At UCSF

Thank you all for the great comments and notes today.   I will try to provide timely updates as we go through the next 48 hours to keep everyone informed.

We arrived at UCSF this morning and where in a room by 8.  The team is great.  We just finished with the pre op review by the transplant nurse.  The UCSF team has gone to the donor hospital to look at the lungs.  (The donor is in the bay area but we can not be told where or any details about the donor, why they are donating etc.)  There is a 1 in 4 chance that this will be a "dry run". If so we will go home this afternoon and wait for another call.

Going on the assumption that the lungs will be a go, we are scheduled for 1 pm surgery.  The surgery typically last 8-12 hours. It can go longer and is never shorter.  As the new lungs are en route, the will make a clam-shell incision from one armpit down below the breasts, cut through the chest bone and then back up to the other armpit.  When the replace the lungs they will do the left one first then the right.

After the transplant they will wire the bone back together and then suture 2 to 3 layers of skin, gluing the final outside layer.  All suture will naturally disintegrate.

Laura will wake up ventilated and restrained. The natural instinct will be for her wake up a pull out the tubes.  Not the best idea. Along with the ventilating tube she will have multiple chest tubes inserted as well to assist with drainage.

The next 5 days will be spent in ICU and then another 7-10 days in a room.  Obviously this can and is extended often based on circumstances.  

The next step is to meet with our surgeon, Dr. Jasleen Kukreja, she is the best in there is so we could not be in better hands.

As we learn more throughout the morning, I will let you know.  

XOXO