What can I say about the month of May...

Things have been in full swing since my last post!  I have been bouncing back and forth from Jackson to Nashville, which has been great!  I feel I have regained a little of my "old life" back and have been able to combine it with the new.  It has been very exciting to be able to be in Nashville more and more!  And to be able to see and spend time with so many friends as time has passed is awesome!     

I had a great weekend at the beach with my Auburn girls at the beginning of May!  We were fortunate enough to be able to make a weekend celebrating so many transitions in our lives and appreciate how close we all still are in our post-college years.  There is nothing sweeter than remembering the crazier times, talking about where life has taken us, and laughing until you cry, as if no time had passed.  A little TLC at the beach never hurts!

I have started school again.  I am ALMOST done with my Master's degree!!  Or at least I can see the light at the end of the tunnel :)  It has been fun to see all of my school friends and professors, while always making new friends in my classes.  One thing I appreciate more than I did before is the age range of the people I am in school with and hearing every one's stories.  I sound quirky by saying this, but I think I appreciate people's "life" stories more than I used to.  And you get a lot of them in my program of Marriage and Family Therapy :) 

And as I write now, I am sitting in the Pensacola, FL airport leaving a family vacation that was so fun, albeit a little shorter on my end because of school :)  Going to the beach twice in a month is the way to live!!  We had a great time, and I appreciate every opportunity I get to spend with my family.  We all needed this time after a rough winter!  It is always entertaining to watch and play with my niece and nephew...  You never know what surprise is going to arise with them!  Unfortunately we were down one brother-in-law, but maybe next time it will be ALL of us!   As my Dad put it in such a special family prayer, we are incredibly BLESSED! 

So, with all that said, Bertha is still going strong!!  I cannot believe it has been 5 months since my liver transplant and how so much has changed so fast.  I remember at one point thinking it would take forever to get to this point, and yet I feel like it was just a week ago I was laying in the hospital waiting for surgery.  I am grateful and so happy to be over a few hurdles back into a more normal life.  I only have to get blood work done every other week.  My veins are finally remembering that being stuck with a needle can hurt :)  I am off of one medication, which has helped with some side effects I have been having.  Fingers crossed I get to drop one more medication at 6 months, as well.  All in all things are good!!  Life is good!!  God is good!!

The month of May has truly been inspiring!  A line from one of many favorite songs I heard recently reminded me how I want to live my life :) 
"I'm gonna muster every confidence I have and cannonball into the water!"
 ~ Teddy Geiger

Little lessons learned on this journey!

I learned little lessons every day about hospital life and how to endure and try to make it more pleasant or at least easier to endure.

1) Always be nice to your nurses, even if they aren't the most pleasant to you, you are in a lot of pain and really feel like telling them to do some place not so nice, or they are looking at you with a very long needle wondering "where are they going to stick me now" :)  Kindness can get you a lot of places in the hospital.  Especially the midnight and 4am ice chip runs the nurses would make for me because that could be the only thing that sounded good to me many days.  Ice chips are the one thing that got me through my hospital stays and the only thing I miss about the hospital.  I love Sonic's ice, but it isn't nearly as good as the hospital ice chips.   

** In all honesty, I have a true and humble respect for nurses!!  I could NOT do what they do!  I adored every nurse I had during my transplant period, minus one creepy male nurse:)** 

2) You will love the hospital if you like Ensure, Mighty Milk, and Boost!!  I was basically force fed and threatened with it by my doctors, nurses, and some family members :)  Needless to say, I was not so pleasant when it came to trying to consume those.  I never finished one, and I am fairly sure I dumped some down the sink so I wouldn't have to finish them.  I will forever be haunted by those drinks.

3) I never would have seen the launch of Oprah's TV network OWN.  After a month in the hospital, anything different on television is a blessing!  I am fairly sure it was in the middle of the night, when I was always awake, but who am I kidding...  You never get rest in a hospital :)

4) Never think you will get rest in a hospital!  You can become so backwards that you do not remember whether it is day or night, what time it is, or even sometimes, how long you have been in one pair of PJ's. Yes, I  know that is disgusting, but some days it was true for me :)  I generally regulated with my 5am wake up call to have blood drawn!  What a way to start the day/end the night when you never really slept to begin with.

"Sleep, riches, and health to be truly enjoyed must be interrupted."  ~Johann Paul Friedrich Richter, Flower, Fruit, and Thorn

** More to come, of course in no particular order.  I apologize in advance for my story telling skills.  I can be challenged in this area, but they can still be funny :) **

Inspiring story

E:60 on ESPN made a tribute video about a boxer named Francisco "Paco" Rodriguez, who was pronounced brain dead after he was injured in a boxing match.  His family portrays and explains what organ donation is all about.  I reccomend you take 15 minutes and check it out.  It is awesome that ESPN made a tribute to a true hero during Donate Life month:
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6390758&categoryid=3060647

Organ donation registrant numbers are climbing, which is great news!  Spreading the word and helping people discover what organ donation is all about seems to be reaching more and more people. 

Thank you to all regiestered donors!

APRIL is Donate Life Month!!!

Please tell all of your friends what a special gift it is to become an organ and tissue donor.  There are so many people's lives that can be saved and changed by this gift.  Visit: donatelifetn.org   for more information.

This week I had another checkup with the clinic where I meet with the surgeons.  I got a great report and my bilirubin is down a little more, which is great news.  All of my liver enzymes are wonderful!!  The only "lecture" I got is to keep eating a high protein diet, which is difficult for me because I am a carb junkie :)  I am able to drop one one of my immunosuppresant medications, which is great!  One less pill to swallow four times a day is a nice change :)  Overall, I couldn't be more pleased and thankful!! 

I don't have to have another "big checkup" for another three months :) 

Hope everyone is having a great week, and I will do my best to get around to stories soon!  I have been in the midst of finishing the classes I was taking when I got sick.  I am very thankful that I am able to finish them so my Master's degree is not delayed too much.  So, it is back in the saddle to study, study, study... 

Hello!

Hello everyone!!  It is Ashlie!  I am taking over the blog to share different stories, moments, updates and little life lessons I have learned along my journey.  I am so greatful to Whitney for sharing her words, stories, and keeping everyone updated.  She has done such a wonderful job!

I am now three months out from my transplant date.  Bertha (my new liver) and I seem to be getting along well!  Starting this week, I am only having to get blood work done every other week, which will be a nice break.  My bilirubin is a 0.5, which falls into the "normal" range!  So, I am extremely excited about this progress. 

Thankyou to everyone, near and far, for your prayers and support!  My family and I could not have made it through everything without each and every one of you.  I will never be able to express my gratitude and how much it has meant to us.  

"Gratitude is one of the least articulate of the emotions, especially when it is deep."
~ Felix Frankfurter

Appointment Praise!

Ashlie's doctor's appointment went about as well as it possibly could have today!  They were able to see Dr. Campos who is the surgeon who performed her transplant (who, understandably, we all love!), and he gave her a glowing report!  He was very pleased with how she looked, how she is healing, and her bloodwork!

Dr.Campos also gave them the final liver pathology report which was inconclusive.  This was something Ashlie was prepared for, and Dr. Campos emphasized that her new liver was "happy" and that she should focus on her new healthy life ahead! 

Ashlie looks great, she is feeling so well, and she is regaining her independence everyday!  She is driving again (even to Memphis by herself for bloodwork on Monday), and she is enjoying each new day and the promises of renewed health that it brings!  Her appointments are getting fewer and further between- she will have bloodwork done on a weekly basis and does not see a doctor again for two more months. 

We are all still so thankful for the prayers and concern for Ashlie!  She is running into people as she is out and about, and everyone's love for her is so overwhelming!  She wanted me to be sure and continue to ask for prayers on her behalf, and if specific things to pray for come up, I will be sure to post them on the blog.  She is- without a doubt- a walking miracle!

The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
   but will rejoice over you with singing.” 

-Zephaniah 3:17

End of the week update

Ashlie has had a really good week!  She is continuing to recover very well!  She has been having bloodwork done twice a week in Memphis and continued that this week.  She got two good reports- her doctors are very pleased with her bloodwork numbers and levels.  She sees her doctor again in about a week and a half for a check-up. 

As I have said multiple times, we are so thankful for everyone's prayers!  The Lord has answered them in miraculous ways, and we will always be grateful for His faithfulness and everyone's love and support!  I will update again after Ashlie's check-up on the 15th of this month.