And then I awoke

I awoke to Julie and dad sitting at either side of my bed and I became acutely aware of my mouth and the ventilator and trying to cough with it in. Dad told me the op took 7 hours and I had gotten outta surgery for 10am. It was now 7.30 AND THE Pair Of them couldn’t hide their surprise that I was awake and trying to talk.

I tried to tell them the op took longer because of the pleuradesis but my charades effort was shit and they were worse guessing at loads. Thankfully Julie had a wee pad and paper so I wrote on that. Over the next hour they reduced my ventilator and then they were going to take it out. Julie said don’t worry if they have to put it back in, as it may happen. I took a big breath out and then whoosh it came out. And I could breathe myself. My body was making these new gifts work, I’d love to say it was an instant amazing first proper breath but it did feel better.

Sitting with four drains in, a neck vein thing, a catheter and an epidural coming out of me with many more wires giving me ivs etc I must have looked awesome!!

The rest of the night was a bit hazy but my lovely ICU nurse Eileen had to keep doing checks for the epidural which meant her using an ice pole to check my sensations. But the best bit was that she gave me the ice pole after, she was lovely and was very surprised how well I was doing. But ever two hours I got an ice pole and I was very happy.

Next day the lots of visitors of hospital staff who were amazed that I was eating and doing so well, the physio came and said “Your my first lung transplant patient, but I’ve been told your an exemption to the usual patients” Pretty awesome to hear that, then I met Dr Sholler my surgeon who came to say hello and tell me he was very happy at my good progress and that they were very good lungs. The ICU folk said I was too well to be there so I was moved on the Thursday to HDU High dependency unit. It’s pretty hard to get about with all the wires and drains etc but I was so happy that I was able to sit up and I wasn’t in too much pain at all. Before leaving the Intensive care unit Simmy(my nurse) removed my lower chest drains. YAY two down only 4 to go!