He told me that they had turned down a pair of lungs that matched to me. While that is slightly disheartening, it is also a good thing – that means the process is working – I am at the top of the list for my blood-type. And it is also good to know that they are being very careful about the used parts that they will be putting inside me. There are any number of risk factors that would cause them to turn down a pair of lungs: Drug use, Alcohol abuse, any kind of substance abuse, smoking, even indiscriminate sexual activity is a risk factor that that will cause lungs, or any organs, to be turned away by the transplant team. I find it good to know that they are taking a great deal of care in choosing parts for my body. We really only get one shot at this to get it right.
In the meantime, it is Dr. P.'s job to keep me in as good as shape as possible until the transplant occurs. To that end he has ordered 4 units of Iron Infusions – I sometimes don't absorb iron from my food which leads to Iron deficient anemia (different from low hemoglobin anemia). That coupled with the amount of blood I lost during my recent accident of falling on my face, makes me very tired. I really don't like spending my days sleeping and then sleeping all night, too. Each infusion takes about an hour to complete, but, if I can get those done next week, I should feel a bit more peppy.
Also on the books: The anti-rejection drug that I am taking can cause a nasty, nasty, fungus infection in my lungs. Not a good thing to happen when you are waiting for a transplant. To combat that, I have to sit in a negative airflow room and breathe this nasty smelling drug for an hour. I'd rather breathe the nasty stuff than try to fight a fungus infection.
Lastly. Come back to clinic next week. I'll be seeing the new nurse practitioner on the team, Rhonda. They keep a tight rein on me just to make sure I'm behaving.
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