Week Seven
Post Transplant:
March 20-26,
2005
Mom and I left about 5:00AM Monday morning for the 8:00AM biopsy in Boston . We got there half an hour early and waited until about 9:00 for them to call me in. The doctor accessed my heart through the vein in the left side of my neck again. I hope the clot in the right side clears up soon, then the biopsies will be easier.
I am still injecting myself twice daily with lovanox, a blood thinner, to help heal the clot. I am injecting it into my stomach as well as the fatty tissue on both hips. Often, the injection leaves a bruise. I have a collection of quarter-inch bruises all across my midsection, and one big bruise probably caused by inadvertently rubbing the area after the injection. I am looking forward to this part of the journey being over.
Everything was fine with the biopsy. No rejection. However my vein is “dry” and the doctors are encouraging me to drink more, and also to add salt to my diet in order to try to retain some fluid in my veins. They explained that too much water causes problems for people with heart disease, whereas too little water causes problems for people with new hearts. I’ve been accustomed to limiting my fluid intake. It’s now time to drink! And who would believe they’re letting me/encouraging me to eat salt?!?
I am usually very careful about reordering my medicines before they run out. I’m committed to doing everything I can to keep my new heart healthy and to make this transplant a success. Certain meds, like the cyclosporin are essential. Friday of last week I realized I was running low and wouldn’t have enough for Sunday. My pharmacy didn’t have any in stock, so I had to call other pharmacies until I found one that had the drug on hand.
Managing prescription payment is also a big job. Currently I’m paying out of pocket, submitting claims and then my insurance company reimburses me. With the cost of medicines over $3,000 a month this has become complicated. An alternative is to use a mail order pharmacy, which would bill the insurance company directly, they also charge 5% more than my local pharmacy and still my insurance company prefers that I use them.
This week the sensations in my chest have changed. They are no longer arrhythmic. This time, my heart is skipping beats. When this happens every three or four beats, my chest gets tight, I feel my heart pounding and get an odd feeling in my head as though I’m not getting enough oxygen to my brain. I also start to feel anxious. I am dealing with the waves of anxiety the best I can by trying focus my mind on calming down but I haven’t found a reliable technique. The anxiety is uncontrollable and comes without warning. I hope it won't be a limitation for long.
In my zeal to be “normal” I am still overestimating my abilities. My mom took me to a department store this week and once we reached the parking lot I felt so sick we had to “abort the mission” and turn home. I felt defeated. Yet I also have to realize I just don’t have the strength yet to go out any day I want. Some days must be rest days. And if I do too much, I give myself more rest days. On this particular trip I also noticed that I was becoming anxious about being away from home as well as from the heavy traffic.
This week we also had a reporter from the local newspaper visit. It was still hard to tell the story about what happened in December with all the arrhythmias. The trauma is still too fresh. So Bob filled her in. She wrote a lovely article about us, which appeared on the front page of the Rivereast March 25, 2005 issue. I hope that in some small way the article might increase the awareness of organ donation. To offer new life to another is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give.