March at Duke

3/4/08
I'm back to rehab. And guess what the heck happened those 3 weeks I missed? 3 members of our rehab class were 'called' for their new lungs!! Billie, Jeff, and Arthur. I am so happy for them. And the rest of the class graduated. So I'm the only original member left although about 5 of them are back exercising at the same time, just not part of the class.

Anyway, both Billie and Jeff were back in rehab today...8 days after their transplant! Wow, they sure don't mess around here at Duke, do they? And they both looked great...with NO OXYGEN! I'm not sure just when Anthony got his lungs so it may be a bit before he comes back.

Let me tell you, folks...these 2, plus about 3 others I've met, are real live, walking, talking absolutely great examples of the benefits of transplant. So if your doc talks to you about looking into a transplant, and if you agree to test and are accepted, and if you are enrolled in a DEMANDING pre-op rehab program, don't give up. They all say it's that pre-op rehab program (and, of course, the skill of their surgeons) that produced such outstanding end results. Of course they'll still have to be aware of rejection problems but other than that, they are doing just absolutely great...just like normal people.!!

3/07/08
Well, I made it through the week. It's almost like starting all over again! Please, please, please...keep up with your exercising 'cause even with a week off, you lose a lot and it gets harder to get back to where you were.

Tuesdays and Thursdays are our 30-min. walk days and usually I just plod around the track, dragging my O2 behind me (most of the others on O2 got to push theirs in one of those carts), maybe getting 9 or 10 laps in. (There are 14 laps to a mile in the lane I use). This was getting quite discouraging; even the post-tx people kept passing me, and one really old guy, and I started feeling quite down about the whole thing. So, Thursday, on about my 4th lap, I just grabbed one of those push carts and used it. Well, what a difference that made! You have to be careful not to lean on it 'cause that defeats the whole purpose of walking "strong" but I walked 17 laps!!! I even got a star on my chart!! I realized why they prefer you to pull instead of push, though. If you're pushing, you tend to slowly start raising your shoulders up around your ears as you breathe. While pulling, it's quite unlikely you'll do that. So I just have to remind myself to relax and lower those shoulders. It DID feel good to get in as many laps as some of the others, though.

We had a graduation party for about 4 of this group today. Everyone brings something. I took a fruit tray. There were 3 cheesecakes there (with each cheesecake having 8 different types on it!), chips, cookies, a cake, pretzels, a veggie tray, brownies, and a key lime pie. Oh, yum. Not necessarily a healthy-eating bunch, huh?

Since I sort of started "off schedule", I won't get a graduation party. I think next Tuesday is the end of my Medicare-paid-for 23 sessions then I have to switch over to 'graduate' status and pay so much a month until I have the surgery. After surgery, I think Medicare kicks in for a certain number of post-op sessions then I'm on my own.

My next appointment at The Clinic is 3/20 so we'll see what's what then.

3/11/08
I'VE GRADUATED!! Got a certificate to prove it, too, LOL! They also gave me my very own theraband and walking beads. So, what does this all mean? Absolutely nothing. Well, actually it does mean that Medicare will no longer pay for my sessions at the Center so I've got to dish out the fee. It also means I could stop going, if I wanted to. But, since I want to be in the best possible shape for this procedure, I shall continue going, doing the same stuff, 4 hours a day, 5 days a week. I need to get into the 'exercise habit' so once all is said and done and we're on the road traveling around the country, the 'exercise habit' will be firmly imbedded in my psyche and I will continue it no matter where we are.

I had my 6-minute walk test yesterday...walked a grand total of 25 more feet than I did at the beginning of the course. Not too impressive, huh? Well, yesterday was a 'bad breathing' day (as was today, for some reason) so that was the reason I didn't walk farther.

So, nothing is changed. I will continue to go 5 days a week until I see the doc next Thursday. Then we'll see where we go from there. You know what's sort of sneaking around my mind right now...I'm afraid that somewhere along the line my condition may have deteriorated to the point where I'm no longer eligible for LVRS. What a revoltin' predicament that would be!!