June 30, 2010

Toy Story


Pizza, candy, soda, popcorn and Toy Story 3!

June 25, 2010

Bridgeport

June 24, 2010

Breaking News

So the news is in.  My rejection has gotten worse moving from A1 to A2.  Now that the rejection is more significant, we are going to try and treat it.  For the next three days I will be driving to Stanford for an outpatient infusion of high doses of steroids.  This is not easy, for many reasons.

Messes with my plans.
Messes with my brain.
Messes with my family's plans.
Messes with my cheeks.
Messes with my sleep.

and . . . . of course I have the lingering worry that it won't get better.  That's always there too.

Construction

Construction surrounding our house is still going on.  They are putting in a grocery store.  It's crazy.  Our walls are shaking like an earthquake.  Sometimes it is downright scary.  This is what our house is like:

June 23, 2010

Sick as a dog

Today I am sick as a dog.  I had a rough night, and woke up with a fever.  Body aches, and I feel totally out of it.  Seth (who is just awesome by the way) stayed home from work to take care of me and Levi.
He called the transplant nurse to let her know of my condition.  She said fevers can be normal after a bronchoscopy.  Greaaaaaat.  I guess  it is relieving to know that this is normal; but at the same time it's not!  Lame side effect!

I haven't felt sick like this for so long!  Fevers used to be a normal occurrence for me.  I used to have them so often.  It is kind of a mind trip to feel like this again.  I have hope that this one will go away though, since it was caused by the doctors messing around inside my lungs.

Until next time . . . . .

June 22, 2010

Another Notch

Bronch number two is now under my belt.  It was this afternoon.

Today I came to the realization I have spent way too much time in the hospital just by how many hospital worker friends I know.  I ran into so many people.  It was ridiculous!  I guess it really is my home away from home.  Seeing people in the hall, asking then how their cats diabetes condition is . . . .  yeah.
My friend Sheba was there (the one who was giving updates to my family during TX surgery)  and another RT (*respiratory therapist) who I am friends with helped the doctor during the bronch.
That happened last time too. (I knew the RT)
I passed by like 10 people that I knew today just walking to my appointment . . . .

Anyways,  man - I am beat up!  I'm tired.  I'm coughing (yes, coughing).  I was tired after my last bronchoscopy, but definitely more tired this time.  I'm coughing up bits of blood.  That is normal for two days, or so they tell me, but it didn't happen last time.

So on that note that I am SOOO tired, I'll say goodnight.  Short and sweet.

(and results shouldn't be in for awhile . . . I don't get them instantly)

June 20, 2010

día de los padres

I am blessed enough to have both grandfathers, my father and my son's father with me here on this earth.

My dad is a great dad.  He is a man after God's own heart.  He does a great job at pastoring our church, Calvary Chapel of Mountain View.  We are closer than ever now, and I am grateful for all of the time I get to spend with him these days.  I am so thankful for him in my life.  I am thankful that he has remained faithful in his life, and in turn affected our whole family in a very positive way.  He is a really good grandpa too.  Levi adores him, and they spend much quality time together going on "dude cruises."

Seth is not my dad, but I just want to mention him too.  He is a great dad also.  He takes such good care of us both.  Levi is a lucky kid to have such a hands on dad.  Seth will sometimes go lay on Levi's floor and build legos with him or they will wrestle in the living room.  (I love when they do this . . . gets out that aggression and energy that is simmering within those guys.)  I know that when Levi grows up he will look back and have lots of good memories with his dad.

Also, most importantly I am thankful for God as my Father. He is always faithful. He is the PERFECT dad, and never sleeps or slumbers. Talk about watching out for us.

A few months ago as Levi and I were grocery shopping, Levi loudly proclaimed in the very crowded produce section, "Isn't it cool how everyone has three dads?!"
Knowing everyone surrounding us could hear him and knowing what kind of city we live in (Santa Cruz isn't very different than San Francisco as far people's sexual preferences, broken families etc.)  it was a little uncomfortable.  Perplexed, I asked him what he meant. He replied that everyone has "God, Adam, and their own dad."  Very sweet, innocent and true.


Also I can't forget Grandpa, Pop, Shane, and Sheldon!  You are amazing and awesome.  I love you guys!

June 19, 2010

Paint me happy

Our house looks like a disaster area right now.  It's an absolute mess. I'm thrilled!  Why?
Because we are painting!


This morning I picked up bagels and mochas, we got the furniture cleared out of our bedroom, got music playing and started painting.  I'm pretty excited because I have been wanting to paint that bedroom for the past FIVE YEARS!  It's about stinkin' time!

We picked Keystone for the walls and Swiss Coffee for the ceiling and the trim.  Not the craziest of colors, but I think it looks pretty classy.  Seth was a professional painter for many years and definitely knows what he is doing.  It makes it nice and easy.  He tells me what to do, I do it, and it looks good.  It's coming along great.  It's been an ALL day project, and we can't even get to the trim today . . .


Happy Saturday!

June 15, 2010

Rejection

Well even though everyone I'm close to already knows the results of my bronchoscopy, I am well aware I haven't written a blog about it.  We have been away at a cabin with family for a week, and the week before that was crazy busy.

As it turns out I have slight rejection.  There are two types of rejection.  Chronic and acute.  The latter being the better one to have, if you had to choose.  That is the one I am experiencing.  The acute rejection runs on a scale of one through four, one being the mildest and four being the most severe.  I have A1 rejection.  This is not news I wanted to hear, but even since the beginning of my so called transplant journey the doctors have let me know that rejection is most common in the three to six month window of time.  I am still within that window, and so the news wasn't entirely shocking.  Since I have the most mild form of rejection that there is, we are hoping that it resolves itself and I have no change in any type of treatment.  Just wait and see.  I have to have another bronch (yuck) soon to see if there is any change.  If rejection still shows up in my next biopsy, then the doctors will discuss a treatment plan with me.

I am feeling decent, which after all is the most important thing to me.  I am thankful for that.  Surprisingly I am not too stressed about having rejection.  I can be pretty tightly wound sometimes, but the fact that I have rejection has been floating around somewhere in the back of my mind - not the forefront.  During our camping trip I was able to relax and have a good time.  When I am feeling okay it is pretty easy to forget about any looming health issues.  It's only when I start feeling pain or being tired that I am reminded.  Like I said I am feeling decent so it hasn't been too bad.

All that being said, these hiccups with my health keep me a little more reliant on God than otherwise.  Sometimes they are a blessing in disguise.  God's goodness has nothing to do with our circumstances.  He is what He is.  Never changing.  My life shifts like the wind, but God is the one solid rock that always remains.