This last weekend, Travis and I spent some quality windshield time together. He had to travel for work and I decided to tag along. We started with a four and a half hour drive to Grand Rapids & Bemidji, MN on Friday. Saturday we drove another eight and a half hours to Amberg, WI and on Sunday, a couple of hours on to Green Bay, WI.

We are Minnesota Vikings fans through and through, but since we were in the area we decided to go to the Green Bay Packers vs. New York J.E.T.S, Jets, Jets, Jets football game. To clarify, we did not cheer for green and gold! After the game we drove another half an hour to Appleton, WI. Monday, Travis had a meeting then I dropped him off at the Appleton airport. He flew to Ohio & West Virgina for more work (he is a busy man). I drove another four hours home.

We were very fortunate along our travels to stay with friends. It is always more exciting to spend time with people you know and haven’t seen in a while than to stay in a hotel room. Thanks to John, Dave & Annette, and the Thomas family!

Before our travels, I embraced a new milestone. My latest milestone was the amount of luggage I need to bring with me when traveling. The last time I posted a picture of my luggage was on March 8th, 2012. That picture showed everything I needed to bring for one overnight. I forgot there was actually more back then. I also had a bag full of oxygen tanks.

March 12, 2012

This is all I had to carry with me for four days! Without all the equipment and oxygen I used to have to lug around, I was able to bring one bag for clothes and one bag for my medication, blood pressure machine, thermometer, etc. Two little bags! Another reason I am so grateful to my donor to be breathing with new lungs.

September 12, 2014

Speaking of lungs, I have a health update. I have been coughing for a couple of weeks. We started an antibiotic this last Friday. Something I have not experienced since my transplant, I have been wheezing. I have to admit, I don’t like it. It concerns me. Fortunately, I have a doctors appointment tomorrow. I have a feeling my lung function may have dropped since my last check up. I will keep you posted.

Oh, and I tested positive for CMV (Cytomegalovirus) again. CMV can be a big problem. As long as we catch it in a timely manner, it is actually a good thing. Every time I am positive, I am building antibodies. Maybe someday I will have grown enough antibodies to ward off the virus on my own. Luckily, I have not felt any symptoms yet.

An easier explanation for you to understand this may be, once you have had the chicken pox you have antibodies towards chicken pox. Most likely you will not get chicken pox again because your body has built the antibodies against the virus. That is what I am wanting to happen with CMV.