cattelya repot while in bud.

[BigRed]

Hello fellow orchid enthusiasts!
This is my first post here at orchid board and I'm really excited. I've been reading posts for a long time but haven't had a problem I couldn't solve by google-ing until now.
Two days ago I bought a mystery cattelya at my local garden shop. There's this awesome little corner in the greenhouse where all the unwanted orchids go. i.e. orchids whose leaves are trimmed or troubled, finished flowering and were never sold etc... In the past I have found incredible bargains! So when I saw a cattleya with 7 pseudo bulbs and in bud (three buds) I was ecstatic!
After I took it home upon further investigation I found several serious problems. The old aerial roots were growing moss. Not just under sphagum moss but literally growing moss on them and hard as a rock. Also, the bark potting material was seriously degraded and starting to grow what looks like snow mold.
I made an emergency decision to save the plant and risk sacrificing my buds. I tried to re-pot gently but the material was really old and degraded, it made my work space smell like decomposing earth. The chunks of bark were integrated into the root system so deeply it was impossible to get it all out without cutting into the new root growth somewhat. I repotted into a medium/fine bark with pearlite and charcol. A gorgeous mix which has worked well with other orchids of mine.
I trimmed off the old dead roots and was hopeful because there seemed to be a lot of healthy new growths that weren't very long. I checked the plant today, the day after repotting, and the green new growth tips had withered and turned brown. Is the plant putting it's energy into healing? Or do you think this is the beginning of the end?
I'm just bummed cause I was so hopeful for this cattleya. It was my special suprise bloom orchid. I've grown so tired of buying orchids knowing what they will look like. I also like cans of food with no label so go figure. Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated.
Also, my growing conditions are a soulth facing window next to a sliding glass door, which the screen is left opend during the day to facilitate air movement. However, I do not think the plants get much humidity at all. It hasn't been a problem that I've noticed yet. But then again I haven't been growing for very long.
Thanks, -Big Red [/FONT][/FONT]