The road ahead of me

I've been contacted by a few friends asking for an update. I'll be honest and tell you I have not been on social media very much. When I spend too much time on social media I easily become grouchy and negative. I also do not get much done. I have decided for my mental health and to keep my focus on my family and other important things in my life I will continue to take a break, but I'll occasionally update my blog.

I will give you a quick update on my health. My heart is beating strong. I was informed that I have a couple murmurs which is why I feel occasional uncomfortable irregular heart beats, but they are nothing to be concerned about.

Last week I attended lung transplant clinic and received a clean bill of health. Dr. Cahill was pleased that I hit 120 pounds (the minimum my lung transplant team would like me to weigh). I asked if I can stop focusing on gaining weight and she said now I need to build more muscle. So I have started incorporating more strength training into my exercising.

Speaking of Dr. Cahill, I have to mention she is one of my favorite doctors. I really enjoy my appointments and visiting with her. I also really like my lung transplant team at the UofU.

I've been experiencing pain in all my joints, especially my hips and knees. It became so severe that I ended up in the ER. I was treated for the pain and sent home to follow up with my family doctor, Dr. Kundra. Dr. Kundra had bloodwork done and referred me to rheumatologist to rule out arthritis and other things. The doctors mentioned my pain could be caused by fibromyalgia. I will continue to have more testing and follow up with my endocrinologist.

I've still been having weekly migraines so my neurologist changed one of my medications which also help with migraines and fibromyalgia pain. Since starting the new medication my joint pain has come down significantly and my migraines have decreased in frequency.

Do you want to know something funny? For over a year after my transplant I was afraid to jump or jerk my body too hard for fear I would shake my heart and lungs loose. I feared that if I jumped rope with Zoe it would cause my new attached organs to fall out my rear end. At the time I still felt freshly transplanted and everything was still tender. Now I feel like my new heart has been with me all along. I laugh about it now and I can honesty tell people I've had a change of heart and actually mean it.

Now that I am not scared of organs falling out of my body and my pain is manageable we decided to head for the hills for a hike. It is the most incredible feeling to walk around and even climb hills without getting a headache on the car ride up the mountains. We hiked over 3.5 miles and I didn't get winded. My legs would get really tired and I would need to rest for a couple minutes, but my heart and lungs felt so good and could go for days.

While hiking we found chipmunks and squirrels, but the most exciting thing we saw was a fox. Can you find him? He blends in well.

While hiking the following quote came to mind.

The hike we went on was bumpy and hard at times, but the reward was worth it.

Staying home and isolating is starting to take a toll on us. I finally feel great and unfortunately Covid has entered our world and to avoid catching it my family has been told by my doctors to isolate. Zoe and I received season tickets to Hale Centre Theatre for Christmas last year. After asking Dr. Cahill (who suggested I stay home), Zoe and I decided to join family and attend the Mary Poppins musical. It was so nice to get out of the house and do something we enjoy. The show was amazing.

I am so thankful for my life. I am thankful for all my challenges and trials that are shaping and defining me. I hope to continue to learn and grow physically and spiritually. I will continue to look forward to the journey and adventures on the road ahead of me.