Kevin's Kidney & me

So month five came and passed this week pretty much without a hitch. I had my monthly doctor's visit on Wednesday and everything looks good. Actually, I would typically continue bi-weekly blood draws until month six and continue monthly doctor visits as well. But things looked so good that my doctor put me on the three week blood draw schedule and told me to skip next month's doctor visit and we'll start the bi-monthly visits a bit early. So really good news. Meanwhile I've gained six Lbs since last month, which I fully attribute to the combination of a regular increase of slices of chocolate cream pie and Pepperidge Farm Lexington Cookies and a total lack of exercise. I'm truly disappointed over the exercise thing because when I first started to feel strong following the transplant I wanted to work out, but the doctors wouldn't let me. And by the time I was able to exercise I was back to work and if you've read my previous post in this journal then you ...

I write a couple of blogs. I hate calling them that... it's just a dumb word... blaaaawwwwgggguhh. I prefer to think of them as... journals or... short stories based on true events in my life or... perhaps therapy. Whatever. I currently maintain two of these journals. This one dedicated to the recovery of my kidney transplant and hopefully the goals I achieve post transplant. The other is about myriad topics that I want to talk about with no particular theme in mind. I recently started writing a post for this blog (uhg), but it quickly turned into an entry more appropriate for the other . So I'm back now to attempt to get the Kevin's Kidney version of the same post written here with less emphasis on the theme that was prevalent in that post. Begin: I've had ten years of health issues, not all related to my kidney disease but culminating in my transplant in October. For years I have dreamed of how I'm going to do things differently if and when I get beyond th...

I'm long overdue for an update here as I approach month four and last reported following reaching month two. Month three is actually the first of the major milestones following a kidney transplant. The major milestones being three months, six months, one year and three years. So what happened to month three? Here's what went down around month three. My (now) monthly doctor's visit (as opposed to weekly or bi-weekly) was a week following the literal three month anniversary and I wanted to hear her opinion before I chimed in. At 8:17 on the morning of my doctor's visit I was sitting in the lab waiting for my blood to be drawn when I felt a need to clear my throat and thought to myself.... "that feels like that first moment you feel like a cold is coming on" and I was absolutely correct, by three o'clock that afternoon I was in full on coming down with a cold mode. The doctor's visit had gone fine that day. She adjusted a med or two but otherwise ever...

I've allowed three weeks to pass without an entry and I'm feeling like I owe you an update. Its not like there's a lot to report. I still see the doctors regularly, although the visits have gone from every week to every other week to once a month so that would be the most significant news regarding the specifics relative to my kidney transplant. My meds keep getting tweaked as well. I've had issues with both magnesium and phosphorus so I've been on supplements for those. My omeprazole that I've taken for the last several years apparently has the negative impact of robbing my body of magnesium so they've swapped that out to a different but similar option. Also my peeing at night was back on the rise, especially with all of the water they wanted me to drink. At one point I was peeing every hour and 15 minutes, which is great for a body whose kidneys were only making enough urine to pee three times a day about a quarter of a cup each time, but its ridiculou...

On Monday this week I went to MGH Danvers to have labs drawn as I do every Monday. This week I went later than usual and there were a lot more people there than the prior weeks when I arrived much earlier. As I checked in the clerk was talking to herself, asking which tests I needed or didn't need. She seemed to be assuming they wouldn't need the Tacrolimus test. I mentioned that they specifically asked me not to take my Tacrolimus and therefore I would assume they want the Tacrolimus test. FYI, Tacrolimus is one of my anti rejection medications. The clerk then told me I could go sit down. I turned to the left side of the room and could see that every seat was filled. I also noticed this woman looking back over her shoulder towards me and smiling, almost as if she recognized me. I turned back towards the right side of the room and saw that there were several seats available, so I took a seat on that side. Then the woman got up from her seat and came over and sat next to me....

I was diagnosed with Kidney Disease in 2009 and at that time it was suggested that I stop eating bananas, tomatoes, potatoes, cantaloupe and similar melons. I was absolutely willing to give up all of those except tomatoes.  I eat tomatoes pretty much every day in one form or another. Many sandwiches aren't complete without a little iceberg and tomato. Pizza's not pizza with tomato. Pasta and tomato sauce are so good together. A burrito with a little pico de gallo or colorado sauce is perfection. Salads with tomato, cheese burgers with tomato, grilled cheese and tomato, Tuna fish and tomato... I could just keep going. I have to admit that I've missed the melon and have cheated on that front a few times during the eight years between diagnosis and my transplant. But every summer I just had to have one (possibly two) banana split(s). How can you let a summer go by without a banana split? But bananas are back on the diet over here thanks to Kevin's Kidney...

As another week is almost over, another regularly scheduled doctor's appointment brings small nuggets of good news. Most of my numbers continue to be good. My magnesium and phosphorus levels are still low but we're working on those. My kidney disease made me anemic as well and that' still the case but I guess it takes a bit for the new kidney to produce the hormone that tells your bones to make the red blood cells that increases your oxygen and makes you strong enough to climb stairs without feeling winded. But the best news is that my staples came out yesterday. There were 32 of them and it was a little unsettling as my doctor was trying to ask me questions and talk to me while they were being taken out by her assistant. There was a little pinch with each one and on top of that they were located in the most ticklish spot on my body so I was edgy just anticipating him accidentally tickling me and me jumping and and his tool that he snipped them with some how cutting ...