18 MONTH ASSESSMENT!!!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce you to my 18-month assessment.

But first, let me tell you about the wonderful people who have opened their homes to us while we are down there. Derek and I were blessed to spend our 4 days in Mississauga, about 30 minutes outside of Toronto.

We had a wonderful Saturday and Sunday of free time, Travis and Lauren had a little gathering and it was spectacular. Their hospitality will not go unrecognized. Not by us anyhow.

MONDAY: Assessment Day #1

6:00 am - wake up
6:30 - 7:10 am - travel from Mississauga to Toronto General Hospital
7:15 - 7:45 am - get blood work done
8:00 - 8:30 am - Pulmonary Function test & Arterial Blood Gas - have a nice bruise too.

Results of PFT :
FEV 1 @ 2.5 or 94%
FVC @ 3.1 or 87%
8:45 - 9:45 am - Chest CT & X-Ray
9:50 - 11:15 am - sat around trying to waste time, wish i could have slept, but didn't.
11:30 - 11:45 am - 6-minute walk test.
12:00 - 1:30 pm - lunch at the Chinese place. Not bad, not great.
1:30 pm - supposed to go in for a doctor's appointment.
3:30 pm - actual admitting to doctor's office
4:30 pm - The doctor actually came in.

Results of Doctors meeting:

Stop taking potassium tablets, and increase Cyclosporine to 175 am & pm. They may reduce my Prednisone level to 5mg instead of 7.5. WOOHOO, this is great news. But won't hear until after my Bronch which is on Tuesday.

5:00 - 6:30 p, - Toronto General Hospital to Mississauga - TRAFFIC SUCKS!

TUESDAY: Assessment Day #2

8:30 am - meds taken
9:00 - 10:30 am - back to bed
10:45 - 11:30 - clean Travis and Lauren's apartment, it's the least we could do.
12:00 am - Register for Brochoscopy appointment.
12:30 - 1:00 pm - Had IV put in, and took the necessary inhalers for pre Bronc
1:30 - 3:30 pm - Bronc was done, and believe it or not I love them.

When I get a chance, I'll post my last Bronc on here if I can get it to work. I don't smoke, don't do drugs and don't drink, but I love being put under for a bronc... I know I am weird. But hey, if you have to do it, you might as well like it right.

My Doctor, Dr. Singer listens to music while she does her broncs. It's awesome, when I came in, smile and all, she had changed her iPod music to Elvis Costello's song called "Alison". It was awesome. She loves me, and I love her. If it weren't for her following up with me for the last 5 years, I wouldn't be here today.

The doctors in Toronto are amazing. LOVE LOVE LOVE them.

Well, until I get results back from that, you are going to have to keep tight, cause I am just as anxious as you are to hear if I have any rejection or anything like that. also, find out if I can change my Prednisone levels. Woohoo again, that will be amazing.

Well, time to head off to bed.

Love you all
Ali