Two weeks ago today I received the most amazing gift I will ever receive - a kidney from a living donor (Josh Rinehults). Josh used to work at our Manassas office as our Controller. I was in the Woodbridge office, but we were both members of the leadership team so I had lots of contact with him. A couple years ago, he left us to work at the Media General corporate office in Richmond. There have been a few emails back and forth, but not much else; until I posted on Facebook that I needed a kidney. Josh wrote back almost immediately that he'd like to donate to me. I didn't take him seriously at first, but when he called the next day to bug me about the number for Fairfax Inova Transplant Center, I gave it to him.
Almost immediately, he went into intensive testing to make sure that he was a good donor. All his tests turned out good and he called me to set the date. I wouldn't allow myself to get my hopes up because I had three people before that had made it "mostly" through the tests until they found medical issues of their own (as a side here - all were from work!). We had to work around budget season because of Josh's job, but we settled on September 21. That was two weeks and two surgeries ago.
Two weeks ago, Josh went under surgery for removal of his kidney and I went under surgery to have Josh's kidney placed in my right groin area. While I am still having a few pain issues, I am getting better and better every day and having my life back is simply amazing. I no longer have to worry about high phosphorous or being hooked up to a dialysis machine every night for 9 hours. I no longer have to worry about having enough room for my machine and my supplies when I travel. I can't wait to go on my first trip to a hotel and not have to worry about having to take 9 pieces of luggage for a 2-3 day trip!
My potassium levels are a little high and my pulse is also high. Both of these may be the result of one of the meds that I am on (13 pills at 8:00 in the morning, 1 at 2:00 in the afternoon, and another 8 at 8:00 in the evening). Yes, that is a lot of pills, but they will slowly dwindle down from month to month. Eventually, I'll probably only be on 5-6 pills a day (can't wait for that!). I also have to measure my liquid intake and output. That's not much fun either, but it's a small thing compared to having a normal life back. I also have to wear nothing but sweats for the next couple of weeks - luckily I don't have anywhere fancy to go, so this shouldn't be a problem - plus, it's super comfortable!
The last two issues are the biggest problems for me: 1. I can't lift anything over 5-10 pounds. That means I can't pick the dogs up! However, they still manage to flank me on the couch and at night. 2. I can't drive. Scott is getting very tired of "Driving Miss Daily" (as he calls it), but I should be able to start trying very small trips this weekend - no more than 1 or 2 miles until I build up my confidence again and make sure that I can put enough force on the brake pedal.
I'm logging a lot of TV, computer, and Kindle time, but I really need to get out and walk. The weather hasn't cooperated the last two days, but hopefully tomorrow will be better. I know I won't be able to make it very far at first -- I have been sitting on my butt for two weeks - but I know that the sooner I start, the faster I'll get back to normal. Normal? Well, better than the "normal" for the last 6 years and 9 months!
