March 25, 2011/1 Year and 1 Month

    How blessed am I? Incredibly. Throughout this ordeal, I have fallen,(not literally), a lot. That is to say, wondered if it was ever going to get better and wondered if it was all worth it. Well, I am here to tell you YES it was truly worth it and YES I have gotten better. Thanks, in large part to the tremendous love, support and prayers of all of you and many others. My biggest supporter, needless to say, is my loving wife Linda! She has had to endure quite a bit. You all know that before all this happened, I wasn't an easy person to have to live with. Imagine, me as an invalid and medicated to boot. Not a pretty combination. But, many of you, especially Linda, stuck by me and ignored my brashness. THANK YOU!
  I have begun looking for work, albeit I'm not sure what I can do. One of my problems is explaining a two year absence from the work force and oh by the way I just had a bi-lateral lung transplant. Now I ask you, if you were an employer, how would you look at this? Do I hire the guy who may be disabled and may need a lot of time off for medical reasons, or do I hire one of the many applicants that is actually over-qualified for the job? Oh well, whatever is meant to be. I'll just keep trying and something will work out.
  We haven't been doing much, other than  the usual. No trips and no special occasions, but the weather has been great and we have been chillin' on the back porch. I do miss my occasional glass of wine or beer, but it's been good. I am fortunate to have such a wonderful partner to share even the most mundane activities with.
  There was one medical issue that I was notified about after the annual checkup. It seems that when they put me under to do the lung biopsy I desaturated. Which means that my oxygen level in my blood dropped to an unhealthy level. Seems they forgot to tell me about that until a few days later. They had a device delivered that they wanted me to wear over night to monitor the oxygen level. That was a couple of weeks ago and I haven't heard anything, so I guess there is no reason for concern. I'll let you know if something develops.
   I hope winter ends for a lot of you, and you are able to get out and enjoy.

Take care,
Jon
"Organ Transplants Work, I'm Living Proof"

Happy Birthday 2 Me!

I received the results from my annual exams. Everything was good. Unfortunately, I was led to believe that my medicines would be reduced and I wouldn't have to come back for a year. WRONG! The only med they cut was Prednisone, the steroid, from 10 mg to 7.5mg daily. I also have to go back every three months for checkups. I am not complaining, I am a very lucky person. I believe after this next year it is every 6 months for checkups. The two people that were having annual exams at the same time that I was were sharing stories with me about their experiences. One had his transplant and then they had to go back in because of a blockage. Then they had to go back in again to drain liquid that had accumulated because of a virus. I can't imagine having my chest cut open three times in the matter of two months. He seemed to be doing well, just not very happy with life in general.
  The second person had part of her lung removed many years ago, and they used the old scar as an entry point for the transplant. She was happy about that, and said that they had made the scar even smaller and less noticeable than before. She said the transplant went well, but while she was in the hospital she had stomach problems. Seems that scar tissue from a previous operation caused something to flare up in her stomach. They couldn't figure it out for quite some time. They had to operate again on her stomach to correct the problem. So, post transplant, she stayed in the hospital for 2 months.
  Even though I had a stroke, I feel very blessed that I didn't have any complications, rejection or infection. No matter how bad you have it, remember that there is always someone who has it worse. So turn it around and realize how LUCKY you are.Live everyday to the fullest. Like the song says, "Live like your dieing".
Take Care.
Jon, Out.
 

Day 2 of Annual Exam

Day 2 of annual was shorer but grueling. Glad to have it all done. Won't get results until Thursday, but seems everything was good. Lin drove me and then picked me up, as they won't let me drive for biopsy. What a wonderful wife! Hopefully I won't see Tampa General for another year! How Lovely! And no Chris my last status doesn't mean that I now have to go to OB/GYN.
 I'll tell you later some of the war stories I heard while waiting along with some others that were doing their  annual exam.

Just shy of 1 year

Finished day 1 of annual checkup for Transplant! What a day. EKG, Echo Cardio, Bone Density Test, Chest xray 8 vials of blood taken, Boniva shot and finally meeting with Doc. Guess everything was good, cause they let me go home after 7 hours. Either that or they got tired of my jokes. Day 2 tomorrow. Hopefully my last Lung biopsy. Oh, and I found out I have female lungs. That explains alot.....

11 Months

      Today is 11 months!I feel good and I am able to do most anything I want. Weather here has been suckey, so that limits my ability to do things. However, I am blessed in so many ways. To have a second chance like this is truly amazing. I hope I can live up to my and your expectations and make a difference in this world. It is easy to get down, especially with the state of the economy. Not just the US or World economy, but for each of our personal economys. The media and the access to news doesn't help. Remember that we live in a world of sensationalism. The more spectacular the story, the more it is reported.
       My biggest and best blessing is my Loving and Devoted wife Linda. What a treasure! She has been my rock and my caregiver and my sounding board. But most of all she is my Best Friend. We have been through some wonderful times and some very trying times, but she has hung in there. I wish that each and everyone of you, if you haven't already, find your true soul mate that make your lives complete and satisfying. I have! Thank you, Linda, my true "Better Half".
      Next month I go in for my annual check-up. It will be 2 days of extreme testing, biopsies and blood work. I am sure it will all be good. Then, hopefully, I will be on an "annual only" exam schedule. I hope to then be able to do more and not be tied so much to proximity to Doctors. and Hospitals.
       I know that I previously talked of a profound blog that I was going to do. I just haven't gotten the spark needed to write it. Hopefully soon.
  Take care and Love to all.

Reflections

      Approaching the 11 month mark, (January 26), a lot has happened over the last couple of years. I went from a care free, healthy person to a very sick individual, to a healthy upbeat person. I have many people to thank, many that have given me the emotional support to get through this miraculous time in my life. I won't name names, but each of you have been very instrumental in my road to recovery. I approached this disease as a glancing blow, and I would get better with a little time. Little did I know how serious it was. You know, we always feel invincible and we think that we are the exception to the rule. Well, my advice is, don't do as I did. Get answers and act!
     I know a guy in his 70's that has been having breathing troubles for months now. His condition is rapidly deteriorating, but he won't consider a Transplant and doesn't even want to talk about it. I hope that he doesn't wait too long, where he hits the point where he is too sick for the Transplant. It's very sad to watch. It brings back a lot of memories. I can't express enough, DON'T BE A TOUGH GUY and tough it out. Get help.
     A friend of mine's brother needed a Liver Transplant, and he waited too long to finally consider the Transplant. When he finally said he would consider it, he was too sick and didn't qualify for the operation.
     I don't want to preach to anyone, but this has been my experience and I hope that it is a wake-up call for some. Thank you all for listening and offering your encouragement.