So as most of you know I received awesome news on Monday Feb 6th! I was officially accepted to the Cleveland Clinic transplant program!! I just needed my dental clearance before I was actually put on the list. So I went to the dentist and was told I needed a root canal. Unfortunately, I do not have dental insurance. Because I have Mass Health I am allowed to get the typical teeth cleaning and fillings when needed but they do not cover root canals. So this one last final step was standing in the way of me being officially put on the transplant organ list…
On Tuesday morning Feb 7th I woke up and did not feel well at all. Other than just simply not feeling well I also had the chills like crazy and was so much more short of breath with my oxygen on than normal. I called my Drs. and explained my symptoms and long story short I was admitted into the hospital. I started to freak out though, not because I was admitted to the hospital but because there was a benefit being held for me on Saturday night and there was no way in heck that I was not going to be there. I drilled into all of the Drs. that walked into my room how important it was that I be out of the hospital in time to attend the event on Saturday. So on Wednesday they did all the typical stuff ~ Xray, blood labs and nasal swab to see if I had the flu. Once they got everything back I did not have the flu but they noticed I had a small lung infection starting so they started me on IV antibiotics they put me on Cefapime, levaquin and ciprofloxin. I actually have a small allergy to Cefapime so they have to pre-medicate me with Benadryl. Oh my goodness, Benadryl knocks me out! I mean Benadryl tablets make me drowsy but getting Benadryl through and IV is ten times stronger than taking it in pill form. Thursday, I was scheduled to get a picc line placed. A picc line is a peripherally inserted central catheter. It is long, slender, small, flexible tube that is inserted into a peripheral vein, typically in the upper arm, and advanced until the catheter tip terminates in a large vein in the chest near the heart to obtain intravenous access (totally looked that up). I’ve always just known the picc line as “the IV I can go home with”. Since this is about my 43784234 millionth picc line it is becoming almost impossible for them to get access. It took them about an hour and half to finally get it in when it should take a mere 20 minutes. Not only did it take an hour and half but because I have so much scar tissue around my vein they could not get the adult size tube to go through my entire vein up to my heart. They then tried with a baby picc line and after some struggle where finally able to get it where it needed to go. After finally getting the picc line in place I was told that if I should need another picc line in the future they would have to put a port-a-cath in me instead. A port-a-cath consists of a reservoir (the portal) and a tube (the catheter). The portal is implanted under the skin in the upper chest. It may appear as a bump under the skin in thin patients, less visible in patients with thicker subcutaneous fat. The catheter runs in a tunnel under the skin, going over the collar bone and then enters the large vein in the lower neck (the internal jugular vein). Since it is completely internal, swimming and bathing are not a problem. The septum of the portal is made of a special self-sealing silicone rubber. It can be punctured up to one thousand times and therefore can be used for many years. (again, totally looked that up). After having the picc line placed my Drs. told me I could go home that day! I would have to continue my IV therapies for two weeks and to call them if I should continue to not feel well or if I should start to feel worse. I have to say this is probably one of the quickest hospital stays I have ever had!
My uncle Paul picked me up from MGH and brought me home Thursday night! As I was eating dinner with my mom that night she told me some of the best news ever! She told me her good friend Art, who is a dentist, was going to do my root canal for me! Now, I am sure for anyone else who is told they are going to be having a root canal done would probably not bring a smile to your face but since this was literally the last thing standing between me and being put on the organ transplant list I was beyond happy.
Friday morning my mom and I left our house at 7am to take to trip down to CT. That is where Art’s dental practice was. Art started working on my teeth at 9:30am and didn’t stop until he was finished at 2:30pm. He then filled out my dental clearance form and we faxed it over to the Cleveland Clinic right away! I should hear any day now that I am officially on the list and waiting for the perfect set of lungs to come for me! I am not sure if I will ever be able to show how thankful I am for what Art did for me but he will forever hold a special place in my heart :)
Saturday was the day of my benefit! I was sooo excited it was finally here! I arrived at the Andover Country Club at 5:30pm. I wanted to help with last minute setup and be there to greet people when they arrived. People started showing up at 6:30pm and by 7:30pm there where about 350 people inside. I looked around at everyone and then had to sit down for a few moments because it hit me that everyone here was here for me! I was over whelmed by the amount of people that showed up to help me raise money and fight this nasty fight!
I want to take the time to thank everyone on the committee that spent countless hours setting up, organizing, planning, stressing, but overall creating this amazing event :) I would also like to thank everyone who donated to the raffle, silent auction and live auction :) and I want to thank everyone who came and spent there Saturday night at a benefit for me. From the bottom of my heart I truly thank you <3
I am often asked how I am always so positive and so happy. Don't get me wrong I certainly have days when I wear a smile to mask how I really feel but most often the smile comes naturally. I have some of the best family and friends a girl could ask for. I know I keep repeating myself and I might sound a little annoying to some people but I can't say it enough! I LOVE YOU <3
I want to take the time to thank everyone on the committee that spent countless hours setting up, organizing, planning, stressing, but overall creating this amazing event :) I would also like to thank everyone who donated to the raffle, silent auction and live auction :) and I want to thank everyone who came and spent there Saturday night at a benefit for me. From the bottom of my heart I truly thank you <3
I am often asked how I am always so positive and so happy. Don't get me wrong I certainly have days when I wear a smile to mask how I really feel but most often the smile comes naturally. I have some of the best family and friends a girl could ask for. I know I keep repeating myself and I might sound a little annoying to some people but I can't say it enough! I LOVE YOU <3
Here are some pictures from the benefit!
http://www.transplants.org/donate/ashleydias
(make sure all donations are in honor of "Ashley Dias")
Until Next Time ~ Breathe Easy
Ashley
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