tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7924439865196022375.post5305669600013625829..comments2024-03-28T03:16:58.351-04:00Comments on A Matter of Life and Breath: Great ExpectationsPiperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01992462169607238118noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7924439865196022375.post-90687034645970358642009-12-18T08:43:55.449-05:002009-12-18T08:43:55.449-05:00I'm 8 weeks post Tx, CF-er. My experience of t...I'm 8 weeks post Tx, CF-er. My experience of the ventilator tube and waking up was unpleasant, but I expected it would be: it was the main thing I'd feared too. I remember being in the anaesthetic room and then, with no perception of time having passed, waking up in intensive care and thinking to myself "ok, I'm alive, I must have made it - I expect I'll have a tube in then...yup, there it is...this is going to be unpleasant" and it was. I started trying to breathe for myself and I remember the nurse saying breathe with the machine - if you start trying to breathe out when it's pumping air in it does feel like choking. You have to really relax and just go with it, then it is fine. I was lucky in that they took out the vent tube pretty quickly, about 16 hours in total from start of surgery to tube out (9 hour op). Be prepared for some weird hallucinations or tricks of the mind because of the sedation too. My brain made very complex music out of all the noises of the ward, machines beeping etc which became annoying, and I had vivid thoughts of flesh and bloodyness and crawling things. Quite wierd but more annoying than unpleasant in that they wouldn't stop.<br /><br />My top tip: If the pain is bad ask for an epidural sooner rather than later - I suffered really badly for a while and the epidural really really helped.Will Cramerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14508088975549500412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7924439865196022375.post-22595434604651247832009-12-16T13:37:11.677-05:002009-12-16T13:37:11.677-05:00Hi,
Lost and Found.
After my transplant I lost o...Hi,<br /><br />Lost and Found.<br /><br />After my transplant I lost one thing and found another.<br /><br />I lost my cough. It was gone. Nowhere to be found. Two years later it's still MIA.<br /><br />I found my appetite. Before my transplant the smell of food would make me nauseous. In the days after my transplant I ate so much that my stomach got clogged up and I didn't use the bathroom for 5 days.<br /><br />Now don't get me wrong, there were many things that changed for me but these are the two that stick out in my memory.<br /><br />I don't remember much pain related to the transplant. My pain came from not having a bowel movement for so long. Also the removal of the chest tubes (I had 6 (2 little and 4 big). I don't know if that is standard) was not a pleasant experience.<br /><br />I personally believe that a person's mental state is as important as their physical state going into a surgery of this magnitude. You need to be in the right state of mind emotionally and spiritually going in.<br /><br />I'm two years out from my transplant (11-26-07) and I'm looking forward to getting back to a normal life this spring when I get back out there and start looking for a job.<br /><br />Tali :)Talifalanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06933115326114618733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7924439865196022375.post-16007262247684832802009-12-15T04:34:36.301-05:002009-12-15T04:34:36.301-05:00Hey Piper l feel the same as you in terms of being...Hey Piper l feel the same as you in terms of being worried about how l will go after the surgery, for me it was a non brainer in making the decision but now just have to wait till my next appointment to be listed. The unknown afterwards is what is scary for me.Weybshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02326981096372507298noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7924439865196022375.post-65321068855221542302009-12-14T16:58:41.073-05:002009-12-14T16:58:41.073-05:00A quick search says that having a chest tube will ...A quick search says that having a chest tube will create a burning sensation :(. I don't know for sure. I do know lots about post-sinus surgery if you ever have a question about that!!Sydnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11138016860014885879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7924439865196022375.post-12168986614327132312009-12-14T16:28:56.633-05:002009-12-14T16:28:56.633-05:00I'm trying to be a good sponge too! I'm al...I'm trying to be a good sponge too! I'm also most worried about waking up and fighting the vent. I've never had chest tubes, so I'm definetly afraid of the pain. But the vent's the big thing. Hope we can get some answers, I saw your post on the forums about this as well.Jesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08191778309873176164noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7924439865196022375.post-62788122843717451842009-12-13T20:33:25.841-05:002009-12-13T20:33:25.841-05:00Piper, I was in the same situation. My lung functi...Piper, I was in the same situation. My lung function at the time of TX was in the low 30s...it bounced up to high 30s at times. I was resistant to everything and kept getting infection after infection. It was hard. But, the better you are going in, the better you'll do (as my team always said). I have not heard of that book. I am going to check on Amazon for it. <br /><br />Love ya to pieces! I am so looking forward to seeing a title pop up on your blog that says "I got the call" it'll happen soon! I just know it.Heidihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07791278701579085418noreply@blogger.com