Day One, Volume Two

Hey Bunchers!
We Still Need You and Your Healing Thoughts!

Day 18 post transplant......

Well, the day began at 7:30AM for blood draws, pic dressing change and chest xray. While in the ATIC we saw Steve and Stephanie. That was so great for Anna. Steve is looking good and has surmounted a lot of hurdles. He was great encouragement. Anna heard him yell to her that week 6 post transplant was good. That helped so much. They are transplant buddies.

We made it to dialysis by 8:30. Anna's treatment began OK but as has happened each time she clotted the line and we had to have TPA injected and wait for an hour before the line was clear and we could start again. The frustration of these things happening got to me today. I see her trying so hard and so stunned that she has this kidney problem that she never expected and then there are these great annoyances. It is hard to keep on keeping on sometimes, but we do.

Because of this there was no time to get to clinic so clinic came to her. The support was wonderful for Anna. She truly feels that they care about her and that means so much. Dr. Dave showed up and reported on her xray. They saw an increase in fluid in her chest cavity and because Anna has had some reports of discomfort with breathing from time to time they decided it best to try to draw off the fluid. So after dialysis we went on to another procedure, a thoracentesis where they try to get the fluid to drain through a needle catheter. There was some success but concern it was not enough so we went back to xray. The conclusion was there is probably new and old blood between the new lungs and the chest wall that is thick and forming a membrane like sheet that needs to be drawn off with a larger port. So............

On the first day of Volume Two Anna is back again, admitted to Stanford Hospital. Darn! Last night she slept 8 hours at home and was doing so much better. At least we had two nights at home to rest some. But her strength was also improving a lot today as well. Anna told me that she was not scared about this, that this was just one of those things that happens and you have to take care of it. Apparently this happens to CFers with transplant. The old CF lungs adhere to the chest wall and cause a lot of abrasion. It takes a while for this to heal. So, extra bleeding can happen. Again, this amazing team of docs is not worried and they feel that they can deal with this and we will move on. So that is what we will do.

Doug volunteered night duty again. He has been so fantastic and has enjoyed those late night times with Anna in the hospital. Since I am the early bird it helps me to sleep and arrive around 7 to relieve him. Anna is so much more herself now. It will not be long until she will be able to spend night times with out us but for now it helps her with moving around, remembering things and to just have support with one of us there in the night and around the clock.

Hopefully the procedure will happen tonight or early tomorrow so that the healing can happen and we can return home again. There are other CFers that are in the hospital now too that Anna knows........... she sends her best to them all.