A Hike - I Did It!!!

I had to post about this - yesterday, I was feeling a bit better, so I wanted to get out and enjoy the day - especially after being cooped up last week when I was feeling so awful. I decided it would be fun to try a hike since there are so many beautiful trails here in Utah. I looked up easy hikes, because let's be honest - I needed something that was more like a walk, not a hike, to start with! I read that Cecret Lake up Little Cottonwood Canyon was an easy, popular hike, only 1 mile to the lake and 1 mile back, and that it was family-friendly and kids could do it. I thought that would be a good one to try.

Ok, so maybe it is easy for the average person, but for a girl who is only about 2 months out of a heart transplant, it was a workout! And hard! And steep! And rocky at parts - which wasn't easy with how shaky I still am. I kind of need solid ground, or I'm a wobbly mess! Nevertheless, it was an adventure throughout. From finding the actual trail, to seeing two moose, to trying to beat the storm and getting rained on, to dealing with low blood sugar while we weren't very well prepared; and to actually accomplishing making it to the top. A mile up a canyon, where you are gaining hundreds of feet of elevation is A LOT different than a mile on the treadmill at cardiac rehab. Duh - I should have known that! I had to stop several times throughout, but Curtis was the best motivator and made me believe I could do it. He has been my biggest cheerleader throughout this entire process, and I am so grateful to have him.

All in all, it was a lot of fun and it was the best feeling reaching the top and knowing I accomplished it. Like I said, easy; and most likely looked over as nothing to the average person, but for me - who was getting to the point of not being able to even walk to my mailbox and back without severe chest pain, it was a huge accomplishment and I am so grateful to be doing so well this soon after transplant. Like I've said many times, this is not the typical recovery. Now, I just hope I didn't over do it and start to feel lousy again, because it was a lot harder than I thought it would be. But so far, I am still feeling pretty good! I can't wait to try more walks and hikes and build up my strength and stamina. This gift is giving me my life back, for the second time! Nothing short of a true miracle.

The beautiful wildflowers on the way up!

We saw two moose - a bull and a cow!

 

 

We made it!!!

The Good and The Bad

I had another biopsy yesterday, and there was GREAT news! I am back down to no rejection! The doctors said that the biopsy could not have looked cleaner, which is so great to hear. I am so happy, and this means I can continue working on getting stronger every day. Or, typically, it would mean that. However, I haven't been feeling very good for about a week. I have been tired, feel weak, feel like I've lost most of the energy that I always talked about, and have been experiencing severe pain in my chest. Not chest pain like I was having before my transplant that came from the heart, but more muscle and bone pain from my incision. My actual sternum hurts so bad and I can't seem to find any comfortable position that helps. My blood sugars have been out of whack this past week as well - higher than usual, and then all over the place once I take insulin. Overall, it's just been a strange week.

Of course, like I said, I am so happy that I am not in rejection, but I was almost expecting it going in to my biopsy yesterday. Rejection would have been an explanation as to why I am feeling the way I am, and it would have given me a reason. Now that I know I'm not in rejection, I don't have any answers or reasons as to why I am feeling this way. My medication levels all looked good - even the Prograf! It was incredibly high for over two weeks, they brought the dose down, then it was too low for over a week, and now, when I'm feeling the worst, they say it is perfect! It makes no sense to me.

They did an x-ray yesterday to make sure nothing had come loose in my chest and that nothing was wrong with the sternum, and they said everything looks good there as well. All I know is that it doesn't feel right, and I woke up this morning with it hurting even worse than the past couple of days. To me, it feels worse than right after the surgery, when it was freshly broken, and even taking narcotics doesn't seem to even take the edge off. I am ready to be feeling better and want to get back to rehab! I haven't made it to rehab at all this week because of the pain. It is so frustrating to not know what is going on; and I think it makes it even worse that I was doing SO well, with such little amounts of pain or setbacks, and feeling so good. To go from that to what I'm experiencing now has been rough. I have called the surgeon this morning to see what he suggests or if he wants to run any more tests, and until then - I could use all the prayers and well wishes I can get!

Fun With Visitors

It has been another busy week, full of appointments, rehab, and more visitors! Last Friday, my cousin Christianna came to visit from Boise. We have always been close, the closest of all the cousins on my mom's side - so I was super excited that she was able to finally come! She is my Aunt Connie's daughter, who I've written about in the past. She is just like her mom in the sense that she kept me going, and we didn't rest! We are all the same that way...and when we get together, there's no time for stopping! 😉 We had lots of fun shopping, doing crafts, and spending time together and with my sister and her little family. I don't know how we managed to go all weekend without getting more pictures, but here's a couple...

Our patriotic fruit pizza we made one night - not the best picture, but again that's all I have! 

She left, and my grandparents came the next day to visit. They haven't ever been down to our house before, so that was great that they were able to make it, especially when my grandpa has back and shoulder issues, so a road trip isn't easy. It was so good to see them, and they took us out to dinner two nights in a row! We were spoiled and I splurged lots on my heart healthy diet. 😉 Lol. 

Out to Texas Roadhouse with Adrianna, Anni, and Benn, their only great grandchildren so far! 

Anni and Benn with their favorite - Uncle Curt!

I am, as always, so grateful for the wonderful family I have and for everyone that has taken the time to come from out of town to visit and help take care of me since my transplant. I am one blessed girl and Curt and I could not be more thankful for all of love we've been shown!