Up The Farway Tree

An Interlude

Although Andrew has blogged from the start of this journey, I have lots of thoughts swirling around my head from the moment I got the call, my time in ITU and early on in HDU before I had access to my blog again. I've decided to write down some of these memories - apologies if this seems like I am going backwards, but I feel it would help me to share some of these thoughts - better written down than in floating in my head. Tonight I will tell you about the moment I got the call...

I woke from a deep sleep to the sound of the phone ringing. I glanced at the clock - 3.45am - I knew immediately who was calling. I stumbled out of bed, desperately trying to disconnect my feeding tube and untangle the oxygen, all the time saying "Andrew, Andrew..the phone is ringing". Silence. I finally got myself free and ran to the study, but as I picked up the phone it rang off. I tried to redial the number but at the same time my mobile started ringing in my bedroom - Dolly Partons 'Working 9-5" cheerfully indicated an incoming call and this time I got to the phone in time. It was one of the coordinators from Newcastle and she wanted to check how I was since I started the IV antibiotics. I was able to reassure her that I was much better, and in fact, my chest was probably about as good as it gets these days. Happy with this response she said that some lungs were potentially available and she would call and find out if the air ambulance was available. By this time Andrew had woken up and was sitting there somewhat confused and not quite grasping the fact I had just received 'the call'. I was very calm this time, although understandably nervous after my previous experience. I quickly got dressed and packed last minute items (I had list made up). As I moved around downstairs Seb wandered through with his eyes half shut, decided I wasn't doing anything particularly interesting and went back to his bed. The phone rang again and this time it was ambulance control to say they would be there shortly to take me to the airport. I calmly phoned mum to let her know and then in a moment of clarity remembered to cancel my online Tesco order which was due to arrive the following day.

The journey down in the plane was amazing, as the sun began to rise over Newcastle. Andrew captured a few photos with his mobile and it seemed somehow poignant - the sense of a new beginning.

On arrival at Freemans, sometime before 6am, it was the same routine as before - xray, bloods, examination - and then the dreaded wait. This time they were going to make sure the lungs were in a box and on their way before i was even anaesthetised...there couldn't be a repeat of last time.

We had only been waiting a couple of hours before mum and dad arrived - mum prepared this time with snacks and drinks for everyone, apart from me who was fasting in preparation. The coordinator was reluctant to get our hopes up but the initial tests looked good. I sent a couple of text messages, but I didn't phone anyone - I was fearful that this would be yet another false alarm and we would soon be on our way home again. I did however prepare a text message in case I was taken to theatre and was adding peoples names to the list, so that Andrew could send it once I had gone. He repeatedly told me this was a dangerous thing to do, as I might accidentally send it. Which I did. I then had to explain to a few confused friends that I hadn't actually gone to theatre yet but was in fact still waiting. Oh how we laughed, even though it wasn't really funny. Strange how humour becomes so black at these times.

At around 10am they took me to the anaesthestic room to get prepared, but were holding off on actually putting me to sleep until the lungs were on their way. It seemed so much more intense this time because I had much longer to wait on my own but at least I knew what to expect. I clearly remember the lines being placed and monitors attached, and the anaesthetists merrily chatting about how her brother in law lived near me. Funny the things you remember. My port was accessed due to being on IVs, so they were able to use this line to give the drugs. I slipped into sleep. The surgery took around 7 hours but I was kept asleep for around 24 hours, before I woke in ITU to the sounds of monitors beeping and alarms sounding, and to mum and Andrew standing there beside me telling me I HAD received the transplant.