The Road to Recovery (Days 1-3)

The road has started with complete awe to see Jed breathing again with ease. On the second day, he was fully off oxygen assistance, after needing it for over a year, and holding steady at room air. He said he couldn’t remember what it was like to easily breath in and out of his nose. For so long now his breathing had been labored and he had to breath out through his mouth. We even discussed how in the past due to Jed being winded I would answer the Doctors questions for him. I had gotten into the habit of finishing his stories and statements. He looked at me yesterday and thanked me for always helping, yet now he has the breath to talk for himself. Laughing I told him he may need to give me time to readjust to not taking over for him.

By day 2 Jed was up and doing laps around the nurses’ station pushing a wheel chair with a maze of tubes and cords attached to a mobile pole. Walking 4x a day is his regiment now, along with breathing treatments to keep the new lungs strong and to fight off the potential of infections. While doing one of his laps today we passed his surgeon in the hallway, it was an emotional moment to see Jed stand with ease of breath before the man that placed the new lungs in him. This journey has been a roller coaster of emotions, we are holding on to the gratitude we have towards God, the Doctor and nurse staff, our family, and the donor’s family. This gratitude helps bring joy in the tough times.

We had been warned that day 3 would be one of those tough times. They were right. The rough road kicked in last night. The new lungs have been doing great so far, the difficulty is in the pain and discomfort of the rest of the body which is not liking what it just went through. With all surgeries, the body goes through turmoil and the process of healing is slow. Jed currently still has the multiple chest tubes in and they are draining a good amount, that is their job, yet until the draining stops they cannot be removed. The chest tubes are the source of majority of the pain and make him unable to take deeper breathes. Other parts of the body are not functioning as well due to medications and the epidural for controlling the pain caused by the tubes. Until the drain tubes come out nothing else can either, they are priority. Unfortunately, Jed has been sick to his stomach on and off all day. This is not a pleasant experience when trying to heal from a major surgery that requires having an incision across his whole chest. We are holding onto hope that tomorrow will bring some relief. We know that in the misery of pain there remains hope.

Psalms 118:4 “The Lord is my strength and my song; He has given me victory.”

Asking for continued prayers for the donor’s family and healing for Jed. May he have the strength to endure the road of recovery. Jed’s persistent perseverance is a source of encouragement and testimony of God’s work in his life.