Anything But Ordinary...

The above picture was how I started my day at 6am... I'm not a morning person and by the time breakfast came at 8am I couldn't stomach it and was whisked off for a chest and mouth xray anyway. Soon after a surgeon in blue ITU scrubs came and introduced himself. He worked for my consultant and came to explain the RHC that he'd be doing. I asked a couple of questions and consented. He explained I'd have to lie flat for a while and asked how I was with that, I don't do completely flat on my back very well so he asked me to take my NIV with me to theatre. I was nervous to the point of shaking in theatre, the staff were fantastic though and really put me at ease, they put on some cheesy music and talked me through everything they were doing. The only painful part of the procedure was the local anaesthetic being injected into my groin, I've had local more times than I can even remember and it's one of those things you grit your teeth through knowing it'll be over in a few seconds. Once that was done with the line was inserted and threaded up a large vein and into my heart. I could feel a few strange sensations in my chest and back then when it reached my heart it caused a few extra beats which I could feel. The line fed data about the pressures in my heart back to a computer and after a few minutes it was over. I had got myself worked up over nothing and if I had to go through it again it wouldn't bother me in the slightest. I had to lie flat on my back throughout and then for an hour when I got back to the ward.
Not too long afterwards the transplant physio came for a chat. She went through what her role would be post transplant how important exercise and mobility are post transplant and what I can do pre transplant to ensure I go into the operation in the best possible shape. She explained people that do exercise pre transplant recover more quickly post transplant. Exercise has a huge impact on recovery, it can make the difference of a recovery that takes a few weeks to a recovery that takes a few months. Despite my failing lungs exercise is something I enjoy doing, I can't do all that much to help myself but exercise is one of the things I can do to help myself so I make sure I do it. If I want to walk somewhere or do something for myself it may take me a while and I may have to stop and rest but I make damn sure I do it in the end. The physio was impressed by my attitude towards this and left me with a few simple exercises I can do to keep my muscles strong. Later the co-ordinator came back to see me, she went over a few last details, what tests I'd already had and what I needed and explained they'd gather the results from this week and present them to my consultant on this coming Tuesday, based on them he will either see me in clinic and explain why I can't be transplanted or pass my case to the transplant surgeons...