X-mas 2011

"Christmas Roads The roads of life lead us away, But wherever we may roam Christmas memories take us back And Christmas roads lead home."

Author: Edythe M. Groves

At some point,  while doing our Christmas shopping we decided that we would send our gifts home and after that, as far as we are concerned, Christmas was not happening this year. We had no family here, no decorations, no tree, and bought each other no gifts. We hoped by doing this Christmas would  pass, just like any other ordinary day.

Wednesday Dec 07/11 we went to physio and was told that the Christmas Party for per-transplant was today. I didn't want to go but got talked into by friends. We we down after physio and was pleasantly surprised by all the people and a smorgasbord of delicious food. ( I need and want to take time to thank the Civitan Lung Transplant Club. These are a wonderful group of post transplant people and their family's who are giving back by trying to help out pre-transplant patients espically those of us who come from other provinces. They sell T-shirts, pins, hats ect to raise money to buy equipment for our tread-mill room, host our Christmas Parties and gave each of us a $50.00 gift certificate to help buy our food we need for Christmas, and much, much more God Love and Bless  you all https://www.google.ca/#hl=en&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=toronto+lung+civitan+club&oq=Toronto+Lung+citivan&gs_l=serp.1.0.33i29l2.188.2683.1.6170.7.7.0.0.0.0.268.1155.3j1j3.7.0.les%3B..0.0...1c.1.2.serp.huDT3-IubZk&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&fp=6c5931f54eec81f3&biw=1280&bih=803We also had some Christmas carolers (Brenda Dainton and Brenda Van Veggel) and Karel Chapman on guitar. 

On Dec 8 Alan and I hosted a wine and cheese party at our apartment for our new friends that we made in out apartment. We had a blast.
The next day a older lady in our building came to our door with a little Christmas tree. She said, " She just couldn't imagine us upstairs with no tree, it made her sad to think about it." Well, what could we do, we took the tree.  I went into our Christmas Cards and got two decorations, our granddaughter made us, a paper angel and a felt penguin. So here is our tree.

I think it's cute, don't you?

 On the 15th I finally finished my T.B medication, been on it's since April. Now maybe I can have some wine over X-mas.

Turned out to be quite busy over Christmas every second night we were invited to neighbors for parties up and including Christmas Eve. We had to rush down to our apartment to skype with The Bryantons. Back up and skyped with the kids again in the morning and we all opened our gifts over skype. Not the same but still a whole lot better than we had expected.   

  
if you look close enough you can see Alan and I on the laptop's screen in Cherisse's living room lol

Some Bad Bad Times

"Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty. Believe in them, and try to follow where they lead."

Author: Louisa May Alcott 

 On Tuesday,  November 22, 2011 Alan and I had an appointment with Dr. Vascular (I will be keeping real doctor's names out of my blogs from now on) about the blockage in my aerial artery going into my liver. The way we understood it from the transplant team was that Dr. Vascular would assess me for surgery so that I would be able to return and go back on the list.

Well Dr. Vascular walks into the room, introduces himself and then goes off on a tangent about "What am I doing here?" "What to they (transplant team) expect  from him?" Then he goes on about a lady who had the same problem and he operated on her twice and the second time she died on the table. Needless to say I went into a trance and don't remember anything else. My husband tells me afterwards that I answered many of the Dr.s questions but all that was going on in my mind was... NO VASCULAR OPERATION, NO  LUNG TRANSPLANT, NO LUNG TRANSPLANT NO LIFE...DIE.  From here I went into a deep depression for many days.

 

 A very good friend, transplant buddy and fellow Islander Lynn MacLeod came over on Saturday Dec 2, to try and cheer me up. She also stayed the night and together her and Alan brought be out of my depression with tons of laughter. First off. both of us were each hauling 50 feet of oxygen hoses and everytime we moved our hoses would get tangled up, poor, poor Alan would make us sit down and gets us all untangled. This would only last until one of us would want a drink or a pee and then again it would start all over again. 

 

The next morning the 3 of us went for breakfast at Egg Smart where we met up with other friends for brunch. Gerri Cotnam- Amos another transplant buddy and her posse from up Mattawa way there haha. Table for 7! We had a blast.

Monday December 5/2011 BIG DAY BIGGER NEWS! I've been put back on the list. Unbelievable news. Apparently Dr. Vascular wrote a letter telling the transplant team that I am having no pain or discomfort from this that it obviously is not affecting me. also that my portal artery was in fact quite able and doing a great job of handling any slack going into my liver.  I am overwhelmed with relief  Thank you to all my family and friends for all their prayers, they have gotten me over this hurdle. xoxo