Small Steps = Big Leaps!

Physical Therapy and Respiratory Therapy have been working me hard to get my strength back up after such a big surgery. I have a certain amount of walks and exercises I have to do each day, as well as lung exercises to make sure I am fully expanding and using all the air I have in there. The sooner they get you up and moving, as much as it hurts, the better and quicker the full recovery is. I will have several months of cardiac rehab appointments to get that ticker up to full strength, even after getting out of the hospital!

I got the transplant during the wee hours of Wednesday, April 29, 2015. For the first few days, they wanted my body to function as normally as possible, without just being sedated to the point where I couldn't feel anything. I struggled a lot with pain and nausea, and had a breathing tube down my throat and in my nose. Waking up and not being able to communicate what you need, with your hands restrained so that you don't pull out any tubes that you shouldn't, is quite the experience. Here I am, still on the ventilator with several of the lines and tubes that I had right after surgery. 

                                                                 

By the next day, they had me trying to sit up in a chair and trying to walk to the door of my hospital room. As you can tell by my face, it was not fun - but I did it! Once I was sitting back down, it felt like I had just ran a marathon, when instead all it was standing up, walking about 5 feet, and sitting back down.

Each day, I walk a litte bit more. The next day I walked out of my room, turned around, and came back. The next, to the nurse's station with only the support of my walker. 

Since then, I've been making it around the floor without any walker or being held up. The doctors say they are very happy with my progress and that I am right where I should be for the time being. Here are just a few more pictures of getting up and getting around with some of the people I love the most!

Thank you all for the visits and for keeping me going! You all are the best!