So, I made the trip into the city yesterday morning, parked and was wasting about 10-minutes in the lobby as I was too early to head up to the lab for the ultrasound. Suddenly I heard, "Hello!" There stood Little Carol from my rehab class. There were two Carols: Little Carol and Dog Carol. The last time we saw each other was over a year ago when we met in the same lobby on the day she was going to be listed on the national transplant list.
Carol had been ill all of her life. We are about the same age and each of us has a son also around the same age. We are both blessed with husbands who adore us. Due to lifelong issues with her lungs (she has an immune disorder) she was also petite. Small. So very young looking. Little Carol.
There before me was Carol but maybe 70+ pounds heavier. She was pulling at her clothing and clearly was uncomfortable about the additional weight. I said, "Ah, prenisone!" She moaned. I told her what I had learned about processing prednisone and what foods to avoid and she said, "I have been eating yogurt for breakfast every morning!" She thanked me. Now she feels she can do something about getting rid of the additional weight.
She was transplanted just over a year ago and so surprised that it was not as awful as she had anticipated. Her health had fail so far that she was in the hospital and was considering a trachea. She said she was within days of being too ill for the transplant. After five days in the hospital, she received her lungs.
Her donor was a 19-year old from a city about 200 miles away, very unusual. Since she was so small, the donor must have also been tiny. He was washing his car when he was shot in the head. They kept him on life support to keep the organs viable and his family donated everything possible including skin. What strength! There are many people alive today because of this young man and the kindness of his family.
Towards the end of our conversation, I felt a tap on my back. There stood Dr. K.! Carol disappeared (she was there for her weekly blood test) and Dr. K. asked how I was feeling. I told her that I had made a turn for the better and was headed upstairs for the ultrasound for the hernia. We said our goodbyes, I went to the lab and waited. They were running about 30-minutes late at 9AM! Finally, the ultrasound. The technician searched. And searched. She called in her boss who searched. And search. No hernia was found but they said I had a nice healthy right ovary! Since I am no longer coughing so hard, I could not replicate the pain. They also said it just may not be "out in bloom," their words.
I left, headed to mom's after a stop at the butcher's, we chatted then had lunch together at Nordstroms. I had been worried about my car. A light came on during the drive to the city that indicated that the sensor for the oil was not working and to contact the dealership. I phoned Michael. He said he would check the oil when he got home. I noticed that when I sat in traffic, the outside temperature would rise. Not a good sign.
After lunch and a stop for groceries, I had everything packed up in insulated bags in the trunk and I headed home to the cooler weather. It was in the 80s yesterday and I was headed towards the coast expecting low 70s. I was concerned about the car and, as long as I was moving, the temperature gauge was stable. Then it happened. The road through the pass, a normal 10-minute drive - was suddenly developing into a problem. I turned a corner and the traffic was stopped. I turned off the car. We all sat. Windows down. Sun streaming in. I began to sweat. We sat for an hour. No news alerts on my cell phone. I finally pulled up 511.org and found out there was an accident with major injuries, a head on, and the road was closed. We would move a bit then stop. Finally, I noticed cars coming in our direction, then we would move. Ah! One way traffic. After just over 90 minutes for less than a 10-minute drive, I arrived home totally exhausted, sweating and still had to unload all the groceries. It was a tough way to end the day.
i noticed the answering machine had a message. It was Dr. K. Since they could not find the hernia, today's appointment with the surgeon was cancelled. She said that it may resolve on its own but if I continued to have pain, an ultrasound could be scheduled.
I AM NOT HAVING HERNIA SURGERY!!!! That is the big news. No major surgery. We can go back to our lives.
And the oil? When Michael got home, he had to put two quarts in. Two quarts! The little light went off. I just hope I did not do damage to the motor.
What a day. What a way to jump back into the world and our lives. I slept well last night!
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