To those who were curious how my Latisse experimentwent, I'm obsessed. Here is my before and afterwith only really about 5 weeks of treatment. (I stopped for about 3 weeks in the hospital. My lashes are without a doubt darker, so all you light lashed gals, this is great for you. They are so thick, I feel like they need to be brushed out before applying mascara. The picture doesn't show off the length as much as I'd like, maybe cause of my lashes curling up at a certain point. But in the "after" photo, you can see shadows on my face that my lashes cast. Seeing them in person, with no mascara (which is pretty much always, these days), is the best testimonial I could give. But to those of you on the fence, try it!
I've had zero negative side effects. My eyes/eyelids never itch. My eyes didn't turn brown, and I've been paid so many compliments. I even got a $40 rebate on my first month's prescription so at least try it for a month! Worse case scenario? You wasted about $50. I know that's a lot of money, but sometimes we need to treat ourselves, right ladies? Best case scenario? Longer, fuller, darker lashes which maybe your boy toy will never notice, but other women will envy. Talk about a mini self-confidence booster... for less than most salons charge for highlights and a trim!
Independent George is dead. To those who do not get that joke, no worries.
My life is house arrest. Thank my Lord that I am no longer in the hospital, but I am here at home, waiting still for that phone call. Life has been reduced to as far as supplemental oxygen can take me.
I feel as if I took for granted what little lung capacity I had prior to June 6 and could kick myself for not being more grateful. But then again, who isn't guilty of forgetting to count all their blessings? Right now, I am alive. And every day, I am one day closer to a transplant, whenever that day may come.
I get a guitar lesson tomorrow from my brother Kyle, which is exciting since I'm too inept to even master the D chord at this point. The kitchen has and will continue to be an escape for me, however, I still am asking for prayer. Prayer for strength to return to my body, mind, and spirit. I need prayer to get stronger, gain weight, heal the infection in my lungs, and possibly get off this trach. I'm not sure how many people actually read this, but if you do, and if you pray, please take a second to do so. I will be indebted more than I can say. I need support more than anything until that phone call arrives.
for 23 years, God has taken care of me, and I don't think He has abandoned me now. However, I want to remain a good example of a servant of His, rather than becoming reliant on myself. I know alone, I will succumb to depression and hopelessness. But with your prayers, I know I can stay upbeat and the time will quickly pass to the day I receive my transplant. Love you all.
I've been living life at the top of the transplant list for a week now. As glamorous as being #1 might sound, it's been quite the opposite. I have not yet been granted that perfect pair of lungs. I haven't received a late night phone call ordering me to rush to the hospital. None of that. I have been, instead, glued to my phone like a schoolgirl waiting to get asked to a dance, except I'm about 100 times more desperate (I guess it really depends on the schoolgirl). Anywho, I've gotten my fair share of teases. All hospital phone numbers start with "358" so whenever I saw those pop up, I'd get butterflies in my stomach. But for some reason, the transplant clinic which is lucky to answer the phone at all deciding to call me several times to give me a friendly reminder that I had an appointment on Tuesday. I was also told I was thisclose to getting a transplant a week ago but the lungs were just a little too big. It was SUCH A TEASE. A reminder from the clinic and the lab?! A call from the transplant team that they were having size issues? Excuse me for dating myself with this reference but am I on "Punk'd" or something?! When does Ashton come out with a Yeti cooler full cadaver lungs? Never? Okay. Calm down, Mary. It's only been a week. It's ONLY been a week and I'm already losing it.
I am already making plans for after the big operation. I know I will NEED my eyebrows waxed so that's first on the list. I've already totally let myself go for the time being. I see a nail polish I want and think "isn't that nice. Maybe in a few weeks". You see, I have a device in known as a tracheostomy tube. Any attempts to look either classy or fabulous are thrown off by the gaping hole in my throat. It's necessary though. I need the 100% oxygen like I need water, Mister Abel, and Jesus himself. It's been God's little way of making me throw vanity out the window. I can promise you I'll be freshly showered with a smile on my face. But those 3 layers of mascara that I used to don may be absent as long as the trach is present. Cause let's face it, I'm not meeting my soul mate in the next few weeks with this thing in. I'm okay with that.
Even if Mr. Sexy Man did ask me out, he'd immediately be turned off by my new hobby: coughing up weird stuff. I've become that kid, you know the one; The kid who looks at what's inside their Kleenex just a little too longer than is considered normal. I'm really fascinated by what can come out of a dead/dying left lung. Mainly it's what looks like the top of a gnarly scab, accompanied by some blood. Sometimes, it's your run of the mill bright green infection mucus with streaks of black running through it. To those who just vomited, I'm really sorry. I have a fascination with the human body, including it's ability to get rid of what doesn't belong inside of it. Reason number 537 that I think I'd make an alright nurse. I probably couldn't look a patient's mucus that long though before thoroughly freaking them out. Oh great, we have Mary again today. She's the one who looks at my mucus.
the mucus queen is yours
As for the time, it drags. And it's maybe because I haven't found a good hobby yet. My mother is a very "mommy" mom and she's good at everything I want to be good at. Her suggestions to bide my time waiting made me laugh though. "Well, you could sew, knit, or crochet!", none of which sounded very exciting to do. Instead of chosen to TRY learning the guitar. My brother Jacob was kind enough to let me borrow his and I'm hoping that I can teach myself just enough Taylor Swift that I can pull off some country-pop teenage angst by the time that phone rings. So far though, the highlights of being home have been a visit from 8 dear friends of mine for a cookout along with some competitive cranium, a scrapbook made for me by the lovely Jen Mejias, and a narrative by Javi and Rebecca, which I'm not sure anyone else will ever be allowed to read. I guess you could say in my down time at home, I've felt a lot of boredom, but I've also felt a lot of love, which isn't something to take for granted. Walking around the rehab facility I was at, I saw so many rooms that, besides the patient, were empty. That was never the case with me. Whether I get that phone call in 3 minutes or 3 months, I will have an army of family, friends, and sorority sisters supporting me in my recovery.
I can't wait to get better and be on everyone else's level once again. And of course I hope it's sooner rather than later. But more than anything, I hope these lungs are a good match for my body and I don't have to think of myself as "disabled" again for a long, long time. Instead, I'd like the tables to turn and have the opportunity to make someone else's day better. One excellent nurse at University Hospital named Monica really inspired me. She was honest about what meds she thought would be helpful to me, she'd come in just to chat when she had the chance, she even took the time to give me a much needed shower, and did I mention she was a UT grad? The love she bestowed upon me was more than any other nurse I dealt with during my month stay. I even cried on my last day in ICU when her shift was over. And I've found myself thinking "I don't want to be Kate Middleton, I don't want to be Lady Gaga *cringes*, I don't want to be Taylor Swift. I want to be a nurse like Monica to where I can make a patient really feel better. That's the impact I want to make. Now if I could only get that phone call, and GET ON with my life!
As you might have read from my sister, I've had my issues over the past month (pneumonia and MRSA). It could be any day now that I get my new set of lungs. For about a month, I was unable to talk. I'm sure you could imagine how frustrating that is, especially when you're trying to discuss problems with doctors and nurses. I finally got my voice back, with the use of a trachea with speaking valve. I was able to get a hidden camera prefer how I lost my voice in the first place. It sort of went down like this:
Thanks to modern medicine, I finally have my voice back! My phone is always with me, in case I get "THE CALL" that I have lungs ready for me! Pray, pray, pray that it happens soon, soon, soon!
This is Amy, Mary’s sister. Mary is continuing to make incredible progress just as we all expected. In the past four days, she has passed multiple trials on the ventilator and is gradually requiring less and less assistance from it. The goal would be for her to be completely off of it sometime soon. She is being discharged from the hospital today and moving to Life Care Rehab Facility to continue her recovery process. There she will build up her strength and endurance before eventually going home.
Mary’s pulmonary team has presented her with the opportunity for another lung transplant. This is something that we have known was possibly coming at some point in this journey. She has done remarkably well with the lungs she has had and beaten all of the odds up until this point. But, here we are now and she is ready to take on the next challenge. She has been placed on the top of the transplant list for matching lungs. What does this mean? It means that her new lungs and the opportunity to get back to enjoying life and doing all of the things she loves again are right around the corner. We have been advised that being on the top of the list generally requires approximately a 3 month wait; however, we are prepared for whatever timing God has in mind, as only He really knows. Retransplantation is an option offered to people like Mary who have taken exceptional care of themselves and proven to be strong and otherwise healthy candidates. Here are a few facts about lung transplantation:
Recovery After Lung Transplantation Immediately after surgery, lung transplant patients recover for two to four days in the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit. During this time patients are likely to: • require the assistance of a ventilator for a day • receive pain medications, immunosuppressant medications, antibiotics, and other medications per the Lung Transplant Program's protocol
Patients are transferred to the transplant unit when they are ready, where daily physical and pulmonary therapy will begin. Recent advancements in anesthesia, surgical techniques, and post-operative care have dramatically shortened the time patients spend in the hospital to approximately 14 days.
After Leaving the Hospital Once they return home, patients are encouraged to return to normal activities to the extent that their energy levels permit and resume outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation as soon as possible. They return to the Center weekly for diagnostic testing and medical care, and will need to adjust to the lifestyle changes associated with organ transplantation. After three months, checkups at the Center will be scheduled monthly as long as the patient's condition allows less frequent visits.
Organ transplant recipients must take immunosuppressant and antimicrobial medications for the rest of their lives. The side effects associated with these medications can be wide ranging, but they can be managed.
As you know, most of this is not new to Mary, but I figured it was good information. Thank you for your continued prayers and support during this journey. We will continue to keep you posted. As a matter of fact, I look forward to her next post because she has a lot more interesting and humorous things to say than I do. :)
