Special Edition: My Lung Transplant Journey, November 11, 2014 - Missing Home

Sigh . . . I just want to go home! I've been away on medical leave for two months and ten days now, and I'm so ready to head back to Yorkville! However, still no word on when I can bust out of here! Hopefully, after this week's clinic appointments they will give me the go ahead because . . .

I miss my kids (even though they just came for a short visit).

I miss my hubby (even though he was here for over a week taking care of me).

I miss my parents.

I miss my bed and my Lazy Boy recliner.

I miss my kitchen with full size appliances including a gas stove and proper equipment for cooking and baking. Yes, we've had some mini kitchen disasters out here like burnt puff pastry apple tarts!

I miss my master bath where the hot and cold water works just right. Not so much here.

I miss my own bathrooms in general.

I miss my thermostat that can maintain a proper temperature, rather than really, really hot or freezing cold. Again, not so much here.

I miss looking out my front and back windows to see what's going on in the 'hood or to check the weather.

I miss many good things about my house like the 3 things I wrote about once upon a time on my Good Things blog (that hasn't been updated in forever!)

I knew that this recovery period away from home would be necessary and just temporary, but 

I'm feeling like Winnie the Pooh when he was stuck in rabbit's hole!

I'm trying to make the best of it, but the bottom line is I'm homesick!

But this too shall pass . . .

Special Edition: My Lung Transplant Journey, November 2, 2014 - {Dis}Comfort and Joy!

November is here, and it's nearly 6 weeks out from my surgery. Wow!
 

All and all, my recovery is going well. My test results look pretty good, I'm adjusting to the medications, and most importantly I can breathe, but . . . Yes, there is always a "but."
 

The "but" in this case is a constant state of uncomfortable tightness around my chest and ribcage which can be painful at times, and generally makes it difficult for me to move my upper body. It's like wearing a really, really tight bra 24/7. I'm sure the ladies can relate to this comparison, except I'm not wearing a bra, just tank tops and camis, and I can't take it off! My arms are weak and achy too, often feeling like heavy blocks of concrete by the end of the day. In turn, this unpleasant side effect has left me tired and cranky because I need to constantly re-adjust my body position to find comfort. This, combined with medicine-related insomnia diminishes my quality of sleep during the night or rest during the day. To remedy this problem somewhat, we went out to rent a recliner this weekend as one was not available at our suites hotel. A recliner also helps me with my dreaded acid reflux! 
 

It's the opposite problem I had before transplant where I could move OK, but not breathe very well. My body has turned the tables on me. I can breathe better now, but my body can't move that great. The doc said my new lungs need to adjust to their new home because they are a different size and shape than my yucky old lungs. They need to "squish" into place and that will take time. It's not a scientific explanation but it makes sense to me.

This discomfort and pain is frustrating as the ability to breathe has offered me the new found freedom to jump back into the real world with gusto, but my body says, "Hey, not so fast missy. Slow down!" I'm trying to listen, keep the big picture in perspective, and remain positive that this journey will be worth it, not only in the end, but along the way as well.

A quote from one of my very favorite movies "Steel Magnolias" comes to mind when I think about the worthiness of this journey:

I've surpassed 30 minutes of wonderful so far, and I'm keeping the faith that I will have many, many more minutes, days, and years of wonderful to come.