Mish Mash

Hey everyone!!! Wow, it's been forever and a day since my last post. Sorry about that, especially to my Virginia friends. :)

Things have been going well since the rATG infusions. I have been in rehab with a physical therapist who is amazing!!! She has helped me build up my core, and strengthen my arms and legs. It was much-needed... trust me. I still have a ways to go, but we are well on our way to getting me back in great physical condition. Yay!

I had my first follow-up yesterday with my pulmonologist since the rATG. Of course, this included pulmonary function tests to see if the rATG helped improve my numbers. Unfortunately it didn't. :( That's the not-so-good news. The good news is that even though my numbers were down a few percentages, it was still in the "same range", so therefore, I'm not worse. What my doc thinks is that the scar tissue already in my small airways is "damage done". What my doc hopes is that the rATG has stabilized my chronic rejection, and will prevent me from scarring further. Remember, the scarring is due to my own white blood cells attacking the foreign lungs (lobes) in my body, and he hopes the rATG has stopped that. Basically, we won't know until my next appointment in 2 months. He hopes to see that I'm holding steady, or that my lung function has even improved a bit because of continued exercise. He did say that sometimes when someone starts chronic rejection, they start a downward trend and it continues pretty fast. He's not seeing that with me, so that is awesome!!!

I also saw my nephrologist yesterday (kidney doc), and he seemed pleased with most things. He ordered some extra tests to check on a few things he's concerned about, but nothing big. Basically, my kidney function is holding steady, so that's great news. :)

My nephew's 5th birthday is tomorrow. I just can't believe he is 5 now. We are going to Jason's parent's house for lunch, and then on to my sister's house for the birthday party later on. I asked my nephew what he wanted for his birthday, and he said "just a little teddy bear". Trust me, he doesn't need another teddy bear, but it was just so cute how he put it. Casey and I are going today to get him a gift, although I might have to pick up just a tiny teddy bear, just because he asked for it.

Casey has tons of plans for the summer!!! She is going to the beach with her two best friends, going to her cousin's house in Pennsylvania, going on vacation with her dad and step-mom, going on vacation with my family, and then possibly going to a camp with her friends. It's going to be a crazy-busy summer for her, but she's going to have a blast!

Very exciting news... Casey gets her braces off this coming Monday. I will have to post pictures of before and after! She can't wait. It will be just a couple of weeks shy of 12 months since she got them put on, but the orthodontist had said she wouldn't have to have them on a long time.

Jason is well, but not liking 1st shift as much as I like it! I love having him home for dinner, and getting in bed at a decent time. I'm hoping he will get used to it though. :) He's been doing some landscaping, and trying to perfect this house to get it ready to sell... yes, I know I have been talking about this for over a year now, but I think we are finally close. There is just so much competition right now, and very little buying going on, so I really want it to appeal to the buyer. Lots of things with my health have set us back, but I'm not planning on anything stopping us from getting it on the market this time.

I hope all of you are enjoying Spring, and enjoying the little things in life. I know I am! Love to all! XO