More in the life...of a Miracle Lady

I've been out of touch with my new blogging life for a few weeks but now I'm back. I have been trying to put our yard together some although it is hard when I have to stop and rest too often. it takes most of an afternoon to get what once took about an hour. My breathing has been somewhat more of a chore and I have been tiring much easier. My bloodpressure is up and I have been generally fatigued. I haven't had any fevers or other signs of something serious and yet I knew something was up. Since it has been building up for a few weeks I figured it was too soon to raise my ramodulin dosage yet. I got suspicious that maybe I was having some more bleeding in my lung like the last 2 years about this time of year again.
I finally decided to get things checked out. Yesterday I had a chest exray and today I went to my in town pulminologist (lung) doctor. Fortunately my lungs are clear and no signs of anything more serious than usual going on. I was very happy about that and now I don't have to worry about it (hopefully) anymore this summer. I went ahead and upped my meds and hopefully that will help my bloodpressure go down, my breathing improve and my energy level to rise again.

I think I will take this time to fill in a few holes in my health problems so all this will make more sense to anyone just checking in.
After I had a kidney transplant with my loving husband as my live donor (Dec 2004), I did pretty well for about 6 months. I had several months recuperation after surgery before I could resume work part time. After 4 months I went back full time. I used oxygen part of the time but did ok. I even travelled to Maryland for a TDY training for work and since it was at sea level I didn't need any oxygen and I felt great.
I didn't feel well on Nov.1,2005 and so went to the doctor. I had a high fever and he sent me to the hospital asap. They found the huge clot that plugged the main pulmonary artery leading into my right lung. They put me under and did what they called a "clot buster" procedure to try and bust up the clot.
Then for some reason I started bleeding internally massively and they couldn't find out where it was coming from. All told I went through more that 10 pints of blood and 4 pints of plasma. They never did find out where the bleeding occured before it stopped by itself. During all that though, I was in a medically induced coma that ended up stretching out for over 3 weeks.
Most of my organs began shutting down and they thought my newly transplanted kidney was gone. My heart, lungs, liver, and kidney all started shutting down and in fact my heart actually stopped at least once and they had to start it up again. My family stood vigil through those weeks and prayed and talked to me constantly, holding my hand and just letting me know they were there. The doctors called my husband and daughter twice and told them to gather family because I probably wouldn't make it through that day or night.
As my body ecventually got somewhat better they tried to wake me up so they could take the breathing tube out but each time I woke up even a little I began to fight the tubing and couldn't breath so they had to put me out again and put the tube back in. My daughter and husband told them I was extremely claustrophobic but they wouldn't listen to them and kept trying the same way. Finally my family told them they had to take it out while I was out or they would never get it out so they tried it and it worked. Of course the doctors warned my family that the longer I was in a coma the less chance I would ever wake up or that even if I did I might have brain damage.
I truly believe that it was my family and friends faith and being there letting me know they were with me that kept me alive. Some how I clung to life and on my husbands birthday, November 26th I finally woke up. ( I don't remember anything though until 3 days before Christmas. Everything from November 1 until then is a total blank for me).
I was in the hospital 3 months recovering and going through physical therapy since laying there so long left my legs useless and curled under partially atrophied. I didn't know if I would ever walk again. I also couldn't read, or write (my writing was like a babies scribbles at first) or even figure out the numbers on a phone. I had to relearn or as the therapist said remind my mind how to work.
I went home in a wheelchair and braces on my legs, with oxygen, many meds, and was as weak as a baby but at least I was home. My cousin came and stayed with us for 2 months until I could fend for myself enough to get around and eat and do personal care, etc. Recooperation is a long endeavor but I am here with the nick name the hospital doctors and staff gave me as "The miracle Lady".