Transplanted: Our Next Big Adventure

Life got complicated after coming home from the hospital. Recovery immediately after surgery was almost a walk in the park compared to what I endured after leaving the hospital and what I still endure at times. Besides recovery and hospital stays, life events happened that led to a lot of stress in our house. When we moved to Redwood City last year, we knew it was only temporary and for the sole purpose of being close to Stanford for my transplant. It is crazy expensive to live in the Bay Area and we just feel it is time to move on.

Emotionally, Tom and I have both struggled to figure out our next plan of action. We couldn't formulate a solid plan for many months. We would go round and round in circles as to where to live next. We were feeling huge amounts of pressure to make up our minds. All of this has been happening while still trying to work out my recovery kinks. My health is pretty good overall, but I still have weekly blood draws, infusions, and tests. This has all tested our marriage immensely.

After so much back and forth, we decided to take a huge leap of faith. With my second lease on life, I'm not willing to just stay in my box. I want to expand my box and live life. So, with that said, I can now tell everyone that Tom and I are transplanting ourselves to England! In the beginning of July I will officially become an expat. This is a dream I have always had, but thought impossible. We know it is a bit crazy doing this 8 months after surgery, but in a lot of ways it makes sense for us. We love California, but for now I feel it has served its purpose and I'm ready to take on the challenge of living life in a new country.

December

I fell off the blogging wagon as soon as I got home from my transplant surgery. I apologize for not keeping you updated, but it's been a whirlwind of a time and I'm only now getting my head around it all. Truthfully, I don't know if I will ever get my head around this new life and this whole experience of surgery, recovery and ultimately, a new me. The medical team can only prepare you so much for what is to come. They can't tell you how it will pan out or how you will feel about the experience.

We made it through a wonderful Thanksgiving and my mom, Tom and I were rolling into December with our heads held high. I had finished home IVs and was going to regular clinic appointments, getting blood work and X-rays as ordered by the doctors. I was even given the opportunity to see my old lungs. The hospital keeps the old lungs for a couple of months to do research on them. They also give patients the opportunity to see and inspect their old lungs. It's not something you can do if you have a weak stomach, but I truly loved it. I was able to touch them and even squeeze some mucus out of them. I apologize for the gross nature of that sentence, but I was fascinated my them. They were truly sick lungs and I just kept wondering how any air was getting in and out of them. Each airway was filled with mucus and very thick mucus at that. I will add pictures to the end of this post if you would like to see what my old lungs looked like at the end of their life.

Transplant: Day 16

On Monday, November 17, 2014, Maggie was discharged from Stanford Hospital. The photo below, in which she is shown sporting this season's 100% HEPA filter mask, was taken outside the main entrance of the hospital as we were getting into the car. It was quite an emotional moment, to be going home just 12 days after her double-lung transplant surgery. During that time she spent 1 day in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the following 11 days in what is called the Intermediate ICU. The ICU has a 1:1 nurse to patient ratio, where as the Intermediate ICU is more like 1:2 or 1:3, still with close monitoring. Her initial recovery progress was extremely fast, then towards the end it slowed down as we waited for the last remaining chest tube to stop draining so it could be removed. Maggie received such wonderful care from all the staff at Stanford, I really can not thank them enough for looking after her so well.

Discharged On November 17, 2014

Coming home has been a lot for Maggie to take in. In many ways her mind has still not had a chance to catch up with what her body has been through over the last 2 weeks. Maggie now has to learn how to use her new lungs and is still trying to figure out what "normal" is meant to feel like. We have been instructed to call Stanford immediately if anything seems wrong or concerning. Of course, it is difficult to know what is a problem and what is just part of the healing process. In these early days, the best policy is to call if in doubt, even if just to be reassured that everything is fine.