UW Clinic visit tomorrow

Hey folks. I'm heading up to Seattle for my 3 month monitoring check. Wish me luck!

The day starts with Stacy or Ryan loading the car with the oxygen tanks, wheelchair, and other stuff necessary for a 4:30am departure. We'll be on the road for 3 hours. I'm looking forward to Gabe joining us there and doing some wheelchair navigation...Wheeeeee! Watch those curves!

Tuesdays’ appointment at 7:30am will be with a Dietician. She’s been helping me to at least maintain a Body Mass Index of 20 (130lbs for me), but also to gain. Yes! You read that right! Doctors want me to gain weight. There is the expectation I’ll lose around 30lbs quickly after the transplant. Also, a person with COPD needs an extra 430-720 calories a day just to do the work of breathing.

Next I’ll meet with the Pre-Lung Transplant staff to talk about the last 3 months. During this time I’ll also have a 6 minute walk test. I don't know if I can do that but I'll certainly try. The first few times I did the test I walked about 300 steps. Last January that dropped to 99 steps and I couldn't walk the whole six minutes. We’ll see how it goes.

At 10am it’s off for Pulmonary Function Studies. I'll follow multiple sets of directions to hold my breath, exhale and inhale using a tube with my mouth only (Noseplugs! No Cheating!). This will show if I still have 18% lung capacity among other measures.

Then it’s over to the lab for my blood draw. One time last year I made their record with 28 vials drawn. At my last visit it was much less. I think it was 13 vials. How about 7 vials this time???

After lunch we’ll attend the Lung Transplant Support Group. This is the first time my clinic visit happens on the same day as their monthly meeting! Nice one!

Finally I meet with a social work professional. In the past they’ve helped with logistics and resources.

It’s a loooong day. Here’s hoping Stacy and I both have lots of stamina!