Randy is (mostly) Baaack!!!

Last night and today have seen extraordinary Randy events!  His tube came out yesterday around lunch time, and when I returned last night, he had enough of a whisper that I could mostly understand him.  The first thing he wanted to know is what I was going to do for dinner (in our house, where neither of us cook much, we always ask each what we are doing for dinner, in case it’s something we both might want).  He said, “no more wasabi. no sushi”.  I said, that is correct, and no more rare meat.  To that, he said “that blows.”  Then he wanted to know if I wanted Mexican or Indian food (Randy hates Indian food).  I told him we could not go out to eat.  This poor guy is starving.  Just think, no solid food for 2 and a half weeks.  Before he can eat though, he has to pass a “swallow” test.  As far as food goes, since Randy will be on immuno-suppressants for the rest of his life, he has to avoid as much bacteria as possible…and raw fish or meat has plenty of it.  His foods will have to be cooked fully, and even fruits and vegetables have to be washed with anti bacterial stuff.  Looks like I’ll be learning to do some cooking.

He was even better this morning.  The whisper has some sound to it now.  He asks questions about what has happened….it must be incredible to wake up with new lungs and 2 weeks of your life lost due to all of the brain fogging drugs he has been on.  He did tell me he has seen some weird stuff this last month.  For instance, a “Catholic bachelor” had been around….I finally figured that one out, I said, “a priest?”.  Yes.  Randy was in a metal enclosure.  He saw where we were buried, together with the priest. I said, were you afraid you were dying?  He said yes.  Apparently if he was going to be buried he was taking me with him!   And of course we talk about his illness, the miracle of new lungs, how much we missed each other, and other “love stuff”.  His eyes look so teal…darker than usual, and he has a very sweet, concentrated look as he figures things out.

He is hungry, he wants a milkshake or coffee and donuts.  Still can’t have them, that makes him sad.  It’s so hard to talk much without nurses, PTs, respiratory therapists, doctors coming in and out.  Everyone says his recovery is phenomenal.  His lungs are doing great….he is on no oxygen, and his oxygen SAT is around 94.  That will just keep getting better.  Two chest tubes came out today.  They plan to move him out of ICU in a day or two…and then he will go to Zale Lipshy University Hospital for rehabilitation for a month, though I don’t think it will take a month.  Once Randy is up and going, he will be unstoppable.  He is already moving so much better…he’ll be ready to feed himself tomorrow, I’m betting.  When I left, he requested that Ally bring his dop kit and backpack to him….I said, you cannot have that stuff here in the ICU in isolation…plus, you don’t have enough strength to shave or brush your own teeth yet.  Like I said, I’m betting he will be doing that tomorrow.

I also heard from the Lung Transplant coordinator who will be handling our education….I have already started to prepare the house, I have done the big things:  cleaned and sanitized ducts and vents, checked for mold or any other irritant in the house or crawl space, taken out all carpet and replaced it with hardwood floors, gotten rid of all chemicals in the garage, and put all of Wes and Carisa’s stuff, and my mother’s belongings, in storage.  Still….lots to do to make our home Zen.  There is also pharmacy class…to learn all about the zillions of drugs he will be on….and food class.

I am so overjoyed to have him awake and able to communicate.  It has been one week since his transplant.  I told him he had a second chance, that we had a second chance at life, that it is truly miraculous.  And it is.

Another miracle happened on September 17th, 1990, the birth of my most wonderful son, Wes.  Happy birthday baby!  We are going out to dinner tomorrow night.  So….we have blessings everywhere this glorious September!