Ugh. It feels like this whole process is the biggest final exam ever. Or an audition for a starring role- pick me! pick me! Or an interview for the highest paying job ever. Say the right thing, be sick enough, yadda yadda yadda. I worry that I'll be cut from the team. Or never asked to join.
Yesterday Jeff and I met with the social worker for an interview and we also met with one of the surgeons. A chest CT scan rounded out the day. We asked the surgeon tons of questions about the nuances of the surgery and the organ procurement process. Interesting stuff.
This morning I had to be back at the hospital at 0800. YUCK! I am so not a morning person. Did a VQ scan (lung perfusion- checks the air and blood flow through the lungs with radioactive stuff), an echo and a ton of fun pulmonary tests. I did the Pulmonary Function Test where you sit in the chamber and breathe and blow against pressure in a mouthpiece. I also did a rest and exercise test. That sucked. After you get arterial blood gasses drawn (they draw blood from the tiny artery deep in your wrist... I did get lidocaine but my arm still ached for a while) you get on a treadmill while you are hooked up to loads of monitoring equipment. I started at 1 mph speed. Piece o cake! A little slow, actually. After 4 minutes he sped it up to 2 mph. Also not bad. He asked if I could do 3 mph (a 20 minute mile). Being a dumbass, I said I'd try. 4 minutes at 3 mph almost killed me! Okay, I didn't really almost die, but it sucked worse than any 6 minute walk. Well, I may have almost died. Then I rested with oxygen for a few minutes and did the 2 mph again. Then I did a 6 minute walk test! Ack!
On my way out the door thing morning Gracie yakked up her breakfast. Since Max was greedily eating it I just left it. Gross, I know. But cleaning up a huge pile of puke takes a while. So I got into my car and the tire pressure warning light comes on. Again. I just filled the tire with air a few days ago. So I have a slow leak. I give the tire a quick check and figure I can at least make it up to UCSD and probably home again. Lovely.
UCSD is the nicest hospital ever. I love it. Well, for a hospital. It has palm trees inside the building coming out of the floor. It also has a really cool rock sculpture garden with water coming out of the boulders like a waterfall. They have fresh fruit cups and salads available all the time (with good fruit! not just grapes and honeydew). For lunch they grill in the courtyard and have burgers and chicken breasts. But the cafeteria had carne asada tacos with guac, salsa, sour cream, beans and rice today. YUM! I'll never forget at one hospital that I got greasy fried chicken and collard greens. That was some nasty shit. No fresh fruit. At least in Navy hospitals it's Navy food... normally identifiable and edible things like spaghetti or chicken tetrazzini.
After I ate my lunch and was waiting for the pulmonary tests, a group of 3 people sat down, pulled out a cello, a viola and a violin and started playing classical music in the atrium of the hospital. Very cool! I don't know how many hospitals have string trios play in their atrium, but I'm guessing not too many.
Next week I meet with my PH doc and go to a transplant support group meeting. I also have tons of bloodwork, meet with a financial counselor, have some transplant education classes, and a bone density test. Since prednisone causes osteoporosis they want to know how my bones look before transplant.
I am exhausted. I've been home for an hour and haven't moved off the couch. Jeff is finishing up at a Hail and Bail (Hail and Farewell). I'm feeling a nice dinner out after all of that icky exercise :-) The catch is that I really should change out of my yoga pants and t-shirt!
I finally got off my butt and started weaving! I'll post pics when it's done. The first inch is a hideous nightmare of odd tension, but I did figure it out. It doesn't look half bad for my first attempt.
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