This post is from Adam’s mom, Paula. We started a little game soon after Adam came out of the operating room when he tried to express how was feeling. We found that opposites were the best way to describe the fears and joys we were feeling. Opposites like – terrifyingly wonderful, optimistically painful, and joyfully annoying.
Today marks three months since the transplant. I thought I would ask Adam how he would describe the last three months. He came up with PAINSTAKINGLY ADVENTUROUS. His condition is so precarious that the doctors watch everything very carefully. He has blood draws all the time to monitor the immune suppressant drugs. He got a blood clot, so now he is on blood thinners and has to have his levels checked every few days. There is always something new to be concerned about.
Yesterday he had an especially high number on a test to make sure his blood wasn’t too thin. After talking to his team, they adjusted his medicine and the nurse told him to just be careful not to whack his head. Today he went shopping with me and while reaching to get something from under the cart, he whacked his head!!! It wasn’t very hard, but you can’t help but worry if you think you might have internal brain bleeding. He called the nurse and was told what to watch for and he is just fine. Just another PAINSTAKING ADVENTURE.
I asked him if looking back it seems like time has passed quickly and he replied that it has been the longest three months of his life. He knows that it will take a long time for his body to heal. He just wishes the time would pass more quickly. But if we consider how far he’s come, we remember the miracle.
Adam gets stronger every day. He is learning to rewire his brain from being so deathly ill with lung disease to understanding what it means to be immune suppressed. He’s gaining weight, He sleeps without machines. He is able to walk up and down the stairs without gasping for air. He went trick or treating with the family and is able to take care of Atticus. He handles each new challenge with determination. He gets down, but his sweet, cheerful nature always triumphs.
