*MARCH 15th*
The doctors have been watching pockets of liquid around the new lung.
After some consultation it was decided to place drain tubes in the
area. This began as a small drain and the results were less that
satisfactory. The next move was to surgically drain the remaining liquid.
This required placing larger tubes in different locations. About a week in
the hospital was required until the drain tubes could be removed.
This procedure set her back somewhat but she is now home, up and around
once again!!! Her check up was Friday the 13th....if you can imagine
that!!!! It was good and the doctor is talking about getting her back to
Wyoming before too long. They also are also sending her back to pulmonary
rehabilitation next week. I hope that she can receive her diploma and
graduate from there before too long!!
As Angela,one of the transplant coordinators, says...."Just another
little bump." Later, Glenn

Muffy continues to improve every day. She has been attending the pulmonary
rehabilitation classes at the hospital on MWF. It seems that tests of some
kind come on Wednesdays so those days are sometimes missed!! She has not
been using oxygen even at night for the past few days. The doctors decided
to drain the liquid from her lung cavity so she has a drain tube in place
for a few days. That is another thing to have checked regularly.

The past two weeks have been rather busy. We have had friends come by for a
few days. Barb Burns of St. Ignatius, MT stopped by for a few days on her
way home from a vacation in Mexico. The day she left Craig and Donna Smith
from Buffalo came in for a few days. We put all of them to work on various
tasks. It was great to see a few familiar faces and catch up on the latest
happenings in Buffalo from Craig and Donna. Muff was able to catch up on
all of the cutting horse chatter with Barb and find out what was happening
in Montana!!! Muff and Donna did get a chance to put in a day of serious
shopping in Bellevue. I imagine the credit cards will show the extent of
their tour!! The weather had to show off for Donna and Craig on Thursday
with a few inches of snow when we awakened!! It was great to see some
familiar faces and catch up on the latest news from home. Smiths headed
home this morning.

We are looking forward to the time that we can return to Wyoming. We are
not planning on doing anything until possibly June. Later, Glenn

I have been rather lax in updating Muff's website!! She has been going to
the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Class three times a week. Every day is better
than the day before. Muffy is finally getting over the cold that went
around. This is the first time in a long while that she hasn't ended up in
the hospital while fighting a cold.

Last week Bettina took Muff shopping. They went to the Costco, out to
lunch and then to the Bell Square Shopping center!! After a full day of
shopping they were still speaking! Muffy had a great time. Thanks Bettina
for helping us out once again.

This week consists of several tests and followups. The medical service here
is extremely thorough and nothing is overlooked. The care and concerns of
all of the doctors and the staff are above and beyond the call of duty.

The weather has been mostly overcast and cool. Yesterday was a bright day
but on the cool side. We woke up this morning with snow on the ground!!
We are both looking forward to getting back to Buffalo, It will be a while
before Muffy is released and by then the weather will be warmer!!! Glenn

Today was a busy day at the the "Chat Room" after the sever work out!!  The new picture is of Muffy on the left, and her friends PJ and Jo Ann.  They have a great time and stopped for some lenghty conversation afterwards.  Jo Ann's daughter, Shawna, slowed them down long enough to get a picture.  I think they have more fun visiting!  Monday is a day of rest for the crew.  Glenn --

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Sorry - getting a little behind on updates.  Mom is doing great.  She is home and recovering under the watchful care of Dad, Tina, and Suzanne.  She is eating normal food and is feeling better every day.  Her oxygen is on 2 L/min.  She was on 5-6 L/min before the surgery.  Her vast variety of pills are causing some nausea, but that is to be expected.

Tomorrow is a bit of a scary day though.  Dad has to navigate Seattle rush hour traffic to get Mom to an 8:10 appointment.  The cold weather and slick roads should make that pretty interesting.  Much to mom's dismay, Suzanne Nellen is heading home tomorrow.

Everything is still going very well.  Thank you everyone for your support!!

Another good day.  Mom is heading home.  They kept her an extra day because they wanted to make sure the anomaly on her lung was not pneumonia.  It was not, they are letting her go this evening.  She had a touch of nausea this morning, but that has passed.

So now starts the next phase of recovery.  This is going to tough, but mom, as always, has a fantastic attitude and I am certain the rest of the recovery will be as successful as the first.

Thanks for all the support.  Mom loves the comments and will now be able to read them herself!

I flew back to Denver yesterday and left mom in Dad and company's capable hands.

Overall, things are still very good, although they may keep her another day.  On her chest x-ray this morning, they found an anomaly on her new lung that they want to investigate a bit further.  They don't think it's anything to worry about, but it will probably mean she stay an extra day.  When I talked to mom on the phone this morning, she wasn't concerned and thought one more day might be for the best, anyway.

It's Thursday evening and the countdown has begun.  Mom is doing fantastic.  The other drain tube has been removed and she is up and about.  Her pain is apparently under control and they are still shooting for her heading home Friday sometime.  If that's the case, tonight will be the last night in the hospital.   Mom's pal Suzanne Nellan arrived today and they spent the day chatting and laughing. 

I am still amazed.  I would have never thought that you could get a lung transplant on Friday and be going home a week later.  There is still a lot of recovery to do.  Jim and Tina Wood and Gary and Caroline Hight have been amazing during this process.  These folks are continuing to step up and offer help to Dad and Mom as she recovers.  I cannot express how personally grateful I am that these folks have been there for my parents. 

With any luck, Mom will be able to provide her own updates in a couple days!