I have a new career

No, it's probably not what you're thinking .... since retiring from my journalism career (for the most part anyway) I haven't taken a new job.

Although there are many days here in Frog Hollow in scenic Northeast Iowa where I feel like my days ARE a job ... like today.

As I stood in our Great Room debating how I could reach the cobwebs taunting me from eight feet above my head, a loud thud against the window behind me, interrupted my thoughts. As quick as I could get to our large picture window, our Mama Cat, "Lulu" had latched on to the vibrant blue indigo bunting that had  knocked himself silly.

Sans shoes, I ran to the basement and out the door to retrieve the bird from becoming Lulu's lunch. Considering I feed my cats well & just began teaching Lulu's five kittens to join her at the dish, I didn't feel bad about depriving her of what she thought would be a tasty treat.

Dazed and confused, the little bunting's heart beat rapidly against my hand as I carried it to the sunflower feeder – now more than six feet high to keep the cats away. Over the next hour while I made my Aunt Audrey's custard rhubarb pie, I checked on the indigo. Eventually he had regained his senses to the point he was able to fly away.

 Actually, today was pretty much a repeat of last Thursday, when a female woodpecker being pursued by a male, struck the window. In their silliness, the male hit the window too. Trudging to the yard (no cats in sight on this afternoon) I retrieved each of the birds individually, and placed them in our wild plum trees to recover. It was more than three hours later, before the female found the strength to fly away.

For anyone worried I've become lazy ... don't worry that I'm lying on the sofa eating bon bons all day. Between "bird-whispering" and chasing after chickens, I still haven't managed to keep the garden free of weeds. Barring more avian collisons, hopefully I can get to those weeds this week!

Did I really want to know?

I know it's a disappointment to my relatives, but when they ask, I have to say honestly, I don't remember a lot about my childhood.

"What do you remember about living near Eldorado?" they ask. Nothing except maybe playing outside the house. I was only three and a half years old when we moved from there to Hawkeye.

But one of my cousins who with her older sister, often babysat us and entertained us when we visited their parents' home as children, kept all the letters I wrote to her when she was away at college and even when she attended Girls' State as a junior in high school.

Yes, it will date me, but the stamps on the first letters I wrote to her, cost just 8¢. Wow.

Oh, are those letters filled with exciting tidbits!

Perhaps more than anything, the letters revealed a lot about my childhood that I had forgotten. Like finding 31 chicken eggs in a hog feeder. And I thought only my silly hens we keep now, did such crazy things as to lay anywhere but in their coop. It appears it's something that's been going on for decades!

It makes me grimace to read that I thought it newsworthy to tell my older cousin that the family dog would celebrate his birthday that month .... or that I was writing my cousin for the second time in two weeks, because my sister had nothing to say!

Ahh, youth!  Glad to have left it behind!

Bluebirds, deer & cooper's hawks, Oh, My!

Excuses for not blogging lately .... uh, the weather's been too nice? Well on some days anyway!

Although we saw our first robins weeks ago, today there were quite a few in our yard – still migrating birds though, none that have yet decided to stay. I witnessed two male and one female bluebirds as well, today. And that bad girl, "Clucker," has returned to her mischievous ways and laid two pretty blue-green eggs outside the chicken coop – I found them under the front porch.

Spring is definitely in the air in Lima!

I have awakened several mornings the past week to find four to six deer lounging in the pasture just behind our house. The whitetails calmly listen to the bluejays bickering around them as they move their jaws in a rhythm that is reminiscent of our dairy cows chewing their cuds.

Just last week, we saw a buck with the group who had not yet shed its antlers. I haven't seen that particular male this week, unless he's finally left his rack behind somewhere.

Last week, we had a number of unwelcome visitors to our yard. No, there were no skunks. But one of the biggest raccoons I've seen waddled out of the pasture and into our yard to sample sunflower seeds under the feeder. 

It was still daylight, so he/she must have been hungry.  An hour later (it was now dark) a clank on the front porch alerted us to a younger raccoon feasting on cat food, shoveling it in as quickly as it could. The raccoon in the photo is titled, "Did you lose a cat?" and I couldn't resist posting it, even though I'm quite sure it's been altered!

But back to my story. Worse yet, was the day the Cooper's hawk dined at our bird feeder. If you don't already know, these birds are most fond of their own kind. Yes, they eat other birds. I was writing a story on my laptop when I heard a bird clunk hard against our large picture window. Looking up, I saw a few downy red feathers floating to the ground. By the time I got to the window to check on the cardinal's well-being, he was shaking off his concussion. My relief was short-lived. Because in the next moment, the Cooper's Hawk had descended on the cardinal who didn't know up from down due to his collision with my not-so-clean window. I banged both hands on the windows, but the hawk cocked its head my direction, and as I began to crank out the window, he took off, the cardinal in its talons.

Ugly.

While I'm aware coopers need to eat too ... I'd prefer their tastes run more toward poor man's lobster (i.e. sparrows.) We have a lot more of those to spare.

She's driving again! Beware of ice

It will be seven weeks this Thursday since the lung transplant patient's surgery. While Alison continues to heal, she achieved another milestone this last weekend when she drove her car for the first time since last September!!

Driving is something most of us would have to admit we take for granted. We just hop in the seat, turn the keys and go when and where we want to go. The reason Alison had a restriction was mainly because her sternum needed time to heal. To put her new lungs in place, the bone had to be broken, and unlike skin, takes quite a bit longer to heal. 

For Alison, being able to drive her own car again brought huge smiles to her face. Mama Garvin teased that she might need lessons to reacquaint herself, but no worries there.

Because she still needs to have someone with her all hours of the day, Alison enjoyed spending a night out of town, with friends, but returned to her parents' home in West Union before the weekend ice storm.

Now she wonders if that was the best decision considering she has a lovely two-car garage at her home in Cedar Falls.

West Union caught the brunt of freezing rain that resulted in broken branches and trees all across town Sunday into Monday. That included quite a large tree branch that fell on Alison's silver two-door parked in her parents' driveway. 

UGHHHHH! From outward appearances it doesn't seem there is much damage. What a relief!  But later that day, the patient stepped outside the front door to retrieve her dog, and her feet went out from under her and she fell on the ice. Although worried she might have injured her healing incisions and sternum, A. says she is just stiff and sore, from the fall.

It goes without saying that everyone in this family eagerly awaits the arrival of spring!

Le Peeeew!!

My sister phoned this morning with some news that had me chuckling because she said she sure could have used my gun last night.

That struck me funny at first, because I was with her until about 9 p.m. at One Block Over's "quilt night," and wondered what kind of trouble she'd gotten into at that late of hour on her way home. Seems my younger sibling thought their darling-faced Golden Doodle, "Bella" needed some Fresh Air before the family retired around 10 p.m. But the air was anything but that 10 min. later, as Joleen called for the dog to return to the house.

Living on the edge of the "wild" as they do, with a fairly large pasture of unmowed grass behind a grove of pine trees ... nocturnal varmints emerge in the dark looking for a meal in the backyards of the city's residents.

Unfortunately, Bella had an encounter with PePe Le Peu, or his cousin.

So with the clocking ticking toward 10:30 p.m., Joleen searched the internet for a cure, and soon the pair was giving their dog a bath of vinegar and baking soda – in OLD CLOTHES she informed me, in case they needed to throw them away afterward!

Apparently their quick action was beneficial, as after one bath outside on the deck (brrrr!) and another in the garage, they deemed Bella indeed had lost most of her 'Le Skunk' perfume.

In the future, Bella will likely be restricted to the front yard for those 'just before bedtime do-your-business excursions.'

The Pony Express could have delivered it by now

On Sunday, Feb. 6, I ordered some dye for fabric (the latest craze I am into.)

Thursday of last week (Feb. 10) I finally received a confirmation my order had been shipped. Hallelulia, a cause for celebration.

Tuesday, Feb. 15, now NINE days since placing my order, I decided to use that handy tracking feature offered by Fed Ex.  And therein lies the problem.  Just how effective is it for a package to depart Belleville, Mich. on Feb. 11, destined to travel WEST to Iowa .... but instead it travels first to New Berlin, Wis.  Monday it arrives in Kansas City, Kansas. Uh, hello? Is that the most direct route to Iowa, via Kansas? 


The Pony Express could have had my package here by now! As it is, the shipper Fed Ex, is suggesting my pkg. should arrive by Thursday.


To be clear, my complaint is with the corporate system that's determined shuffling packages from shipping site to shipping site is more effective than a direct route. As for the local Fed Ex delivery persons -- I have nothing but praise regarding their service. When temperatures were below zero, we've even had our delivery guy phone ahead while packing that day's order to be sure we'd be around for pick-up when our delivery was a case of wine. That's customer service! Perhaps the corporate office could take a cue from it's laborers who obviously better understand customer service.

Matriarch of the Pape family?

In celebrating my Aunt Kathleen's 85th birthday Saturday, Feb. 12, it was discovered that the party was cause for marking an additional milestone. Not only has Kathleen been fortunate enough to be the only one of Henry & Mildred Pape's six children to reach that grand age, she just might be the only one in her family of Pape lineage to have had such longevity. Good clean living? What's your secret, Kate?

The cake of strawberry and white layers she holds was baked by daughter, Jayne Weber and the decorative frosting added by granddaughter Brianna Weber. Daughter Julie Routh and her husband, Don, and their daughter Nicole and great grandson, Owen Larson, were among the others in attendance. 

Bella is one today!

The Garvin family dog wasn't left out of the fun, today, as she celebrated her first birthday - party hat and all! We gathered to mark the parents' return from Arizona & Alison celebrating her progress since having a lung transplant.

Bella received many nice gifts, for which she thanks her owners. She was a good sport, wearing her party hat.

Not your traditional football game

Most of the time at our house, my hubby holds the remote. I don't usually mind, because there's not a whole lot I'd rather be watching on television.

But the other night while I thought he was viewing, "Grumpy Old Men," I looked up from my laptop computer to see scantily clad women in shoulder pads playing football.

Lingerie Football, that is.

Perhaps I've been living under a rock, but I didn't know it existed. MTV broadcasts the Lingerie Football League featuring women in a 7 on 7 tackle sport.

While I'm all for women engaging in a physically challenging game such as football if that's what they choose – I don't understand why it's necessary to sport "boy shorts" and bikini-like brassieres that require readjusting after each play. Could it be implied that the organizers of this league believed the only way there would be spectators is if there's a well-shaped, athletic physique for men to leer at?

The women on these teams are very athletic – and play without any of the padding and protection their male counterparts have in the NFL. Oh yeah, in one photo on this page you'll see shoulder pads -- protecting what? 

And perhaps saddest of all? The women on these teams must have careers outside of lingerie football because it doesn't pay too well (according to the announcers.) I'd be more impressed if the women earned a living wage and weren't required to dress like Victoria's Secret models while men hoot and holler from the stands. 

Adjusting to life as Alison wants to live it!

Last weekend, after unpacking and getting in a bit of pulmonary rehab at the local hospital, the lung transplant patient relished time with her best buds down in Cedar Town. At the end of her stay with a friend who has a lower level apartment, she remembered she'd left a necklace behind. "Do you want me to get it?" asked one of the girls. And Alison could proudly respond, "No, I can get it" and she bounded back down the stairs and jogged back up them, never getting winded.

It was a cool moment for them all to realize no one had to wait for her to catch her breath as she climbed the stairs! The exercise work-outs continue and adjustments are continually made to the amount of Tacrolimus she needs to take. Earlier this week, Alison and her mom made chocolate chip cookies – which I was fortunate enough to sample. Yummy!

Bella the dog, is happy to have Alison home but has to share the limelight with her ... usually everyone thinks Bella The Golden Doodle is pretty cute when she carries around one of her toys or finds an envelope from the trash to tease them with. That is, until the envelope was part of the yet unopened mail and it was important insurance papers the family dog carried in her mouth!! Disaster was averted!

Since Friday is Bella's first birthday, Alison bought her a new chew toy ... and one of her friends made birthday party hats for the celebration .... I think a photo from that event will be needed .... Alison?

Not done writing yet!

Whoa ... y'all probably think I've been on a little vacation from writing! Not really .... I've just had a few assignments for the area newspapers which included attending some meetings and doing some interviews ... look for a feature story on Alison to be published soon in the Fayette County Union and Fayette Leader .... when I get a chance, I'll post it here in my "pages" feature where you seen Dan Pischke's story ...

In addition, I was so close to finishing the second book in the Stieg Larsson trilogy, "The Girl Who Played with Fire," and I just couldn't put it down! But alas, tonight I finished the book and now I can download book #3 to my new Kindle!! Cause for celebration!

*  *  *

For those who haven't heard, the parents have returned from the land of sunshine. Notice I say "sunshine" and not necessarily warm temperatures! We haven't seen them yet, but we're anxious to sample some of the oranges they brought back from Uncle Don and Aunt Kay's backyard tree in Sun City! Nothing like a fresh orange whose origins you know!

*  *  *

Coming next ... that lingerie football!

And everyone is home in WU!

Even the threat of yesterday's blizzard continuing to rage on today wasn't going to keep the Garvins from leaving Iowa City today.

As soon as they could get Big Daddy Garvin there to haul out that recliner that he'd taken down to have in their room, they were outta there!! He wouldn't even let the girls watch the last five minutes of Day of Our Lives before they said, "So Long, Iowa City, Nice Knowing You!"

Joleen and Alison counted 41 cars in the ditches or median of I-380 between Iowa City and Cedar Rapids. Visibility was likely very poor Tuesday night, resulting in some of those crashes.

Back in West Union, Bella has likely spread herself all across Alison's lap giving her kisses and letting her know how much she missed her.

Hope you enjoy your first night home, Alison! Even though it's only 4 degrees on the thermometer (and going to get colder) the writer of the blog is headed to Sumner tonight to see, "The Little Fockers." Tomorrow, maybe I will blog about an issue I have with lingerie football. Yeah, can you believe it? It's a real women's football league and they play in their underwear!

And the answer is . . .

Woo hoo! Woo hoo!!  The bronchoscopy showed no levels of rejection!! So Alison is being released from UIHC's care .... but then wouldn't you know it?  The biggest snowstorm of the year -- maybe ever!! decides to move through nine states in the Midwest, including Iowa.

So Joleen & Alison are spending the night in their "home away from home" the Baymont!  Although there's 40 mph gusts of wind here in Fayette County and we have 8 inches of fresh snow on the ground  ... the Iowa City area is getting hit hard with snow right now. (Contrary to an earlier report Scott didn't make it down there.)

Anxious as they are to get back to WU ... they'll wait out the storm. Alison still has her 5 lb. wt. restriction so Mom will pack the car with all that they accumulated over the last few weeks since the transplant surgery, Jan. 6.

Thanks to everyone for their prayers, concern, and thoughtfulness during the past month!

Preparing for a bronchoscopy Tuesday

Alison enjoyed this past weekend having her Dad as company, and then friend Meghan Imoehl spent Sunday into Monday with her before Joleen made the trek back to Iowa City in lots of snow, and Meghan drove back to Cedar Falls in the same nasty snow! Going to be a long week with weather like this!

There were the typical labs and rehab today .... tomorrow Alison's slated for a bronchoscopy in which they'll look at those new lungs of hers. Since she'll be somewhat sedated anyway, that's when they'll also remove the last of the stitches from her chest (rib area) where the chest tubes had been doing their job. Doesn't she look great with pink-colored cheeks? In this photo taken Saturday, she's counting out her pills for the week. Not all are the serious anti-rejection drugs like Tacrolomus – there's iron and calcium in there too!

Promise to provide a report tomorrow after the all important bronchoscopy. Alison's expecting they will tell her an approximate release date too. So stay tuned!

Fire alarms, iTunes & Katy Perry

Alison's day began much earlier than she intended when the fire alarm in their hotel began blaring about 6 a.m. And continued for the next 30 minutes .... no sleeping through that! When the fire truck eventually arrived (did I mention no one left their rooms at that hour?) Alison and her Mom began to worry they'd actually have to evacuate. Joked Alison, "Should we meet them at the door singing, Billy Joel's 'We didn't start the fire ..." Mom failed to see the humor.

So here we sit on a Friday night, feet up and digesting our big meals from Red Lobster (yum!)

After spending an hour trying to figure out why we can't get our laptops to recognize one another so we can share music from our iTunes programs, we've decided there's a block in the hotel internet because we've successful done this before .... Aunt Janell needs some new music to work out by and Alison's suggestions range from Rihanna and Lady Antebellum (like) to Ke$ha (who?) and Nicki Minaj (what?) I'm getting quite an education. But now my head hurts from too many Katy Perry songs that Alison keeps inflicting on me – each time she plays one of KP's more obscure songs she thinks I won't know who it is and might say I like it. I won't. Those cupcakes she wears in the video, "California Girls," kind of ruined it for me.

Goodbye Meropenem! Hello Weekend!

It wasn't soon enough for Alison, but today she got the green light to discontinue a medication that she had to mix together and then administer intravenously, called Meropenem. Dr. Sarah Bradley, the illustration below is for you. I found it in Wikipedia when checking the spelling of this drug!

Anyway ... the drug is an antibiotic that suppresses pseudomonas so it was essential to her regimen of care, but the lung patient is certainly glad it has run its course, because it meant she got to have the needle removed from the port that is in her chest. Probably cause for celebration and an ice cold latte from McDonald's!!

The patient upped her pace on the treadmill to 3.5 today (see new photo in previous post), had her incision examined (looks good) and was told she's still on schedule for a biopsy next Tuesday. She plans to lunch with a friend Friday, and will then have dinner and maybe watch a DVD on demand via laptop with her old Auntie Friday night.

Certainly some inquiring minds out there wonder if Alison had occasion to bump into any of the 13 Iowa football players hospitalized at UIHC for that muscle disorder. Answer: No, but she and her mom did see the Fox News van doing a broadcast outside as they left yesterday.  Like the rest of us, they're waiting to hear "the rest of the story."

News Flash! Alison breaking speed records!

OKAY, a little better photo of Alison working out during pulmonary rehab . . .

Alison emailed this photo taken by mom, of Alison at pulmonary rehab today.

She looks so good that if one didn't know better, an observer would never guess she just had a double lung transplant on Jan. 6!  I imagine this is bringing a tear to the mama's eyes .... mine too!! We're so proud of you Alison! I expect you'll want to be jogging with me soon, eh? I'd better pick up the pace so I can keep up with YOU!

Another good day!

Alison says it was another good day today, as her back pain is now non-existent and she walked 20 min. on the treadmill and did another 20 min. on the Nu-Step. The patient said she is feeling more confident during exercise and expects to be increasing both resistance and time spent exercising as the days go on.

Friends Emily and Tiffany spent time with Alison Monday night. The biggest decision of the night: whether to dine at the Olive Garden or the Texas Roadhouse!

The girls will have to rise and shine early Tuesday as Alison is scheduled for labs at 8 a.m. The blood draw will determine dosage amounts for her immunosuppressants. The patient said she expects to conclude both her 3X daily IV medication and an inhaled med, Wednesday. That means no more 12 midnight alarms to start the IV and then having to set another alarm to unhook the tube from her port!!! YAY!

Keep up the excellent progress, Alison!

Subzero temps outside; but the Garvins have warmed hearts

The lung transplant patient spent a lot of Friday catching up on missed sleep, and allowing her body to heal. She got the needle changed in her port, and continued to set alarms for some of the odd hours she has to take medications.

Like a tailor adjusting sleeve length or trousers, the doctors continue to tweak and adjust Alison's medications to get the full benefit from their intended prescribed use. Every person reacts differently to medications, and CF patients have a particular challenge to absorb all that is good for them. This lung patient's other organs, particularly the kidneys, tend to quickly eliminate the main anti-rejection drug being administered, rather than allowing it to be carried to her organs by her blood.  Alison's actually getting the highest dosage they've ever prescribed, three times a day, but blood draws continue to reveal little presence of the drug.

Adjustments continue to be made to prepare Alison for release from daily hospital care. She's hopeful one or two of the prescribed meds, including that IV administered drug she's hooking up to her port in the photo above, will no longer be needed by about mid-week.

The Garvins' church family recently surprised them with an assortment of gift cards they can use in the Coralville area, personal gifts for Alison, and a generous donation to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.  Bethel Presbyterians, the photo is still on a camera in their hotel room, but they promise to share that image of Alison opening your special package – soon!  The card with all of your names, will go in a scrapbook that hopefully Alison herself, will put together once she returns home.

Alison's got her own little mine field

It was nearly a full day at the hospital today as Alison had labs, pulmonary function test, pulmonary rehab, saw Dr. Klesney-Tait and again had her medications tweaked.

She's still experiencing back pain and so sleep hasn't been plentiful. In fact, sometimes she feels like she hasn't slept at all and right now, it's just what she desires most. She DID finally get that full soak shower now that her chest bandages have been removed, and she washed her hair. She said it was a WONDERFUL feeling to stand under the water. Her remark to Mom later, however, was, "My torso looks like a war zone!" And it does. I saw her "clam shell" incision, which admittedly was beautifully placed as even Alison won't see much of her scar. However, the patient's stomach area is peppered with pokes and bruises from the Heparin shots. And then there are the stitches from where the chest tubes had been. It does look like a minefield!

Tomorrow her visit to the hospital will include pulmonary rehab and more labs.

If anyone is still wishing to send a card, probably best to send it to the Garvin home in West Union, rather than her hotel, as Mom and Dad and friends are traveling back and forth between Iowa City and home quite frequently. The street and house number are 401 Rickel and the zip, 52175.

And a little bit of Bella

No, Bella isn't a kind of wine .... but the Garvin family dog, who made a guest appearance in Iowa City early tonight!!

Big Daddy Garvin was commissioned to bring his girls some necessities tonight (their room refrigerator is so full of medicine, there isn't room for a soda!) so he took Bella along as a surprise. The sight of her dog put tears in Alison's eyes! A Golden Doodle, Bella is just one of those dogs you can't help but love - even when her favorite thing is spreading her entire body across the people she likes.

One would have to think the patient is going to sleep well and have sweet dreams tonight!

Looking good & living large

After a night with no pain medication and no sleep after 3 a.m., Alison had a rough start to the day, but the situation improved once the med became available and started working its way into her system.

She was hardly gone from the hospital 16 hours when she returned so the women in pulmonary rehab could put her through the paces. Alison walked at a leisurely pace on the treadmill for 15 minutes, and then did another 15 min. of leg resistance on the Nu-Step. She stretched her arms over her head which tugged at those incisions a little, but it was all very impressive. Tomorrow, she's likely to step it up a little more. The wheelchair's been kicked to the curb along with the oxygen tanks. Alison's loving her new lungs! Now if those incisions would just hurry up and heal, along with the other areas of her chest that were stretched this way and that! She still can't drive, and she has a restriction to not lift more than five-pounds.

After lunch at Red Lobster today, we enjoyed some of Alison's delicious cake and mints made by Glenda Koehn, of Elgin.  Between bites, Alison said, "Love you Glenda!"

Doesn't the patient look good? And that's with no make-up or styled hair. Later tomorrow, Ali finally gets to take that first full shower in several weeks. 

Alison's also becoming a pro at administering herself her numerous medications, including one IV drug that she hooks up to her port and will take for a week. There's been very little time for boredom thus far in her recovery, but she's hoping after a longer day at the hospital tomorrow, she'll be able to catch up on her Facebooking and texting with friends. Oh, and she says thanks to all those who sent cards in the last couple of days!!!  It's been fun reading through them!

Hotel living, here they come!

It was a long day for Alison and her mom ... waiting, waiting, waiting for decisions. Don't have many of the details because these two are exhausted .... but they are settled into the Baymont, not far from the hospital. So chest tubes are gone, and now phase two begins, filled with days of exercise, documenting a regimen of pharmaceuticals and Alison making her way down the road to recovery.

We all pray the next road to better health will go as well as Alison's initial recovery from the surgery.

Still in limbo

It was a day filled with anxiety as Alison never returned to peaceful slumber after 3 a.m., due to chest pain. While she wanted the tubes removed, the situation posed a double-edged sword scenario: you also want all the drainage from the lungs to be complete before they're removed because it won't be fun for anyone if the procedure has to be repeated later.

Another chest x-ray was done, and due to low hemoglobin, Alison got a blood transfusion this afternoon. However it does appear the tubes from the right lung will be removed and plans can then be made for her to be released to begin her 30-day hotel stay.  More details later as they become available!

Hospital staff just doesn't want to say farewell quite yet

They must really like Alison as a patient there at UIHC because they are keeping her yet another day! Although her doctor is ready to have her released, there are still those chest tubes to contend with. The patient's getting to know the staff in radiology real well, as chest x-rays are the method to determine how well the lungs have drained, and whether or not the drainage tubes have done their work to the greatest extent possible.

Certainly Mom and Daughter would love to think they'd be watching 'The Biggest Loser' from a hotel room tomorrow night, but it just might be Wednesday before that happens.

Hang in there Alison, hopefully it won't be too much longer until you begin phase two of your recovery!

Hotel living another day away

Before Alison thinks too much about room service and having someone make up her bed and room every day, it looks like hotel living might be another day away.

As of Sunday, she still has chest tubes providing drainage from that hard-working right lung. So, she'll just kick back, take the walks that are doctor's orders and enjoy some of the company she's been getting. The other day while on another floor, her Mom ran into the nurse, "Scott" that Alison used to see a lot of in her pediatric stays in the hospital. So Scott later stopped by for a visit with Alison and reminiscing of those hospital stays when she was a teenager.

Alison posted a message on her Facebook page that thanks everyone who's sent prayers, cards, care packages and love her way. "My new life is just beginning and I love having each and every one of you in it," she said. We couldn't have said it better!

Monday will be a memorable day!

Upon examination of the patient this morning, Dr. K-T said, "Alison, you'd better have your hotel room reserved and ready to move into." That's because she expects to release Alison from the hospital on Monday!! Undoubtedly, that is earlier than any of us expected.

The transplant patient doesn't get to go back to her apartment in Cedar Falls, or even to West Union to see her dog, Bella, just yet. She'll remain in the Iowa City area for approximately 30 days, returning to UIHC for labs, pulmonary rehab and clinic visits.

A chest X-ray today was to determine if the drainage tubes from her right lung would be removed late day or possibly Sunday.

Before anyone thinks Alison will begin a month of watching soaps and reality TV shows, she does have a regimen she'll be following. She has to do exercises with a spirometer numerous times daily. There are many medications to follow and record, and of course there's that walking! Alison texted yesterday that she "had a pretty good pace going" in her loops down the hall, around the nurses stations and back again.

One giant leap - ta da!

And the chest tubes to the left lung are gone!!! Late this afternoon, it was a small step for lung transplant patients, but one giant leap for Alison G. who felt some of her pain vanish with the removal of those pesky drainage tubes! She was feeling so good about it all, she picked up her laptop and started catching up on the news on Facebook! She said it's been fun finding out what everyone ELSE in the world has been up to!

Day 8

This is Day 8 since the Big Lung Transplant. The patient is feeling quite a lot more pain today, which she attributes to those pesky chest tubes. She's got her fingers and toes crossed that the chest Xray reveals she can have the tubes from her left lung removed yet today. She gets to remove herself from the monitor, so it's a small victory to lose the 5 patches and every wire that attaches to them which provided a read out of her respirations, pulse, etc.

She's getting education about identifying her various meds and has begun a diary regarding the meds she takes as part of her regimen. Those who know Alison well, know she's quite accustomed to taking pills and inhaled medications for her cystic fibrosis. But now she'll have to keep track of them in a journal that will go to the hospital with her for her check-ups to help her physicians know how to best make modifications when necessary.

Mom & Dad Garvin are preparing for a change of the guard later this afternoon. Poor Bella (the dog with whom Alison is pictured on an earlier post.) She misses Alison – primarily because she's among the short list of people who allow Bella to give kisses right on the face.

Another day closer to jail break

Not a lot of change today, yet progress continues to be made. Dr. K-T continues to modify the medication plan to achieve ultimate results. Alison's doing two laps down and around her floor on each of her walks. When I spoke to her mother, she'd done three walks already today.

There's been some back pain with the epidural now gone, but she's tolerating it. Alison was happy to get the news that the thrice daily heparin shots administered in her stomach, will soon be replaced with another drug – administered just once daily.

The lung transplant patient is hopeful the first of four chest tubes might be removed Friday. (We're all cheering that you get your wish!) The team that will make the diagnosis will be knocking on her door before 7 a.m. so hope she's ready for them!

Oh, and for anyone who doesn't know ... that's Alison in the header of the blog .... she's pictured at Aunt Gail's house. I think the photo was taken this past summer before she got so ill. Lookin' good Alison!

Bye bye catheter & hello smiles

Mama Garvin reports the patient was SOOOOOO happy tonight to finally say goodbye to the catheter!!

Just one week ago tonight the family arrived at UIHC and began the prep for Alison to undergo the surgery which eventually began a little before 4 a.m., Thursday. Hard to believe it was just 7 days ago -- so much has taken place since then.

Helping brighten A's days are the visits she's been getting from friends of the family & Pastor Galen Smith. She is really enjoying all the cards, too. They told her today she had more mail than most patients and that made her smile! Thanks to everyone who's thinking of her during this time!

Taking a risk with pain

Today was a step forward again, as the epidural was removed from Alison's back. The epidural was put in place to alleviate some of the pain she would be expected to feel in conjunction with an incision from one side of her chest to the other, and chest tubes that provide drainage from the chest cavity.  Removal of the catheter should follow, either later today or first thing tomorrow. Hopefully the pain she's been feeling won't be too much worse without the epidural. She's still getting an oral med to cope with pain.

The modifications in her treatment have meant she is better managing sudden drops in blood pressure when she first sits up in the morning, and by 12 noon, she had two of her four walks completed today.

With her Dad arriving late morning, he brought a treat – lunch from Applebee's! It's one of Alison's favorite places to eat out. Dr K-T encourages her to drink at least two liquid protein drinks every day too. Alison saw more of those 'Boost' or 'Ensure' protein drinks prior to surgery than she probably cares to see in awhile.

Just another day

Today was more of a challenge, again. It looks like it might be Friday before the chest tubes come out. Alison had increasing pain in her back, so some adjustments in treatment were made, and she'll be keeping the epidural to treat her pain.

While she's had a pretty good appetite, she needs to consume more protein to increase the effectiveness of some of her medications. Who knew eating could be such work?

Here's a quick fact for the day: Did you know Alison is only the 77th person to receive a lung transplant at University Hospitals & Clinics? A total of 13 lung transplants were done at UIHC in 2010.

Vertical during the day; horizontal at night

Alison has a number of goals to work toward.

There's a chance she might lose one or two of her four chest tubes tomorrow. Depending on the Dr.'s assessment, modifications will be made Tuesday.

The patient is getting a little frustrated with all the tubes hanging from her body or draping across her as she lies in bed or sits in her chair. All that hardware does limit movement.

Alison hasn't had any limitations yet on what she can eat. Today she had popcorn and a donut in addition to a chicken breast and mac and cheese for lunch.

Like other transplant patients, Alison cannot have flowers in her room. Cards are welcome and she's starting to use her phone to check and send text messages.

Today is a struggle

Today has been a tougher day for Alison. She was just able to get her first (of four) walk of the day. She's having a bout of low blood pressure and is quite dizzy. Fingers were tingling. They pushed the IV fluids and she's feeling a little better.  We hope for improvement this afternoon so she can make the benchmarks they have established for her.

The progress continues to amaze us

No update until now because Jeff and I spent the day with Alison in Iowa City! She looks SO GOOD. Lots of color in her face and arms, and for the first time in a long time she has WARM hands! Like a typical young adult, she's longing for a shower, once the chest tubes get removed. We thought her hair looked awfully good considering it hadn't been washed since Wednesday. After all, it isn't like you can say, 'hey, I need to jump in the shower first,' when you get the call that donor lungs have become available and must be transplanted within hours.

Its pretty incredible to think that just 72 hours after she came out of double lung transplant surgery, she has walked the entire length of her unit and back, in RSCU. 

She ordered up her own lunch, including a chef salad with extra ranch, a baked potato with eight pats of butter and cottage cheese. She couldn't quite eat it all, but she did her best, knowing good food and protein will help her wounds heal.

Today the patch came off the straw-sized hole on her neck where she had one of numerous IVs. Mama Garvin showed us Alison's various "messages" or "questions" she had written to them before the vent tube came out. This was mostly in the first few hours after surgery, on Thursday and some on Friday.

"How many tubes are coming out of my body?" she wanted to know. She was also concerned that her mother had forgotten to call the gals at pulmonary rehab at Palmer back in West Union, to say she wouldn't be making her regular appts. Her sense of humor and spunk are evident as she convalesces from this major surgery, too. Throughout her frequent hospitalizations, Alison has often had allergic reactions to various medications. This surgery was no different. It seems the epidural pain medication is the cause of constant itching - everywhere on her body. As a caring mom tends to do, Mama Garvin asked where it itched so she could scratch for Alison ... but the reply was, "in butt." Ok, so as much as mom loves you, she wasn't going to scratch THERE!

In a few more days we hope to hear that the chest tubes, catheter and epidural pain med are things of the past as she continues to progress. Keep up the fantastic progress Alison! Sleep long and well tonight!

The lung transplant patient was hungry for pizza!

After moving out of ICU and into her own private room on the 7th floor, Alison was hungry for pizza: canadian bacon, mushroom and green peppers to be exact. So pizza she was given!

But while the patient can choose to eat many foods she likes, she still has some restrictions. She still has a catheter in relation to requiring epidurals for pain. Dr. K-T however, gave a thumbs up to her progress. She did suggest instead of two laps walking, she do four throughout the day ... so modifications in the boot camp regimen have been made!

Alison continues to have two chest tubes in each side, although the IV was removed from her neck, along with the arterial IV in her right wrist. Monday, education on charting her medications will begin. While no expected date for her departure from the hospital has been given, most transplant patients have a two-week stay.

Well wishes can be sent to her at: (note there needed to be a separation between the Rm. # and the street address!! Sorry!!)

UI Hospitals and Clinics
7RSCU #10
200 Hawkins Drive
Iowa City, IA 52242

Moving out of ICU!

Alison was sitting up in a chair this morning & is feeling pretty good. Her doctor's report is that she is progressing well enough to be moved out of Intensive Care!! The patient is particularly thrilled about that because it means a bigger room - quite likely on the 7th floor!

Will post again a little later with an address once we have info about her floor for sure ...

Good night & sleep tight!

Alison is just about ready to call it a night – the boot camp began as scheduled this afternoon as the UIHC staff got their lung transplant patient sitting up in a chair for more than an hour, and she enjoyed some Jell-O! They also had her walking twice.

When Mom Garvin remarked that she only seemed to be using 1 liter of oxygen, (it used to be about 6 minimum, and even 10 at times when she was hospitalized last November) they said, "we could probably take her off of it entirely." And so they did!

There was a huge smile on Alison's face when that cannula was removed and she can now rely solely on her new lungs to breathe!

Patient shown an image of her old lungs

Sorry so slow to post this morning folks! Have had several updates from Joleen about Alison's condition.

The patient didn't get her vent tube out until late morning, which did cause increased irritation in the patient as her parents - hard as they tried – couldn't read her writing on the clipboard. Hard for us to imagine. Your arms are in restraints to the side of your bed ... you're in a prone position so you can't very well see what you're writing ... Dad's holding the clipboard so Alison can try to write, but the clipboard must be moved to accommodate the length of her question and the letters start going on top of one another . . . the Garvins probably wouldn't win any prizes for charades either as they tried guessing what she wanted from her hand gestures. One message they did understand, "I love you," when the patient tried to put her hands together in the shape of a heart. It goes without saying the patient is THRILLED to have her voice to communicate again! The things we take for granted!

The docs showed Alison a picture of her old lungs. "It's no surprise she couldn't breathe," says her mom after viewing the image. Alison had been on oxygen 24/7 for a couple of months prior to the surgery and participating in pulmonary rehab at the local hospital up until being admitted to UIHC, Wednesday.

The patient also got the advisory, "Boot Camp starts soon!" Quite possibly, they'll remove enough IVs (she has many) so she can sit up this afternoon. Before that however, she was ready for a nap after all the exertion of getting the vent tube out and being given an epidural for pain.

The patient is asking questions on a clipboard

The transplant patient has come out of enough sedation to ask, "When do I get this (vent) tube out?"  The reply: possibly later tonight or maybe tomorrow. Questions are being asked via the lefthander writing on a clipboard. She has quite a lot of pain as her incision is horizontal across her chest, from side to side. The next two days continue to be critical for her.

The parental Garvins report Alison to have shown marked improvement just in the last couple of hours as she's also inquiring about when she can move to the 7th floor – what became her "home away from home" the last few yrs. during her frequent hospitalizations for cystic fibrosis at UIHC.

Your prayers are being heard and we kindly ask that you continue to think of our spunky Alison as she fights to meet the benchmarks being set for her.

Critical period has begun

Alison's parents finally got to see her for a few minutes. Although she is still very sedated & groggy, it was difficult for them to see their little girl in intensive care and still so critical. She has received a lot of donor blood. The surgeon reports the right lung was working at 68% capacity and the left lung, at 32%, which they were satisfied with, at this point.

The next 48 hours will be a critical time for Alison. Our entire family appreciates your emotional support and prayers.

Alison gets donor lungs!

Does my niece, Alison, ever know how to kick off the new year with a bang!! Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011 will be a day our family and friends will remember for years into the future because it will mark the day Alison got the call that donor lungs became available for transplant into her 23-year-old body.

Just before 4 a.m., Thursday, Jan. 6, Alison was wheeled into surgery to begin the process of receiving the donor lungs she hopes will provide her with a breath of life like she hasn't experienced in a number of years.

Shortly after 12 noon, Alison was brought out of surgery and into recovery. There was one complication during the procedure in that the blood vessels connected to her damaged left lung, had narrowed to the size of a pencil. When put in place, her new left lung struggled to pump blood through the too-small tissues. She was placed on a bypass machine until the surgeons were satisfied they could proceed with attaching her new donor lungs to her cardiovascular and pulmonary systems. We hope you'll join us in praying the donor lungs won't be rejected and the procedure will be successful.

We also pray for the donor family. We trust they will be comforted with the knowledge they have provided hope for several people in need of functioning organs like the lungs being transplanted into Alison, today.

The photo above was taken for the Garvin Christmas card, with Alison removing the cannula that provided her oxygen, just long enough for her Mom to snap three or four shots. The dog, Bella, is a new addition to the family, this summer.

Proud owner of a Kindle!

Lucky me, I was given a Kindle for Christmas, but sadly, I haven't yet been able to read an entire book on the reading device!!

The problem begins with having started the Steig Larsson trilogy at the urging of my oldest stepdaughter. While she was correct that I would enjoy the books, because I finished reading book one about a week before Christmas, I started reading the VERY LENGTHY "Cutting for Stone."

My Doctor Stepdaughter had just read books two and three and offered to bring the remaining trilogy back to Iowa while home for Christmas from North Carolina. That's why I began reading, "Cutting for Stone," in the interim. What I didn't realize is that the 657-page paper back would be such a SLOW read. (Which isn't to say it's boring – I'm just getting caught up in all the medical terms.) I might have put the book aside except that Dr. Stepdaughter said the author, Abraham Verghese, spoke to her and her peers at Duke .... Today, I have read through page 370 ...

So in the interim, I'm keeping a list of books I'm ready to order on my new Kindle. I'd love to hear any comments from readers of the blog, regarding your ideas for great reads, or let me know via the comment section if you've read any of the books on my wish list. They include: "Skippy Dies," because the setting is Dublin; and "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," by Rebecca Skloot, because it sounds like a fascinating report about the impact of one woman's cancer when some of her cells were preserved after her death, without her family's knowledge. A third on the list is, "A Scattered Life," because it's about family dynamics which is a theme I enjoy. I also received the hard cover versions of "The Red Thread," and Nicholas Sparks' latest work, and don't forget I also have "The Girl Who Played with Fire," and "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest," to read ....

Still, I have found the time to discover that a Kindle is more than a reading device. I can do 'Jumbles,' crossword puzzles and play Scrabble and Solitaire ... and I can have manuscripts or other documents emailed to my Kindle. And while most people probably don't get excited about the screensavers - I think they are the coolest thing!! Each time I put my Kindle to sleep, a beautiful black and white illustration of a famous author appears on the screen until I awaken the device for use.

Refracted light?

I am not sure of the scientific term that results in this imagery, but during the recent cold spell we experienced, and then a brief thaw, icicles nearly 3-feet in length formed from the string of LED lights that decorated our roof-line during the holidays.

It appeared as if every icicle took on the color of the light above it. It reminded me of the "sun dogs" that appear to either side of the sun when there is snow on the ground and the temperatures drop to around zero.