Post-Transplant - Day Six has Its Ups & Downs

20Feb

Yesterday marked the day that signals the start of the approach of spring...winter protests its own passing with a few final weeks of blasting us with frigid winds, cloudy dull days mingled with brilliant blue sky days so bright they catch your breath and make you shield your eyes from the sun’s brilliance...and Tim Hortons starts its annual Roll up the Rim campaign!

This morning Carman was delivered of a breakfast tray offering a nice bowl of steaming cream of wheat. He took one look at the bowl and, well, let’s just say this is not on his list of favourite foods. For that matter, its not even on the list of items he dislikes but still considers edible! I happen to love it, but take no offense at his nose wrinkling. I simple head to one of the two Timmy’s outlets in the hospital and acquire a sausage & egg breakfast sandwich on toasted English Muffin to go with his first cup of real coffee!

He gratefully devours said sandwich and savors slow sips of the scalding brew before eagerly rolling up the rim to reveal this:

It turns out his run of luck continues this week, when Danica shows up with a Purrell container for his IV pole - complete with Neon Ping snap-on holder! Now he has bling as he speeds around the corridors. his neon kicks don’t quite fit yet, so he must take his constitutionals in his boring brown slippers. Following a major surgery (like, say a lung transplant) it is common for fluid to build in the tissues, and Carman is no exception - although he has been more fortunate than manny in the regard too...the team is treating him with meds to help reduce fluids (which ironically means he must drink more) so his “cankles” are bigger than normal but not huge by any standard.

As a treat he had a brief but wonderful reunion with his Squat Squad Buddies (Mark & Jess at the hospital for appointments today), so we slipped the kicks on as far as they would go for a photo op, then grabbed a thumbs up pic of them - now all sporting colourful kicks and new lungs! This was a great boost for Carman, to see his Buddies walk into his room, chat, laugh and share their surgical war stories - all of them without the need for oxygen assistance. He was feeling pretty darn good...

Mark, Jess & Carman

And then, lunch was delivered.

If there is anything that can beat cream of wheat on the wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole scale, its Mac & Cheese. That’s exactly what was lurking under the lid on the lunch tray. Thank goodness Max had made some wraps which we packaged and put in the unit fridge for Carman. he took one look at the Ham & Swiss, and Turkey & Brie 1/2 wraps and declared “Max made these so I know they’re gonna be good!” He at 2 halves and sent the M&C packing...back to the kitchen.

The day just got better when he was treated to a sponge bath with the Ready Bath towlettes which claim to Clean, Moisturize, Condition and Soothe - all in one application! I think the best part for him was having his back done, it’s been very sore since the day he spent in a chair and the night spent on a stretcher, last Wednesday. He would tell you it was worth it though for the prize that followed.

Next came a shave, a change of sleep pants and Johnny jacket and he felt like a new guy, ready to roam the halls once more.

The biggest downside of today was that Carman elected to forgo a full dose of pain meds, deciding to dial it back to see how his body would manage. It wasn’t too bad until early evening and by then, it had gotten away on him. The problem with managing post-surgical pain is that once you start to feel it, you’ve passed the magic moment for taking the meds. They will help once you do take them, but you must endure a couple of hours of heavy pain until they kick in. Given the amount of walking he is doing, he has decided to take the full amount prescribed for the time being.

The challenge is striking a balance between being comfortable enough to walk and cough, both of which help push the accumulated fluids out, and being too medicated which will reduce the urge to cough.

Inhaling with the incentive spirometer to
help expand the newly installed blowers

He is consciously coughing on a regular basis, working with his incentive spirometer and also did 5 walks around the units - some double and some triple laps - all of this while talking and its only Day 6!

Go Carman!