Week 6 Come on 8!

For the purpose of putting some of my thoughts down I figured that I would write an update as to how progress is being made post-op.

So I really thought that I would be running up Blood Mountain by now but that's not true. Yet. There are still a few things that are not back to normal. My eating and sleep patterns are still pretty bad. And the energy, dude! Talking about strange. I had read a blog that a gentleman wrote last year about his donation and I didn't understand the part about even a month out, he was having problems with the ebb and flow of his energy. I now understand that. Believe me, it's a struggle at times to get up and get going. And at times, even going to bed and staying there is difficult. But alas, this is part of post-op and it will pass.

One of the crazy things that really throw me off is how I can feel like I'm 100% at one moment and the next I'm down to 25%. There's no real pattern to it. But learning to be mindful of when that is going to happen really helps.

Q: Do you have any regrets yet?
A: Oh no. I don't have any regrets of going through with the donation. As a matter of fact, this has really helped me to grow in so many areas of my life. I've grown in various relationships, made new ones and actually have had a few relationships severed.

Q: What has been the hardest part during all of this?
A: There's actually a couple of hard parts. The physical hard parts is getting my digestive system back on track and my energy levels back up. Another one has been the times where my body and mind head into the dark places we call the 'blues'. I didn't believe it at first, but though my other kidney is doing a great job picking up the work of 'Lefty', my body and mind knows it's gone and they are still not happy with it. Fortunately my heart knows the score and I'm reassured that the sacrifice made has been worthwhile and beneficial to a young lady who doesn't have to be tethered to a machine in order to live.

Q: Would you do it all over again?
A: Yes.

Released

Good news! The follow up went well and I'm good to go back to my desk job next week. I still have to take it easy for several more weeks, but I'm no longer confined to my domicile. I can't begin to express how happy I am with all of this. I may not be ready for full days, but I'm looking forward to doing what I can.

My doctor shared with me that he saw the recipient and she is still doing well. So I guess that bit of info will be the last I hear about her. Won't lie, at times I wonder  if she thinks about me. Just imagine beginning connected to someone whom you will never meet. And knowing that two lives were made better because of one person's choice.

Quasi Freedom

Well, I'm back at my desk! Gonna try and work a few hours this afternoon and see how it goes.

The past week has been much better than the previous ones and for that I'm extremely thankful. I do find that I get tired quickly still. So I'm already planning on some serious couch time when I get home after my last appointment today.

Those who know me well, know that I'm aching to get back on my feet. So hopefully today will go well and hopefully my follow up appointment tomorrow will go even better!

The Recipient

I haven't written anything lately for a couple of reasons. The past few days have been pretty hard on my body and mind. I've had dreams that have caused me to hit myself in the larger of the wounds. And yes, yes it hurts! I've had pretty bizarre dreams even by my standards. The physical part has been hard as well. From freaking out while throwing up to loosing my appetite for a couple of days. And oh, it really bites when short walks wear ya out. But the more I get out, the more my stamina builds back up. One day it will be OVER 9000!

So about the recipient. I think I may have mentioned earlier that the person who got Lefty is a young adult female. The last update I got about her was while I was in the hospital. And that was that she was doing fine with the kidney. I also learned that they go through as about much if not more testing than the donors do, plus their lifestyle choices makes a difference as well in the decision process. This really reassured me as well.

So why didn't I donate the kidney to a relative or friend or sell it on the black market or even wait until I die? Well honestly I'm sort of a recovering control freak. Yes, yes I wanted a little bit of say in who got the organ. My only choices were a child recipient or adult recipient. I had no say in the sex, definite age, race, religion, sexual orientation, political ties, social status, etc of said person. What that left me was the chance to envision the person in my head the way I want to. The little part of me that judges people (its in all of us) could not be placated by going this route.This made the other part of me happy.

Yes, I could of probably held out until a family member or friend needed a kidney, but what would have given me the guarantee that it would be healthy enough when that time comes? This way, an immediate need was there (there are thousands) and it could hopefully be met with better success that a living organ donation offers.