She started placing lines and tubes everywhere. I was connected to heart monitors, blood pressure machines, and iv's were being shoved in me everywhere. The large iv placed in my neck was the worst. It was very painful and I was still wide awake.
Finally the surgeon came and introduced himself. The last thing I said to him was "Take good care of me please."
After that I was given some high flow oxygen to breath in and then I was off to sleep. I knew when I woke up my life would be very different.
Waking Up!
I don't remember much about waking up, but this is what i've been told. My surgery lasted 7 hours and I was wheeled out of the OR at 1:00am. My family got to see me at 4:00am, but only for a few minutes. I was in ICU and had lines everywhere. Appparently I had about 15 different things running and my nurse was just back and forth on either side of my bed adjusting everything. I still had my breathing tube in. I started out communicating by writing on paper. My artistic skills weren't good and my mom had fun trying to interpret it. I did give her a thumbs up as soon as I saw her though.
At one point I started getting sick with my breathing tube in and freaked my mom out. We were both afraid of aspiration into my new lungs. But we learned that would not happen. It was a scary moment. My breathing tube was removed by 8pm on Jan 2 and I was placed on high flow oxygen for 2 days and then there I was, breathing on my own with my fancy new pink lungs!!!! (Thank you donor)
Jan 3. First time sitting up with new lungs. I was up! Sitting in a chair. Next thing I know I'm up walking too. It took a crew of nurses and physiotherapists but I was walking! It took that many people to help me move with all my lines and push a wheelchair behind me just in case I needed it.
I was now beginning my road to recovery.
To be continued.......
