H1N1 Virus is GONE

Even though I had not been extremely ill with the swine flu, It was enough to knock my socks off. Each day I did what the transplant nurse coordinator said; REST, DRINK FLUIDS, REST, DRINK FLUIDS and GO IN FOR NASAL WASHES AND so on..... Well, she called yesterday and said my test from Wednesday was clear. Thank you God and all of the people who have been praying and sending "positive vibes". I still have to be cautious when around large groups of people, but I don't feel like a prisoner(a feeling I brought on myself)in my home any longer. It is kind of strange that I felt that way to begin with, since usually I am happy just to stay at home. I guess when I am told to limit going out and having contact with people, I made it an issue. Although I am still rather tired, I am able to start voluntering at the food bank again. Since I have not been there all month, I am really looking forward to getting back.
Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers!

Swine flu

Just a quick post to remind everyone to wash..wash... wash your hands. Marty's test results came back today... SWINE FLU. He is doing well and even seemed to be feel much better this morning. No Temp, less coughing, and just a little sore throat. But I think just hearing the words SWINE FLU has had an effect on both of us. Blood work on Wednesday and another nasal wash on Friday. St. Joseph's transplant team are very proactive thankfully. His transplant coordinator, Tracy, gave us 7 days worth of Tamiflu pills. What a savings that was. Thank you Tracy.

ONE MORE THING

In my hurriedness I forgot to mention a special event we were able to attend when we were in Ohio. A little background first. We became aquainted with a future lung transplant person through the National Transplant Assistance Fund (www.transplantfund.org ) He happens to be from Wooster Ohio. The NTAF is a fundraising tool to assist with people who have had transplants or have had catastrophic illnesses. Anyway, this mans family and friends were having a fundraising breakfast and silent auction in the Wooster area. Since Monica is familiar with the area, we went there to introduce ourselves. We had only briefly talked over the internet. It was so cool to meet them and to show some support to them. They truly seemed happy that we showed up. It also turns out that Monica knew the man's brother and sister in law from attending church with them a few years back. This man is still waiting for his transplant and has been on the waiting list for 2+ years. If you happen to go the NTAF web site, just type in the last name of Patterson. The directions are easy to follow after that. So for all of our Ohio family and friends in the Wooster area, please drop him a line and show him and his family support. Thanks!

Jonathan waiting at the airport

Picutres from KY 2009

IT'S BEEN AWHILE

Well, it has been awhile since I have posted anything. It has been a very busy eventful (some happy and some sad events) two months. My first transplant anniversary went by with out any significant problems. Thank you God for that. All of the test results were good. Over Labor Day weekend I had a 35 year class reunion back in Ohio to think about going to and also an annual family picnic on Monica's side of the family. We dediced to go, since we had enough frequent flyer miles to help with the tickets. (not all were ours though;another blessing from an un-named source) We attended the reunion, a two night event. It was nice to see people I went to school with. Not too many people showed up for the reunion though. But it was nice to get together. The family picnic went well. Even though we both are from the same small town, I hadn't met alot of Monica's family, so it was nice to meet some of the people who have given me/us support through out this illness and transplant. One of the family members had even had a battle with cancer, which now she is doing great. The best part of our trip was that our grandson met us at the airport (Erin and Jonathan came up from KY for a few days. It was so good to see him. He has grown up so much since they moved. We did our usual Amish/Kidron trip but this time Jonathan went with us. He was just amazed at "ALL of the Cowboys". Monica wanted to get some knives from Lehmans hardware (see a previous post about how large Lehmans has become) and we couldn't find them. I went up to an older gentleman who was putting up a display of iron skillets and asked where the knives may be located. He pointed me in the right direction, and then Monica pointed out to me that I had asked THE MR.LEHMAN for the knives. I felt so honored :) We returned home on Sept. 11th. What a day to fly. In a way, it was a way to honor those who gave their lives in 2001. After we returned home, we received word that a fellow lung transplant friend had passed away. He was like my mentor through this whole process. His death was difficult to accept, bringing the reality of transplanted life and death to heart. His memorial service was actually a very uplifting place for me to be. He had lived such a wonderful life. Rest in Peace my friend. The next thing of significance that happened is Monica lost her job. That is ok, God has taken care of us all of this time, He will continue. So with all of her free time, we moved up our planned trip in April to see Jonathan in Ky, to the first week in October. We took a road trip. It was just what we both needed. We had a blast. All Jonathan knew is that he had a surprise coming. He spent every night at the hotel with us, just like old times. It also happened to be the Annual Daniel Boone Festival in Barbourville. We had fun taking Jonathan around the festival and even going on some rides with him. We also went to Cumberland Falls. What a beautiful park. Now we are back home again, getting into the old grind again along with figuring out what the new grind will be. As you know, people who have had transplants have compromised immune systems and have to be extra cautious with viruses and bugs. Even though I had a flu shot (and am awaiting the H1N1 shot) I have what is hopefully just a cold. Have gone through some testing and am waiting for the results.PFT;s and Chest X-rays are good, waiting for the nasal wash results The Drs. have put me on Tamiflu as a precaution, so I am just hanging around the house feeling like I am not doing enough again. But like I have said before, God is always taking care of us. So as you can see, I have had many emotions and feelings these past two months. Some good, some not so good, but they all work together for good.