Ah, more oxygen now, even more later

No point in beating around the bush and keeping things suspenseful: I’VE BEEN ACCEPTED INTO THE LUNG TRANSPLANT PROGRAM AT UCSF.

I’m a mess of tears and smiles right now, just got the text from my mom. I knew the docs were optimistic about my chances of getting in lately, but the numerous “what-ifs” were still bouncing about in my head the past several weeks.

I mean, this is just crazy. I went from being told I didn’t have good chances of getting into a transplant center, to being rejected by the center we thought to be our only hope, to getting accepted into the #1 transplant center in the U.S. (based on survival stats). I still have to meet with the surgeon, and there are what-ifs involved with that, but he sat in on the transplant committee meeting about me, so he knows plenty about my case.

There’s a long road ahead. Months of waiting for that lucky call (I’ll get into details about the process later), the chance of my disease progressing more rapidly, and the challenges that come with the transplant itself. But acceptance/rejection was the part I was most anxious about.

My sister is flying in tonight for Thanksgiving. It’s fitting that I got this news today, as the last time we were together, I was in the ICU and sobbing because I was afraid it would be the last time I’d ever see her. Things were hopeless then. But now… it’s all hope.

Anywho. You may or may not have noticed I hadn’t posted a blog in awhile. So I guess I’ll quickly recap things. Basically, my disease progressed some more and I was in need of extra oxygen. I was forgetting things left and right, not able to think complexly, not able to read things above a high school level, and not able to write well — hence my absence on the blog lately. But I went in for a 48-hour admission and got my oxygen back up to where it needs to be (six liters). We also debated if getting my cochlear implants should be done before or after transplant. There are risks with either decision.

Before: I would be able to hear months earlier, but the risk is I might not be strong enough to handle being sedated for the three+ hours required for the surgery.

After: I would have to wait six months after transplant, then there’s extra risk of infection because I would be on immunosuppressants (to keep my body from rejecting the lungs).

We haven’t reached a decision yet.

Other than that, I’ve mostly just been relaxing on my new rocking chair, watching movies, and drinking tea. Today, I was able to pick up a book and actually enjoy it for the first time in a couple months. Maybe I’ll blog some reviews of books, movies, and tea one day.

I’m realizing now that my writing has gotten extra rusty after just a few weeks of not blogging, which really hammers the point that I must be more consistent about it. Not gonna let that realization bring me down, though: I’M ACCEPTED INTO THE TRANSPLANT PROGRAM.