Hello, wonderful people!
Today completes two weeks of residence in our new city. Pittsburgh is beautiful green hills, three big rivers, and a ridiculous number of bright yellow bridges. It is gritty in ways that Boston is urbane, a city of doers to Boston's thinkers. Friendly to a fault, the city slightly unnerved me as a place where every passing stranger says, "Hi!" But for all my homesickness for Boston's standoffish intelligentsia, Pittsburgh is growing on me. There's no shortage of hipster coffee shops, tasty bakeries or avant garde art. Plus affordable housing with indoor parking connected to my apartment building! We have a three bedroom, three bathroom apartment, big enough to comfortably host visitors and still give Peter a home office. Settling in will take some time, but it's looking promising.
Now that we're ten minutes' drive from University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), the transplant team has interpreted our presence as an invitation to monopolize our time. So far we've spent half a day at the hospital each week, and next week promises two days of appointments. After seeing the Pulmonology and transplant surgery teams so far, I'll get set up with a primary care doctor and start pulmonary rehab. The biggest medical development to date is having to give up Darla, my portable oxygen concentrator (POC). Despite our love-hate relationship, I have her to thank for the level of independence I've maintained so far. Having a machine that will keep puffing oxygen as long as the battery is charged has afforded me the freedom to set my own schedule, as long as I stayed reasonably close to an electrical outlet. Unfortunately I need to transition from intermittent to continuous oxygen, and no POC is equipped to do that at a rate higher than 3 liters per minute. My current oxygen dose is 6 liters per minute at rest, more when I'm up and moving around, so an oxygen nurse and transplant nurse practitioner are hashing out my new oxygen doses. They will also decide whether liquid or gas oxygen will better serve my needs. They've already warned me that I'll be more limited in my activities due to the finite quantity of oxygen each tank can hold. While it's disappointing to have my movements limited even further, paring down to the essentials of a few good friends and really good chocolate is always worthwhile! There aren't any updates on how soon the surgery could be. Apparently there are fewer organ donors this year, so everyone is waiting a bit longer. Prayers, love vibes, and positive thoughts for patience and readiness are all appreciated!
Finally, sending a shout out to our families, Peter and Denise, and Julius, Linda, and Ada! We couldn't have moved in without your considerable help. No more trips to Ikea, though, right? A second shout out to Jen and Sam! Thanks for bringing Highrock to Pittsburgh for us. All other potential visitors, just let us know you're coming.
Today completes two weeks of residence in our new city. Pittsburgh is beautiful green hills, three big rivers, and a ridiculous number of bright yellow bridges. It is gritty in ways that Boston is urbane, a city of doers to Boston's thinkers. Friendly to a fault, the city slightly unnerved me as a place where every passing stranger says, "Hi!" But for all my homesickness for Boston's standoffish intelligentsia, Pittsburgh is growing on me. There's no shortage of hipster coffee shops, tasty bakeries or avant garde art. Plus affordable housing with indoor parking connected to my apartment building! We have a three bedroom, three bathroom apartment, big enough to comfortably host visitors and still give Peter a home office. Settling in will take some time, but it's looking promising.
Now that we're ten minutes' drive from University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), the transplant team has interpreted our presence as an invitation to monopolize our time. So far we've spent half a day at the hospital each week, and next week promises two days of appointments. After seeing the Pulmonology and transplant surgery teams so far, I'll get set up with a primary care doctor and start pulmonary rehab. The biggest medical development to date is having to give up Darla, my portable oxygen concentrator (POC). Despite our love-hate relationship, I have her to thank for the level of independence I've maintained so far. Having a machine that will keep puffing oxygen as long as the battery is charged has afforded me the freedom to set my own schedule, as long as I stayed reasonably close to an electrical outlet. Unfortunately I need to transition from intermittent to continuous oxygen, and no POC is equipped to do that at a rate higher than 3 liters per minute. My current oxygen dose is 6 liters per minute at rest, more when I'm up and moving around, so an oxygen nurse and transplant nurse practitioner are hashing out my new oxygen doses. They will also decide whether liquid or gas oxygen will better serve my needs. They've already warned me that I'll be more limited in my activities due to the finite quantity of oxygen each tank can hold. While it's disappointing to have my movements limited even further, paring down to the essentials of a few good friends and really good chocolate is always worthwhile! There aren't any updates on how soon the surgery could be. Apparently there are fewer organ donors this year, so everyone is waiting a bit longer. Prayers, love vibes, and positive thoughts for patience and readiness are all appreciated!
Finally, sending a shout out to our families, Peter and Denise, and Julius, Linda, and Ada! We couldn't have moved in without your considerable help. No more trips to Ikea, though, right? A second shout out to Jen and Sam! Thanks for bringing Highrock to Pittsburgh for us. All other potential visitors, just let us know you're coming.
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| Heinz 57 |
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| Heinz Lofts |
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| Allegheny River and Pittsburgh Hills |
Love to hear that you settling in. Always remember hearing that Pittsburgh was voted " most livable city". Sending good vibes your way! Love, Margot
ReplyDeletePraying for you, Edwina and Peter! Glad you have a great medical team there to help you. One day you won't need your POC anymore!
ReplyDelete