Day Two, Monday, Jan17/11

Carry me to the shore, bury me in the sand

Walk me across the water, And maybe you'll understand

                           Hollow Years ~ Dream Theater 

Here it is in all it's glory the Toronto General Hospital
affectionately called, "The General" by the doctors, staff and patients. I've waited eight months and I'm finally here, but unfortunately only for a week. It is beautiful though all 12 floors that stretch for a whole downtown city block.  Flanked on the west by University Ave, and on the east by Elizabeth St and borders College St to the north and Gerrard St. West on the south. In the Discovery District of downtown Toronto.

 We started out bright and early (actually it was still dark) flagged a cab and landed at the hospital by 7:10am.  We started out on the 12th floor at the Transplant Patient Assessment Center.  Here we found out what was expected of both my husband and myself. Plus an over all view of how things will run this week.

Off we went to our next appointment a Bone Density test on the seventh floor.  As it turned out the technician doing this scan was delayed in traffic and late for work, so while sitting waiting, we started talking to the other people in the waiting room and as it turns out they to are hopeful lung recipients, just like me, all together three other ladies and me. We seemed to connect right away.  We checked our schedules and found that we pretty much follow one another all week. We have so much in common, not only this week but in the limitations that our diseases puts on our daily lives as well.   We seemed like a carbon copies of each other. It was amazing and very comforting at the same time. All to soon the technician arrived and we were all herded in at once to save time and try to keep us on schedules.

My next appointment was downstairs in the basement,  appropriate considering it was blood work.  I do mean  "Work" they took 14 vials of blood out of me, who had been fasting since supper the night before and with no medications or puffers this morning.  I was started to get light-headed. Imagine, 14 vials, blood-suckers they are, Vampires,  I say. However, I'm sad to say that none of them were Eric Northman from HBO's True Blood.  Believe me if they were, I wouldn't be doing this much grumbling hahaha

Next I did a Electrocardiogram (ECG) which examines the rhythm and the rate of my heart. Then on to do a Sputum Culture which is tested for bacteria, fungus, and Tuberculosis. And then I did a Cytotoxic Antibody Screen (PRA Levels) This test checks for antibodies (immunity) to other people,  If I have too much immunity further testing would be required to determine the strength so they can be better prepared to deal with this after the transplant.  Next, they sent me for a chest x-ray in which they are looking for infections or diseases in the heart and lungs. When I finished these round of tests, my head was really starting to pound. As a result we decided to go and get a wheelchair. All the walking between appointments, the elevators, carrying the oxygen which is larger and heavier then the one I have a home, plus no food hasn't helped me either. When we reached the lobby, we could see out front doors many firetrucks, I guess this explains why the west elevator wouldn't work for us. Oh well, we didn't see any smoke or fire so I guess we keep on trucking  lol.

Back up to the 12th floor we go for my 11:00am appointment with the Transplant Nutritionist Janet Madill.  She took my height and weight and put my body, mass and index (BMI) at 27 which is excellent. She looked over my charts that I filled out at home and had no complaints.  She was impressed about the weight I had gained over the last year. She wants me to keep a record of my weight each week for the next time we meet, when I come back up. She said the amount of pepsi I drink doesn't seem to be hurting me any but I should try to cut back a little.

Since we were running late to all our appointment this morning, my lunch hour was cut back to  half an hour or less, because of this Alan and I decided to head straight to the next appointment. Back down to the first floor for my Ventilation Perfusion Lung Scan (V|Q scan).  We found the place at 12:30 and they took me in right away, half hour early. This test gives them information about the air and blood flow

between the right and left lung.

The first part of the test, I found the most difficult, it was a plastic mouth piece attached to a tube and held between my teeth. At first I didn't realize that I could use my hand to help hold it. Then for the first five minutes I'm breathing in an odorless gas and then for the following five minutes I'm breathing in straight oxygen while all this shows up on the scanner.

The second part of the test is where they inject me with with a nuclear dye which also goes to my lungs and shows up on the scanner.

It's now only  1:30 and I'm finished for the day. We pick up lunch downstairs at the hospital and hail a cab and head back to our hotel. Where I headed straight to bed as my headache is now a migraine.