautiful as I remembered it. We sat down and I said some prayers for my Donor and Donor family. I also took the time to thank God again for my new lungs and new life. We took some good pics of the chapel, inside and a few outside.

Tomorrow I have P.T. again at 11 am. Then on Thursday - THE BRONCH. :-( *sigh* Such is the life of a lung transplant patient.

*cue theme music as curtain falls*