Ana and Isa’s blog

Dear Friends,

I hope this finds you well and enjoying the last bit of summer.  It has been a while since I’ve posted and people are curious. I apologize about my long silence. This has been two weeks filled with love and support from caregivers coming to supervise me as my mother is in Australia. Thank you , thank you to Trent, Robin, Ann, Kathleen, Josh and Kerry for your time, love, supervision and help while I rehab at home. It’s been quiet. I can tell you that no news is good news, and my doctors say I am recovering exactly as  I should be. Of course, I want things to speed up and to feel better immediately, but I must be patient. My biggest challenges are chest pain, stomach pain and muscle weakness. My lung capacity (FEV1) is still at 50%, as I have fluid in my chest walll which is preventing the immediate expansion. Time will tell. But my small airways (FEF25-75%) which are a measure of gas exchange are at 95% capacity. Prior to transplant they were at 6% so  you can imagine how much better I’m breathing! : ) I’ve attached some photos, including the monumental occasion of saying good bye to my oxygen and wheelchair as the home healthcare company picked it up. I’ve also tried to regain strength by walking at the track and doing some stairs. I struggle with exercise, partly because I am required to wear a mask and it is harder to breathe with one on, and because my muscles are very weak from deconditioning and the side effects of prednisone. I’m at 35 mgs of prednisone a day now, so the tapering is promising.

Next week mom will return as my primary caregiver. I feel very fortunate that my recovery is as smooth as it is (knock on wood) and that I’ve been fairly functional as far as tasks of daily living. I’ve started to use a stationary bike in the living room and may consider joining Sequioa Hospital’s pulmonary rehab program. I’m working on balancing the fear of germs with the need to just get out and enjoy life. The first three months are the most risky as far as immunosuppression so I will be more cautious than usual. Thank God for anti-bacterial products!

Again, I continue to be showered by love and support, cards and gifts, calls and emails. I apologize I haven’t been good about getting back to people. You are in my thoughts and I appreciate all your messages. Thank you for your friendship and for fueling my will to live.

I love you all. May health and strength be with you too.

ANA STENZEL

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 16th, 2007 at 2:37 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.