A different environment

Lee is going through the weaning process of having a nurse constantly @ his bedside, knowing that he was the only one being cared for, to having to share his nurse with two to three other patients.  Quite a difference!  He is now getting out of bed or out of the chair to walk to the bathroom.  Even though he is still connected to I.V.'s , a chest tube to drainage, feeding line, antibiotics etc... he now has to assume more independence.  I have learned that he now needs me to be there for most of the day.  As long as he was in the ICU I was mostly in the way when I visited.  Now I need to be there to help him.  My plan now is to make sure I am there by 8:30 and stay until around 5:30.  These are the hours when he needs the most help.  He usually walks around 8:00, 1:00, 5:00 and again around 9:00.
Lee walked 300 feet three times today and will walk again @ 9:00.  He is expected to eventually walk 1200 feet with no rest.  That, along with other determining factors will be the criteria for his discharge from the unit.  We were visited by his surgeon today along with a long visit with the transplant discharge coordinator.  She reiterated pretty much what I wrote on my blog yesterday.  She emphasized that the next three months were the most critical months when Lee has to be monitored (by me) for any signs of rejection.  She was very specific about all the stats that must be checked and recorded along with all the medications that must be given @ specific times.  He will have his pic line in for a long time, determined by one of his I.V. meds that is used in case of rejection symptoms. 
She did tell us (after learning that we lived in a rural area and that Lee is a farmer) that the highest rejection rates which are usually due to fungus infection has to date been from lung recipients who have lived in rural areas or were on farms.  That is where you find the highest incidence of fungi counts along with a host of other infectious agents.  Pretty Scary stuff.  This was hard for Lee to hear considering this IS his lifestyle.  Going to church is another issue.  We were advised to consider times when the church is LESS crowded and to not be in small rooms with lots of people............that too is hard for us to hear. 

Lee has been through so much during the past seven months that we will have to work with him to ensure that his exposure is very small and limited.  I would hate to see him come this far and lose everything over something we all consider simple but to him it is catastrophic.

To some, I may sound like a "doomsday prophet" but I am only being an advocate for Lee.  I have witnessed on a daily basis the suffering he has had to endure.  I pray that I, along with everyone else, will be able to help him enjoy the life he has been given through the gift that was given from a family who lost the life of one they loved.     More Later..............................Brenda