80 Percent!!!

Last week my transplant follow-up appointment rendered some awesome test results.

Here is a brief recap of my lung function test results over the past 2-ish years:

• 22% - day before the transplant
• 42% - first test after the transplant
• 51% - three months after the transplant
• 60% - five months after the transplant
• 67% - one year after the transplant
• 76% - two years after the transplant
• LAST WEEK - 80%

Woohoo!!! 80% - I am hoping to keep up the improvement and make it to 100% eventually, even though the doctors say that it is unlikely since I have lopes and not full lungs. You have to reach for the stars to land on the moon right?

(cheers to continued improvement and setting higher goals for myself)

Hungry, Hungry Hippo

Around when I hit my "2 years out" marker, a very annoying side effect of prednisone decided to kick in full force. For those of you who have taken the med you will understand the problem that has become......EXCESSIVE HUNGER.

Since I have been back from Maui I have had an enormous appetite, eating as much as a teenage boy who is on the high school varsity football team.

It's ridiculous how much food this "little" body can pack away and yet still crave for more. Which leads me to say that this "little" body is not so little any more; it's growing in circumference. When I left for Maui at the beginning of January I was 103lbs., as of today the scale reads 112lbs. (keep in mind that I am 5'2" when I round my height up, as I always do, lol). Don't get me wrong I am not saying that I need to loose weight right now or that I am unhappy with gaining as much weight as I have; on the contrary, I love having more meat on these bones. For the first time in years I feel stronger and healthier, not only because of the new lungs but also because of this great new appetite; I finally enjoy eating.

However, there are a few difficult things that come with this great new appetite and weight gain that I am enjoying.

(1) Putting down the knife and fork. Since I am always hungry and don't feel full until about 10-15 minutes after I stop eating, it is difficult to put the knife and fork down, not go back for seconds and thirds, and to sometimes have to push food away.

(2) Comments from people. Even though I may be happy when I look in the mirror and see a few extra pounds, that does not mean that I won't receive negative comments from people about the new weight gain. It's hard to hear people rag on your weight gain when you are proud of it. It's also hard for it to be the subject that is always brought up during conversation.

(3) Clothes are a bit more snug. What's nice about never gaining any weight, is that you never have to buy new clothes. However, when you start to gain weight the dilemma arises about whether or not it is time to buy a new pair of jeans the next size up, or to just keep trying to squeeze into the jeans that you have for a while until you make sure the weight is going to stay.

While I am on the subject of clothes I would like to mention size 0 pants. I love that there are size 0 pants. I don't think they are a size that girls/women should try and aspire/conform to. But for those of us who are in our late teens or early twenties and are "tiny," it's nice to be able to find jeans without flowers on the back pockets. I remember shopping in the "Girls" section before I came across size 0 jeans, and even size 00. The jeans never fit right, and they would always be too short and too big in the "back pocket" area. That is to say, I am grateful that there are size 0 pants.

(4) Now I have to work out. For a while I was able to enjoy going to the gym and working on what ever I wanted to. Now when I go I know that I need to work on certain "problem areas" to make sure that they don't become even more of a "problem." Luckily I have still been able to maintain a love for working out, at least for now.

All this to say that I am loving this new appetite and the new weight I have put on, even though I may have a few difficult things to deal with because of it.

(cheers to maintaining this healthy new weight and turning it all into muscle)

Mile 1...Mile 2...

One of my goals after having the transplant was to run a mile non-stop, Tuesday I accomplished this goal by the grace of God.

It took quite awhile to work up to being able to run a mile non-stop. A year ago I could hardly run about a tenth of a mile, but slowly I worked my way up to a quarter of a mile. The most I had attempted to run non-stop before Tuesday was a little over half a mile. After running a mile on Tuesday, I decided to try and run 2 miles on Wednesday and was able to complete that too. God has truly blessed me with great health, enabling me to do so much more than I could ever have imagined. I am so grateful. 

(cheers to being able to exercise and to loving every minute of it)

Aloha

Aloha Everyone!

I can't believe I have been in Maui for the past 13 days, it has been absolutely AMAZING!!! My friend Charity and I have been whale watching, surfing, and hiking to see beautiful waterfalls. I am amazed at the beauty of the island and have seen just a glimpse of the majesty of God my creator.

Going on so many adventures and being so active on this trip has given me a greater appreciation for the gift of life that I have been given. My two year old lungs have taken me to the top of Haleakala, around the island to Hana and past to swim in the Seven Sacred Pools, out to sea to see majestic whales and surf the beautiful clear waters of Maui, not to mention the many hiking trips throughout the island that we have taken.

I can't believe that our trip is almost over. I am contemplating moving here for a few years, but we'll see what happens. If I don't move here I am at the very least coming back within the year or maybe two.

Aloha!

(cheers to returning to Maui and to more adventures in the future)

What do you do...

What do you do when you accomplish one of your dreams?

What do you do when you complete something that was on your bucket list?

What do you do when a chapter in your life comes to an end?

I have realized that I have been extremely emotional the past couple of weeks in regards to graduating because I am accomplishing one of my dreams. Before I had my transplant and my health was in poor shape, I placed "obtaining my college degree" on my bucket list, because I was unsure if it would actually ever happen. AND NOW, IT'S HAPPENING!!! God has been extremely gracious towards me over my lifetime, but I just can't explain how much grace, love, and peace I feel today.

As I was finishing my last undergraduate paper today I realized that I have been procrastinating because I knew that once I finished that paper, I would complete the last paper of my undergraduate degree. Likewise, during my final test today, I paused for a moment before I came to the last couple of questions of the test, knowing that once I filled in those answers, I would be finishing the last test of my undergraduate degree and I would be finished with school completely. After filling in all of the short answers and looking over my test, I paused, noting how precious my experience at Biola has been. It's not the campus or even the classes that I will miss the most, but the people that I have come to know and love. The people of Biola make up what I have come to know and love at the "Biola experience." From the fabulous professors who have challenged me and helped mold me into the woman I am today, to friends who have encouraged me and supported me in my walk with Christ; it's the people of Biola that I will miss the most.

So here is my answer to the above questions: cry, laugh, dance (as long as it's not at a Biola sponsored event, hahaha), be joyful. God has given me so much to be thankful for and I can't express this thankfulness in just one type of emotion. So I will express my thankfulness in any way I know how, but most of all through praising HIS name.

(cheers to returning to Biola in the future, whether it is to audit a class or possibly become part of the fabulous faculty, AND to praising the name of Jesus for all that he has done and has yet to do)