Two Weeks Post Transplant

This week has been a week of ups and downs, but fortunately many more ups than downs! Saturday was lovely as they allowed Rob, Oli and the girls to take me over to the canteen for a drink and then as it was a nice day they took me round by the duck pond. It was lovely to get out into the fresh air at last. Everything felt a bit surreal. It's taking a long time for it to sink in that I've actually had my transplant.

After such a nice day, followed a bad night, where I had breathing problems and everyone sprang into action, ECGs, X rays, blood tests, nebulisers, doctors and consultants - all in the dead of night. By morning they were treating me with nebulisers and diuretics, there had been a problem with fluid on my lungs and tackling the fluid has been an ongoing problem all week. I have had to have IV diuretics to cope for most of the week and now I've managed to go on oral diuretics, which is a step in the right direction. Now the aim is to work towards not needing them. 

I was also put in isolation because they found traces of MRSA after my first bronchosopy and again they went straight into action. I had to have two, two hour sessions a day of IV antibiotics. Now a third of the population carry MRSA, so it is all quite normal, but when you are hospitalised and frail and have open wounds there can be a big threat, as well I am heavily immunosuppressed with little immune system at the moment. This morning I was taken off the antibiotics and told all should be ok, they have just done another round of swabbing everything to get a finall all clear. So all is going in the right direction now on that front. 

Apart from those few things, everything else has been going really well. Last Friday I could hardly stand up, this Friday I have just done four rounds round the ward and done ten minutes on the exercise bike. So not just small steps (excuse the pun), but leaps and bounds. My apetite is still poor, but I'm managing to have a good go at every meal, so again much better than a week ago and all going in the right direction. 

One of my biggest challenges this week has been to learn and understand about my new drugs. I am now self medicating and administering my own drugs. Everything is written in a little blue book, so nothing is taken twice or forgotten. It would be life threatening to do either of these as the drugs are keeping a delicate balance between stopping rejection and avoiding infection. There are regular blood tests ongoing to manage the right levels of drugs. 

This week has also felt special because of all the good wishes, cards and pressies you have been sending me. They have been keeping me going and encouraging me on and they have really helped me. It sometimes feels like you have to have a lot of 'mind over matter' and all your good wishes have just helped carry me along each day! 

I am so excited about life at the moment.