Travels with Tam

Rejection Episode

February 16, 2014 By Tam Warner 10 Comments

February 16, 9a.m.: yesterday Randy received a call from Dr. Fernando Torres’ office (he is the Head of the Transplant Department at UT Southwestern) and was advised that the tissue biopsy from the bronchoscopy performed on Friday showed possible rejection. The visual portion of the bronch looked great, but the biopsy tells another story. Rejection of the transplanted organ is not exactly music to our ears, however, most lung transplant patients experience at least one episode of rejection, especially during the first 6-12 months. It does not mean that the lungs won’t work, or will be rejected, when caught early, most episodes are dealt with expeditiously.

Randy is at UT Southwestern University Hospital where he will be treated with Solu-Medrol, a very strong prednisone. I read the orders last night and they said he would have 3 treatments a day for 3 days; of course the nurses don’t know what the protocol is supposed to be. So far this morning, Randy has not yet seen Dr Torres.

We have to expect bumps in the road. As I said, the majority of transplantees have episodes of rejection. We have to be as positive in our outlook as possible, and he will be home in 3 days, back on schedule with his Pulmonary Therapy. Life is, at best, unpredictable, and we have to go with the flow.

Facebook groups of lung transplantees have been wonderful…they are such great support. They’ve all been here, so it is good to have people who have had these experiences to discuss things with. I’ve talked to several people this morning who have had one or two episodes with rejection and they are all doing fine. As I said, it is not at all uncommon.

It is now 1015a.m. and still no doctor. I’m going to head to the hospital. THINK POSITIVELY, OPTIMISTICALLY! I know it will be okay.

So Much to be Thankful for!

February 15, 2014 By Tam Warner 7 Comments

It is Valentine’s Day, and Randy and I spent it at UT Southwestern, as the lung transplant team decided yesterday they wanted to do a bronchoscopy (a look at the lungs, outpatient surgery). For those who don’t know, my spouse, Randy, had a double lung transplant in September. He was there for months. Ah, the comfortable seats of hospital waiting rooms! I had forgotten the very special pain they give. As I sat, waiting to hear from the doctor, I read a story in the Dallas Morning News that talked about a young family, a couple with four young children, ages 1-7. The young man, 36 years old, has been diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimers. The story tore at my heart…what a terrible, terrible thing to happen to such a young man, and to his wife and young children. She is taking care of four children, and her husband, who cannot dress, hold a child, or do much of anything, really. It reminded me to count my blessings.

Raised by wonderful parents and a peerless brother. — Raised by wonderful parents and a lifetime with my peerless brother.

There are too many to count. Certainly among them is Randy’s life, two wonderful children (young adults), a family who loves me, extended family who mean the world to me, good friends who care, and a life that has been full of love. There have been challenges, but I have always known I was loved. My life is, and has been, full of blessings, and I am thankful for every single one of them.

And here is one more: Randy’s bronchoscopy came back perfect, no problems! A celebration of 5 months post transplant. Each milestone is a reason to be happy. Speaking of which, I hope your Valentine’s Day was wonderful!

After 50 a new life begins, so Turn It On!

February 12, 2014 By Tam Warner 10 Comments

I am part of some wonderful online groups for women over 50, and I can tell you they are all terrific. After 50, we all agree, there is time to be creative, to build a new business, to start a new life! We are finished raising our children, and freedom opens the landscape. These women are busy writing, cooking, creating, starting businesses….it is so inspiring!

Let me take a case in point. A friend of mine from junior high school/high school has recently started a clothing line that combines fitness, fashion and function! She loves fashion, and loves working out, and these two passions came together to form Turn It On Designer Crossover Fitness Wear. It is a great concept! You can go to work, lunch, anywhere you want to, and then transition to your workout, whatever it is, without skipping a beat. Their idea:

Turn It On™ introduces the first truly fashionable line of designer fitness wear. Turn It On styles reflect the fashion runway yet allow you to crossover from fitness wear to ‘every wear’ effortlessly. Turn It On styles are versatile bringing fashion from the studio to the street. Whether it is lunch with the girls, a dinner date, or an after 5 office party, Turn It On fitness fashion makes looking and feeling fabulous as simple as adding accessories, heels, and jewelry to our styles…simply, elegantly, and fashionably. It’s about time luxury has entered the fitness wear market.

I really like the clothes! I’ve already been purchasing, and plan to continue to do so. The fabric is amazing. Now, I am no fashionista, but I do work out, and most fitness clothing I find to be lacking. Too tight, too loose, doesn’t breathe….you know the drill. These clothes have a totally different feel. They use a 4 way stretch fabric, you can read about it here. I don’t know anything about fabrics, but this feels great! These clothes are definitely for the fashionable, on-the-go, fitness loving woman. Who knows, I might even turn into a fashionista. Maybe they’ll make a wetsuit line for my dive trips!

I want to congratulate my old friend, Juetta West, and wish her the very best for her new venture! We are still going strong, Juetta!

I think my dog is psychotic.

February 10, 2014 By Tam Warner 8 Comments

No, seriously! She is a complete whack. She is cute as a button, just precious. But psycho.

We adopted Lucy from a rescue organization for Golden Retrievers. She joined Luke, our other rescue golden. He’s hyper, but friendly and sweet, so she didn’t get psycho from him. Actually, I knew she had a problem when friends dropped by to see her shortly after we picked her up and she was scared to death of them. Lucy actually peed on me she was so nervous. RED FLAG.

But she was so cute. We took her to a trainer, and worked with her. How nervous is this dog? She left wet paw prints on the sidewalk. Now that is anxious. So we worked with her, and got her to the point where she didn’t run away from everyone, and we were allowed to keep her. It was close…they were questioning the wisdom of letting a dog with her temperament be adopted. I later found out that the entire litter (only 4 of them) were on the nervous side. The pups were dumped and separated too early, I think. So we have our Lucy.

Lucy believes that everything in the house belongs to her. All of the dog toys belong to her. She will growl and even attack Luke for coming near her when she has a toy. She will strut around him, showing off a bone or bully ring, then growl if he shows interest. I buy them each a toy, but Lucy always wants the one Luke gets. So Luke takes the other one, then she wants it back. I have seen her gather toys into a pile and sit and guard them from Luke and from our “granddogs”, snarling a warning. If I pet Luke or one of the granddogs she tries to get between us. She wants ALL of the attention. She also loves to bring you things: your underwear, your socks, your shoes. At least she doesn’t chew the stuff up anymore. I lost a lot of Toms and Crocs and undies the first year we had her. Now she picks it up and trots around with it, acting coy when you take it from her. Crazy girl.

She barks like a maniac. A high pitched, fearful bark. It is offensive to her to be outdoors without her human(s) for any length of time. All of the dogs like to be in the house best, but Lucy is ridiculous about it. She barks at the yard guys (who are here every week.) She barks at the pool guy (who comes twice a week for longer than we’ve had her, but she still barks at him). Take a walk. A mailbox? A trash can? Scary. We took her on a trip…the boat scared her! The doorbell rings? Batten down the hatches because she goes nuts barking. Someone is walking their dog on OUR street? How dare they? Bark bark bark. I always introduce people to Lucy and Luke at the front door with treats. The guest gives each dog a treat, then they are fine. They run off with the treat, then come back to check the person out. Lucy is mostly afraid of everyone, of course. Yes, I tried doggy day care. 3 times. She was kicked out each time. She has to be leashed in a dog park because she is so fearful of the other dogs. I also had to remove her from obedience training. Fear, fear, fear. Bark bark bark. Grr, grr, grr.

Lucy loves her thunder jacket, you know, the swaddle jackets they put on dogs so they aren’t afraid of storms or being in the car? She loves wearing it, and she is better when it is on, but she can’t have it on all the time or she gets used to it and it makes no difference. We have tried anti-depressants (yes, seriously, the vet suggested it)…they do nothing. Try to calm her with a natural sedative like peppermint or lavender? Nope. Does not work. I need to get a trainer out to observe her growling at the other dogs. She is so jealous when Luke plays with the other dog, but I don’t think the snarling and growling routine is working. She is socially awkward! Cesar Milan, Dog whisperer, where are you???

Get Out of the Cold!

February 7, 2014 By Tam Warner Leave a Comment

Baby, it is COLD outside! Check out the great travel deals on this post and fly away! Here are some great hotel deals as well…20% off seems like a good deal to me. I’m headed out of the cold in 3 weeks, and it can’t come soon enough!

Updates on Randy and Year of the Horse

February 6, 2014 By Tam Warner 2 Comments

Someone told me the other day that this is the year of the Wooden Horse (Chinese Astrology). I was also advised that the previous two years were “water” years, 2012 was the Water Dragon, followed by 2013’s year of the Water Snake. Apparently, the past two years have been low on energy and kind of sad. I can certainly relate to that. But the year of the Wooden Horse is supposed to bring better times. According to Susan Levitt, “The Wood Horse year is a time of fast victories, unexpected adventure, and surprising romance. It is an excellent year for travel, and the more far away and off the beaten path the better. Energy is high and production is rewarded. Decisive action, not procrastination, brings victory. But you have to act fast in a Horse year. If you are not 100% secure about a decision, then don’t do it. Events move so quickly in a Horse year that you don’t want to gallop off in the wrong direction.” Ok. I’m ready. I have an adventure coming up the end of February…off to Thailand and Myanmar for diving. I am so looking forward to it. CLICK TO TWEET.

Randy is recovering from his double lung transplant very well, but his father is experiencing health issues, and that is holding back some of his recovery, I believe. We are in the process of trying to get some home health care involved, meals delivered, and someone to help Ran’s dad a few times a week with tasks he wants done. Hopefully that will free Randy up a bit to get back to PT full time and other recovery tasks. I hope so. With lung transplant, there is ONE window, 6 months to a year, to get your lungs to their absolute best. After the one year mark, they begin to age. It is critical that Randy work as hard as he can to get as much lung volume as possible.

Midlife and the empty nest offer great opportunities, but there is also the other side of midlife: our illnesses, parent illnesses and the loss of your parents. And your friends. So far in 2014 a friend has lost her husband suddenly, an old friend has passed away, and my biological father passed as well. My aunt fell down a flight of stairs and broke her leg and her collarbone. As in all times in our lives, midlife definitely has its set of challenges. However, the year of the horse didn’t start until Feb 1, and all of that happened in January. So I still have hope for 2014! I received a surprise invitation to see Sting on Sunday night, so that is an unexpected adventure. One thing I have always known is that you have to go while you can. As far as possible, and within reason, go and do what you want to NOW, while you are able. Truly, you only have this moment.

So…. Go Horse, Go! Run for the Roses! Make the Year of the Wooden Horse, 2014, a great year! Oh, and Happy New Year to you!

This Golden Girl is Ready to Explore Life Beyond the Ordinary!

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