Thursday, February 2, 2012

Testing is Done and the Verdict is in!

So, testing is all done! Well, except for a pesky 24 hour pee collection, but I'll do that next week.

So, the verdict is that it is still "too early" but that I will be closely monitored. I'll be going to the transplant clinic every 3 months, as well as going to CF clinic even more often, so they will be able to list me as soon as I need it without issue. Since most of the tests that I did this week are good for at least a year, transplant clinic will be far less intense than the last 4 days.

A few things that were learned:

- My lung function is back to where it was before my massive infection at the end of the last year. While it took a very long time to get back and when I had the infection, I was at the lowest lung function of my life, this helps prove that I still have some elasticity to rebound.

- My tolerance to activity has also improved from when I was so sick in December. My 6-minute walk test, which I failed pretty hard back then showed that as long as I don't push myself, I do not need oxygen when walking around.

- The last few echo-cardiograms (ultrasound of the heart) showed that I have elevated pressures on the right side of my heart, which is an indication of my lungs really starting to fail, putting damaging stress on my lungs. However, today's cardiac cath (where they thread a probe from my neck into the arteries of my heart) showed that these pressures are actually much lower.

- My bones, which were right on the line of osteoporosis and osteopenia (pre-osteoporosis) have improved some, and now I am back to only osteopenia.

- My kidneys have stones in them. I have had a few kidney stones before, so it doesn't surprise me that there are some sitting there, but makes me feel like I have a ticking time bomb in there.

Overall, very good news. Though it is still "too early" now, another massive infection could put me there, very quickly, so it is nice to know that as of right now, I'm basically ready to be listed without any additional tests or assessments.