Home sweet home

I'm the happiest lady in the world. Being home is sooo relaxing and I feel like a child that gets excited over the simplest things. Lighting a candle, peeing in a real toilet, new bedsheets, heating up my food until it burns me, using real silverware and not plastic utensils, seeing my new dining table that was delivered in May, sitting on the porch and breathing fresh air. I could go on...

Okay, now on to the dirty details of recovery.

Side Effects:

I'm feeling better every day but I still have moments when I feel like I got ran over by a truck and probably will feel that way for a few months. I'm weak, my body aches, chest cracks, bruises, etc.

So far I'm adapting to my meds fairly well. There are many side effects and I'm feeling some of them. As mentioned before, I've had moments when I cry randomly or get really irritable but I have noticed being out of the hospital has helped calm me down. God bless Christian over the next few months!

I have tremors. It happens every day. I can still manage to function/hold on to things but this could get better or worse over time. Once my meds taper a bit it should go away...but time will tell.

Sleeping is better but I have accepted what it is. It takes hours to actually fall asleep and I wake up a lot. The pain at night is subsiding which is great but the prednisone will likely support a wacky sleep schedule. I did my vitals at 5am this morning and started my day with a sleepy puppy (pic below).

Feed Me:

After transplant I've somehow lost weight - a whopping 97 pounds. They were a little concerned and pushed calorie shakes and protein, protein, protein in the hospital but with my snobby eating habits I couldn't bring myself to order hospital meat. 

Once the prednisone sets in I'm inevitably going to gain the weight back and they keep warning me about getting the famous steroid moon face. Despite my body size I've already noticed my cheeks are a little more plump! This should get interesting.

My personal at home chef has been making me steak tips, salmon, quiche and I haven't been skipping dessert. Thanks to the steroids my sweet tooth friends (Meg, Camille, Steph, Rachel) will be happy to know that I might be joining your team! I need to watch my blood sugar levels so I'm not going hog wild but I wake up wanting chocolate chip pancakes EVERY morning...and then end up eating yogurt and nuts. 

In order to avoid infection I can't eat out for 6 months. Basically, all my food needs to be purchased at a grocery store and prepared at home. I can't eat at a restaurant, grab a coffee, ice cream cone, etc. I can't eat anything raw or unpasteurized - ever. No more sushi, oysters, runny yoke eggs, blue cheese, medium rare burgers or deli meat.

Fortunately, I love to cook and once I'm feeling better I plan on making the best out of my 6 month take-out/dine-in hiatus. I might even select a cookbook and make an attempt to actually cook each recipe. I'm also scoping out picnic locations where we can take our dinner "out" just for a change of scenery. Could be fun!

Other random stuff: 

I'll have a weekly biopsy for about a month, then bi-weekly, monthly, etc. The first year is intense and I'll need to track everything and be in close contact with the transplant team to monitor rejection, meds, side effects, etc.

I need to wear a mask when in public...for I think 6 months.

I can't drive for a few months (they will let me know when I can) and for now I have to sit in the back seat to avoid front seat air bags from blowing into my chest while my sternum heals.

TL: I went to HomeGoods! I wore a mask. I haven't showered in over two weeks so mind the hair!
TR: This is what a $700 prescription co-pay looks like.
BL: My early morning
BR: Me and the bodyguard