He's Amazing

( I have a site on caringbridge...shawnstickney...if you would like to see the exciting play by play of his transplant)

Well Shawn looks fantastic! Today they got him up he walked a 1/2 mile total today, they removed his nasogastric tube so YAY! His incision is gigantic, I expected it but still it seems weird. He's also on Dilaudid for pain so he's still a bit loopy, but only a bit. This afternoon I gave him a bedbath, he won't let the nurses do any of that he saves it all for me. I enjoy every second of it, he's so pink and healthy like a new baby.

So me....hmmmm. I'm doing great! I feel like the weight of the world has been lifted off of my shoulders. I guess I wasn't fully aware of how this was affecting me physically. I feel like ten years has come off of my face, my shoulders feel relaxed, my back doesn't hurt, the dull ache I've had in my head for so long is gone. I feel quiet.
All of this time waiting, waiting for the other shoe to fall. It's over.

Waiting... wondering if we were waiting too long before transplant and would the next infection be the one he won't recover from. As a CF patient you know that either an infection is going to take you out or you are going to cheat by having the transplant. The timing is the tough part I think, making the decision to have a lung transplant which I guess seems like it would be an easy is the most difficult. At least it was for Shawn.

You have this little window where your too sick to go on but you are well enough to withstand the trauma of a lung transplant. It seems like Shawn's timing was perfect. God's timing.

The surgeon told me that in his 15 years of performing lung transplants Shawn's were on the very top of the worst lungs he's ever seen and the most difficult to remove. Trapped in his body by adhesions. Now they're gone and the most beautiful set of fresh pink ones are in there now.

This has been the most amazing experience and the smoothest I could ever hope for.
Every little detail perfectly orchestrated.

Amen