You've Been Given the Gift of Life, Give it Back!

Welcome friends and family!

Thank you for visiting my blog. It documents my amazing journey from pre to post double lung transplant. I am a 37 year old mother and wife with Cystic Fibrosis who has been more greatly blessed than I could ever imagine possible!

It has been a bumpy ride, but God has given me strength, love, friendship, and, FINALLY, health. My prayers have been answered, my miracle was granted, and I want to share the joy of my new life with you.

If you are a first time visitor, please take a moment to watch The Miracle of Transplantation video below. To me, pictures speak a thousand words.

My entries begin in April of 2008 and my double lung transplant was December 10. Scroll down to my blog archive and you can read from the beginning or jump around. If you are looking for a specific topic, you can use the search engine.

Please feel free to contact me with questions or feedback, I would love to hear from you!

I hope I can help you to experience the love God has for each and every one of us!

May God Bless You with Miracles in Your Life! Nancy


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Sunday, December 14, 2008

IT WAS A TOUGH NIGHT

When we went in to see Nancy last night her smile was gone, and we knew immediately that something was wrong.  She was struggling with terrible back pain and no position she was in seemed to alleviate the pain in her back.  The nurse finally gave her a pretty strong dose of morphine and told us it would take about 15 minutes to kick in.  By the time we were ready to leave last night she was still in a great deal of pain and I asked the nurse if there was any possibility for one of us to remain with her through the night.  She said that would be fine with her and that she would tell me if she needed me to leave at any point along the way.  I drove Ann back to the apartment so I could freshen up since I had not left the hospital for a couple of days and when we got there I called the nurse to find out how Nancy was doing.  She told me she was asleep and seemed to be resting okay.  Ann convinced me that it would be better for me to get a good nights sleep there before returning this morning so that I wouldn't become sick myself and against my better judgement I stayed.

This morning when we saw her we knew instantly that she was still not okay.  In terrible pain she described on a scale of 1 to 10 as being way beyond a 10.  Knowing Nancy's high tolerance for pain we knew this was not good.  The nurse told us she could not give her any more morphine until 12 o'clock, but by 11:30 Nancy was wanting the nurse to call her doctor she was in so much agony and she couldn't follow her treatments while she was in so much pain, or when she was so drugged.  At that point the only way to help her with the immediate pain problem was to give her a strong dose of morphine early and this is what was done.  When I left her just now the morphine was beginning to take effect and she was doing well enough for me to leave her with Ann so I could come here to post and get some breakfast.  We will be able to remain with her until at least 2 o'clock and if they'll let one of us stay longer we will.  

Oh my, it is so hard to see her suffering, but she is still breathing on her own and she says there is no chest pain.  She is down to 2 liters of oxygen which they tell us is excellent, so at least we know there is nothing wrong with the new lungs.  I am certain she is exhausted from getting so little sleep and I know she is frustrated that she isn't able to do the treatments she needs due to so much pain and the drugging effects the pain meds have on her.  

Please continue the prayers for her and don't be overly concerned if I do not post as often as I wish I were able to.  I cannot take the computer into the ICU and I will want to be in with her as much as they will allow.  Hopefully solutions will be found soon to take care of the problem so that she can get some much needed relief and continue her treatments.  We all know what a fighter Nancy is!  I am just so grateful that Ann and I can be with her as much as we are able to be as her knowing we are there makes a huge difference for her.  If this situation continues  I will remain here again overnight tonight...this time I will follow my instincts and do what I need to do for my own sanity's sake.  I know this is just one of those "valleys" Nancy always talks about, "it's in the Valleys I grow".  Personally I'm not so certain I can accept that, but if it works for Nancy that's all I care about.  

Hang in there everybody, we all knew there were going to be days like this and we'll get her through them one minute at a time if necessary!  We'll see that smile again and when we do, we'll all know we're back on track!

Love to all,

Nancy's Dad

Vance

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I made a couple of misspellings and "Freudian" slips in my last post & now I read your latest, & all I can say is that I hope the last email will be considered humorous and inspirational now instead. We have confidence & ya'll have our continued love & support. I doubt anyone ever used the word easy in all this. Keep plugging away...wf

Blomquist Blog said...

Hi Vance,

I am sorry to hear that Nancy is in so much pain. I know she has a very high tolerance and it must be very hard to see her in pain. Take comfort in knowing that she is a fighter and this hill that she is climbing is not easy and will require her to test her strength and courage. We all know that Nancy will come out on top shining with that beautiful smile, but it might take some peaks and valleys to get there.

I hope they can find something that will work for her pain. My thoughts and prayers are with you all. Small, steady steps is what Nancy will take toward her recovery. With God watching over her, and her parents at her side, Nancy is in great hands.

Take good care and remember to take care of yourself during this time as well.

We are sending our love!

Love,

Debbie and Family

Anonymous said...

I know of Nancy's story through a friend of mine and have been following. She has been in my prayers for the short few months I've known about her siutation! She is so blessed to have her new lungs. I will continue to pray for expediant healing. Nancy is such a strong woman and I am inspired by her strength.
My prayers to all of you!

Anonymous said...

Dennis (Cammi's Dad)
The Stohl family will make this day one of prayer for Nancy...Hang in there. Dennis

Anonymous said...

We are so sorry to hear Nancy is in pain. We continue to send our thoughts and prayers. She is one tough cookie and we are all so proud of her. God bless you Uncle Vance and Aunt Ann--stay strong!!


With much love,
Bridgette

Deb said...

Thank you so much for keeping us all posted so regularly... I know this is an especially difficult time for Nancy and all of you who are so closely caring for her! She is blessed to have such love around her. She will pull through; she's a fighter. God gave her lungs for Christmas; He'll see her through...
Know that I'm praying in my small corner of the world for a friend most dear...
Love to you all.
Deb

Anonymous said...

Iknow Nancy and her wait for her lung transplant through one of her nurses. It is truly a miracle and we will continue to pray for her complete recovery. PTL

The Basye-Arland Crew! said...

Nancy you are sooo strong! Hang in their lady!! We are all thinking of you and praying!!

MB

The Miracle of Transplantation

Pause the music player before watching.