Recovery

Wednesday, the day after discharge, was an easy day for us; we both slept in. Amanda got up earlier than I did because she needed to take some meds. I found her passed back out in her recliner when I got up. Tank was still snoozing pretty well when I got up. He ended up having another episode during the middle of the night. Not that bad of a one, but enough to startle us both, with him in the middle of the night, seizing between us in bed.

I went to leave Amanda sleeping and go on our porch to do my Bible study, but I didn’t make it long before I was eaten alive by mosquitoes and ran back inside. After we milled around a bit, I made breakfast for lunch. The day consisted of nothing, an easy after-hospital day. We’d planned to go out and get coffee, but Amanda didn’t even want to do that.

Dinner was dropped off for us by a greeter from church. She made sure to tell me she looked up after-transplant meals to confirm that what she made was compliant. We had that for dinner and watched a new feel-good Netflix movie. I was also working on our schedule to see when I’d need to come up. Southwest had a quick 40% off deal, so I booked a couple of flights I’d need for super cheap. I was working on when I’d be able to get Amanda back home for a bit too. I’m hoping to get her home for a couple of weeks in mid-July.

Brittany, Amanda’s bestie, flew in Thursday morning, as well. She had already planned to come up a while back, and we all just decided to keep her coming up. Which worked great for me since I needed to go back to Texas to work at least 4 days to make sure my insurance will stay active. I’ll be flying home Friday morning. Brittany knows the ropes since she was here doing rounds with 3 other ladies while I went home to work back in October and November.

Brittany got here about the time we were getting to Amanda’s first follow-up. So, she just Ubered to the hospital to catch up with us. The follow-up went well. It was so odd that they didn’t do labs beforehand. I still don’t understand that. If we do labs beforehand, they could at least have some back to go over in the appointment. She did say if we preferred, we could do them before. Also, with our appointment time, the trough level, the lowest level in the bloodstream, of the main antirejection med was off by an hour or more. I guess they are a little more rigid on the heart side of things, which I prefer!

We grabbed lunch from a meat-and-3 place that Amanda hadn’t been to, which is a Nashville staple. It was Brittany’s suggestion since she had a hankering for fried green tomatoes while she was here. It didn’t take much for me to agree with fried green tomatoes! After lunch, we made our way back to the apartment for a break before our evaluation with rehab.

While we were at the apartment, some other friends stopped by. Megan, our old dog sitter, and her husband Fred. They had planned to stay with Amanda for the weekend while they were going to a wedding. The transplant threw a wrench in having extra company around this weekend! Our original trip to Vanderbilt over a year ago was the last time we’d seen them, as we went through Louisiana. I can’t remember the last time Tank saw Megan, either. Tank may be old, but he remembered her for sure and buried his head in her belly the minute she bent down to pet him! Fred and Megan hung out a bit before we had to head to Amanda’s rehab evaluation. 

The rehab evaluation went well, but the physical therapist thought it might be a little early to start any rehab. We’d also wanted to get knee PT, but she thought Amanda needed to build a little more strength before starting that. It’ll be about a week and a half before she starts rehab. I think she needs it, and it’ll be good for her, along with the knee PT. We’re on the downhill slope, and we need her in tip-top shape when we transition back home!

With the labs after the follow-up, we watched for them as the afternoon went on. The NP or the coordinator never called, so we thought everything was good. Amadna’s kidney levels were trending slightly downward, so we assumed things were good. The last lab to come back was her anti-rejection med trough level. It was a bit high, so we knew that Amanda would need to adjust the dosage. We never heard back from either the NP or coordinator, so Amanda called. It wasn’t long before the coordinator called back. She wouldn’t adjust the dosage without running it by a doctor. I’m pretty sure the heart coordinators can adjust on their own. 

Brittany leaves on Monday morning. Rhonda, who was in the line-up back in October and November as well, flies in Monday afternoon, relieving Britt. My return depends on how much I can work, but I’ll be back before Rhonda’s departure next Saturday. So, don’t expect too frequent posts until I return to Nashville. Once back, I’ll stay for a few weeks until Amanda can go home to Texas for a spell.