Yo, everybody. Sorry, I've been rather busy around here. Still no transplant yet. I've been in the hospital for three weeks now. Came in with shoulder pain, because that has been my warning sign for another collapsed lung. Sure enough, after a week in the hospital, that damn left lung of mine fell again. It was rather dangerous this time. One of the blebs had gotten so big that it was crushing the lung. I was on 15 liters of O2 and still couldn't breathe. Dr. Rolfe rushed me into ICU and told me that my x-ray was so terrible, he couldn't tell exactly where to place a chest tube. And he couldn't do a CT scan because I couldn't move, let alone lie down. That meant a 50/50 chance of either successfully placing the tube, or accidentally busting that giant bleb and "ripping a hole from my nose to my lung".
I had no choice. I told him to go for it. Now, Dr. Rolfe is a tough dude. I've never seen him nervous. But this man was sweating bullets. I wasn't sure I was going to make it. By now, I am sure that I am part of a very elite group of CF'ers that has had seven lung collapses and actually survived them all. Rolfe is a magic man.
On Saturday night, I experienced my first dry run. The lungs they had for me were beautiful. Since I'm so short, they were going to transplant just the lower lobes of the doner (which would have filled up my chest cavity nicely)--it would have been a first for Tampa General. But at the last minute, they found silicone in the lungs, and they had to be scrapped.
So, here I am, still waiting. I'll tell you, it feels like the nightmare will never end, but I'm so numb from all the stress that it really doesn't bother me all that much. I'm just waiting for something better to come along. Tampa General is now the 8th busiest transplant center in the country. I'm in good hands.
Hope you all are doing well, and hopefully my next update will be with new lungs!
I had no choice. I told him to go for it. Now, Dr. Rolfe is a tough dude. I've never seen him nervous. But this man was sweating bullets. I wasn't sure I was going to make it. By now, I am sure that I am part of a very elite group of CF'ers that has had seven lung collapses and actually survived them all. Rolfe is a magic man.
On Saturday night, I experienced my first dry run. The lungs they had for me were beautiful. Since I'm so short, they were going to transplant just the lower lobes of the doner (which would have filled up my chest cavity nicely)--it would have been a first for Tampa General. But at the last minute, they found silicone in the lungs, and they had to be scrapped.
So, here I am, still waiting. I'll tell you, it feels like the nightmare will never end, but I'm so numb from all the stress that it really doesn't bother me all that much. I'm just waiting for something better to come along. Tampa General is now the 8th busiest transplant center in the country. I'm in good hands.
Hope you all are doing well, and hopefully my next update will be with new lungs!