...with a little help from her new friends (two healthy pink new lungs!)
Lindsay is off the respirator and breathing on her very own.
CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!
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| please note those AMAZING pink beautiful cheeks |
sleeping beauty decided it was time to wake up!
Lindsay is awake and writing notes. She's even being called a super star by the nurses. But we already knew that didn't we? She has a clip board where she is feverishly writing notes away, asking where her lungs came from? which province? telling her family that she had a long time to talk with the nurses before surgery. She is also OVER the moon that she doesn't have a nose tube (lucky duck! it is definitely weird having that tube up your nose, speaking from experience)
Today Lindsay will probably come off the respirator. Yes you can get up out of your work chair and do a happy dance, this calls for it.
Today is the first day of Lindsay's new life.
I can't wait to hear her new voice on the phone. I can't wait to hear her voice without the crackles, without the mucus plugs, without the coughs, without the struggles of breath. I can't wait to hear her laugh and laugh and laugh without having to stop from a coughing fit. I can't wait to have the spunky, blonde haired, girl back full of life, energy and breathing!
I can't wait to hear about the first time she goes swimming. The first time she runs down the street and doesn't feel winded. The first time she climbs stairs and realizes..."woah people can climb stairs and not get headaches and not feel as if they ran a marathon? awesome." I can't wait for her to go skiing at her chalet and go all day long, not just a couple hills, because she gets too tired and out of breath, but the WHOLE day. I can't wait for my friend to stop living in limbo and start living life, the way it was suppose to be lived. I can't wait for Lindsay's old lungs to stop holding her back from doing everything she dreamed of.
I can't wait for all these things mainly because Lindsay cannot even imagine what it's like yet. She has no idea how beautiful the world is going to get. As easy as it is for someone reading this, to know how easy breathing is, for someone with CF, when she struggles with breath every day, struggles getting up the street car steps to go home at night, when she totes around an oxygen container, it's hard to imagine how easy breathing is, how beautiful life is about to get. How the simple act of breathing gives you energy, and allows you to have the world at your finger tips.
The world couldn't have asked or gotten a better candidate and patient to appreciate and love the gift she has been given. Lindsay loves to laugh and she whole heartily loves life.
This really is the greatest gift.
Christmas came early this year.
Thank you donor family for giving us all the best christmas gift. We love our lindsay.
And for a special treat, here are some photos of linds. They made me very very happy as I can feel the energy and good vibes radiating off of our girl, but they are graphic, so if your squeamish don't scroll down.
Please keep sending out positive thoughts. Even though Lindsay made it through the surgery with flying colours, (she rocks) it's the recovery that is often difficult. Positive thoughts, vibes and love is what our girl needs right now, so keep 'em coming. Our jobs aren't over yet.
Happy happy happy happy wednesday morning everyone.
Today is a good day. a fine day. a GREAT day.
-Hattie
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| she's probably thinking "thumbs up because I can breathe!" |
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| the journalist, furiously writing away on her clip board, always such the professional ;) |
the doctors and surgeons said when they took out her old lungs out, they were badly scarred, diseased and incredibly infected especially her left lung. Dr. P said she probably had only a year left with these lungs. Thank you donor for being the perfect match for our linds! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
-Hattie
Lindsay is all finished getting her new lungs. So far no complications. She didn't need any blood transfusions. The lungs are THE perfect match for her. She is now in ICU.
There was a 20% chance of getting her lungs (so they were looking out for a match for her, hence why the lungs came out of province probably) that matched her unique antibodies and she got it.
Hoping she gets off the breathing tube tomorrow once she wakes up. GAH oh lindsay lindsay lindsay....you did great. I am so ecstatic all your antibodies are matching up with your lungs.
She was so worried about her new lungs rejecting as soon as they went in to her, so thank goodness the antibodies all match!
Sleep well sleeping beauty. Tomorrow starts the journey!
-Hattie
It is with great pleasure that I can write Lindsay is kicking bum!
She is doing SO awesome. Those 7 months of hard work and gruelling exercise have made her heart in tip top shape.
They are on to the second lung. The left new lung is now being put in Lindsay.
So far she has needed no blood transfusions and no heart lung mechanism to keep her stable. She is doing this all in her own (plus her wonderful surgical team) and kicking some serious CF butt.
-Hattie
L's sister Stef just gave me an update.
Lindsay's new lungs have travelled a long way. The nurse has said they are from out of province so therefore they must be the absolute perfect match. They were waiting just for Linds.
Lins was as always in good spirits, her bubbly, infectious, teasing the nurses, self before she was wheeled down to OR.
Her first incision was around 2:10pm and the nurse said they'll come out and tell Stef and Lindsay's parents and family how it's all going when her shift ends.
So far so good!
I'm over the moon that Lindsay's lungs are the perfect ones. 7 months of waiting good luck charm!
I forgot to mention this in my first post about dear Linday's now donor family... Someone lost someone they love very very very much today. In my haste and excitement for my friend, it's nice to honour and think about that person's family that is grieving today. Thank you donor family for giving the best gift Lindsay will ever get. Thank you, for allowing our girl to start living life, the way it should be lived. We love you. Thank you.
-Hattie
Lindsay went in to surgery today at 11am for her pretty pink healthy new lungs! Gah! I've been waiting seven months for me to write those words! Exactly seven months today Lindsay has been waiting on the transplant list! Last night at 1:13am she woke up to her phone ringing. She missed it and checked her voicemail. A woman had called her telling her they had a pair of lungs for her. Lindsay first reaction was, of course 'what does one wear for such an event' (being the realist that she is, no cry baby for her!) as she scrambled around her condo packing her things, (very calmly it seemed, i was the one freaking out more then her on the other end of the phone!) waiting for her mom to get back to the city who had gone home for the evening and explicitly told her 'you better not get the call tonight while I'm away ' (harbor in the freezing rain and you have your self, I imagine a distressed mama!)
Lindsay has been working out steadily for the past seven months to get her body in shape for this surgery. I've slowly seen Lindsay go from being the girl who was only on iv's every few years, to every few months, to a totally of 8 months this year she was always on some new form of antibiotic. Her quality of life slowly started to go downhill, but Lindsay being the trooper and evidence needing gal that she is, was reluctant to go to the highest status on the list so she could get out of this limbo world she has been living in, and start actually living. She told me she wanted to go to the one of a kind show this year but would not have the energy to walk around the whole time. I hated reading those words. I wanted so badly to let her know how great life is after transplant. On the phone this evening, as lindsay exclaimed this great news to me, a lot of the time i just heard her wheezing, coughing and the thick mucus crackles that was slowly killing her.
Today, Lindsay is in surgery as you read this. Her heart rate was resting at 80, her oxygen levels at 92 no oxygen needed while resting, and her blood pressure was only a little elevated at 132/84, her normal being 120/80. Those last 7 months have really paid off in training Lindsays body to be in the best shape for this surgery. So even though lindsay's lungs are weak, her body is strong. I'll update you all as I get more news throughout! Keep sending positive thoughts out!
-Hattie (Lindsay cystic sister, 23 years old, post transplant 15months and fellow cystic fibroser)
