Check out https://youtu.be/W1pQaEHWdDk if you’d
like to see a video recap of bronchoscopy day!
Thursday was my big bronchoscopy
day! Post-transplant it’s standard to have bronchoscopies after 6 weeks, 3
months, 6 months, and 1 year, and then annually after that. During a bronchoscopy
they put a scope down my throat and into my lungs to look around and make sure
everything is ok, and take sputum samples and biopsies to check for infection
and rejection. In my case, we already knew things weren’t 100% perfect and that
they’d have to open up and clear out some airways. Thankfully, I’m under
general anesthesia for this whole process. General anesthesia used to be a big
scary deal with my old lungs, but seems to be a lot easier and more standard
with my shiny new ones. So on Thursday I went to HUP, changed into my very
fashionable hospital gown, and went to sleep for a few hours while they fixed
me up.
My biggest problem
post-bronchoscopy is usually that my throat is very sore and it’s difficult to
eat. This time we came prepared with a quart of Rita’s water ice in a cooler so
I’d have something cold and delicious to soothe my throat. The nurses and other
patients in the recovery room were quite impressed with our foresight and
planning! Katherine also continued our new tradition of getting a cute little
stuffed animal from the gift shop for me to wake up to post-bronchoscopy. So far
there are two, and I’m calling them the Bronchoscopy Collection. At least now I
have something fun to look forward to each time!
Shortly after the procedure they
let us know that a few airways had been narrowed on the right side and one was
narrow on the left side, so they went in and inflated a balloon to open and
widen them. There was also necrotic tissue blocking some airways on the right
side, which sounds scary but apparently is common. They saw the same thing
during my previous bronchoscopy, and both times they were able to remove the
dead tissue and open up the airways. I’m wheezing a lot less now, though I’m
still a bit congested as I clear out the mucus that was trapped during the last
several weeks. Hopefully things will heal up and clear out by the time I see
the doctor again in 2 weeks, and my pulmonary function numbers will go way up!
Today I got my test results from
the sputum samples and biopsies, and the verdict is… no infection and no
rejection! We didn’t get cake this time, but it’s very exciting and encouraging
that things continue to go so well! Now I just need to get the hip pain under
control so I can get back on track with my exercise routine and rebuild my strength
and endurance. I’m also still having some pain in my incisions, though it’s gotten
MUCH better. Katherine keeps reminding me that it’s only been 3 months, and
that I need to relax and not push myself too hard. Which is hard when I’m
feeling SO much better and more capable. I want to conquer the world NOW!
Fiiiine, I guess I’ll try to cut
myself some slack and allow this process unfold at its own pace – but I WILL
get these lungs back up to 80% and beyond! Just you wait and see!!
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