One Step Closer

I just walked in the door from my day-long appointment with the transplant team at Barnes-Jewish, and I couldn’t be happier!  I was down another 6 pounds, which means I only have 17 pounds left to lose.  Once I hit my goal weight, they will do a heart cath to make sure my heart is in good shape. If the cath clears me, then it’s just a matter of final blood tests and I will be on the list!

At the rate I’m losing now, 17 pounds should take 4 to 4-1/2 months to lose.  The doc figured my current condition would put me on the top half of the list, where the average wait time is 150 – 160 days. So, it’s possible this time next year …  okay, I’m getting ahead of myself. There’s still a lot of road to walk before I get “the call.”  But today made me more confident than ever that this will happen. 

The next big hurdle is making it through the holidays while continuing to lose weight. Our family tradition includes making cookies, candy and pizzelles,  and I’ve always volunteered to dispose (snarf) anything not quite up to giftable standards. This year I am keeping an image firmly planted in my mind — an old-fashioned balance scale with a pair of pink shiny lungs on one side and a holiday treat on the other. That’s the test everything going in my mouth has to pass.

Thanksgiving is in two days and you can bet I will be counting many blessings this year!