Tanya's Lung Transplant 1: Friday 8/7/09

Tanya got the call announcing the arrival of two new donor lungs at 11:07pm Friday August 7th. She was afraid and excited at the same time. This was the call we were waiting for, though she'd only been placed back on the waiting list on Wednesday the 5th. We arrived at Tampa General Hospital around 12:30am, and Tanya was taken into pre-op around 7:30am. We had to wait in a hospital room until the surgeon personally inspected the donor lungs and gave the green light to carry on with the transplant. The nursing staff in charge of this room was ordered to deliver a slew of medications via IV before releasing her to the operating room. They had a difficult time placing the two IVs that were required to give all the medications in the time we had before transport came to get her. She had to be stuck four times in one arm and twice in the other before they got the IVs in. The transplant itself took until 5:00pm and we finally got to see her again (through a window in ICU) around 7:20pm. Currently she is connected to a ventilator which moves air into and out of the lungs mechanically, and chest tubes which provide drainage for internal bleeding and fluid. Also there is a central line through her neck which is used to administer medications and fluids. The procedure went well, and the new lungs are performing well and her vitals are all good. She is not being tube fed as of right now, so that her system can have a break, but hopefully tomorrow she'll be able to receive tube feedings again. The reflux from her stomach is something that will have to be watched closely until she gets her stomach surgery to fix the acid reflux in a few weeks.
It's going to be a long demanding journey, but this new chapter in Tanya's life is just going to be a small portion of the greatest story I've ever had the honor and the privilege to be a part of and to contribute to.

I can't describe the appreciation we all have for the extraordinary outpouring of support from all of our friends, family, and coworkers.

We got a flat tire on the way to the hospital.

I've been awake for 38 hours so I know I've left out some details, but I'll keep updating as they come back to me.