Truly a Miracle

I see that I have neglected my blog here for the past couple of months.  It's been such a whirlwind since the surgery that I haven't really taken the time to update.  I am now back at home with my girls living a "normal" life.  I was released from the hospital on October 13th, eight days after my transplant.  We expected to be there for a couple of weeks, but I was released pretty quickly.  I was then scheduled to stay in the near vincinity of UCSF for an additional six weeks.  Fortunately, I've progressed so well that I was able to return to my home on November 5th, only ONE MONTH from my transplant date.  It has truly been a miracle thus far. 
My recovery has been excellent and I feel great.  I still have to return to UCSF from time to time for various appointments.  Shell and I just spent last night in SF as I had two days worth of appointments.  I had a spirometry, which is a breathing test to assess my lung capacity.  I also had a routine check-up with the transplant team which consists of an RN, a pharmacist, and a pulmonologist.  To end the day, I had to get a CT scan of my chest.  The following day, I had a bronchoscopy.  A "bronch" is one of the least popular parts of the recovery process.  Basically, I tube with a camera is shoved down your throat and navigated throughout your chest, so that the doctors can see how the lungs are doing from the inside.  While inside they also perform a biopsy by cutting little pieces of tissue from the lungs.  You don't feel the biopsy, but you are awake while the tube is worked around your throat.  Not a pleasurable experience at all!  To round out the second day, I went through a cytogam infusion.  The infusion involves medicine being fed through an IV for a period of about 3 hours.  Not at all painful, but very boring.  Shell and I bring a portable DVD player and watch a movie to kill the time.
It may seem like a lot to have to go through, but the further out I am from the transplant, the less frequently they occur.  My appointments now begin to be a month apart and I won't have another bronch until I'm six months out.  In any case, it is all completely worth it.  I am a completely new person...actually, I'm back to being the me I used to be.  The me I'm SUPPOSED to be.  I'm doing things that I thought I would never do again.  However, I'm not completely back yet.  I'm still working on my strength and I have a broken sternum that is going to take some time to heal completely.  Nonetheless, I'm 100 percent better than I was before the surgery.  On Thanksgiving Day, Shell, Alex, and I walked in the 5k Run to Feed the Hungry.  Again, something that I thought I would never do again...TRULY a miracle.