Here I am, five
months post-surgery. Most of the time I
don’t even remember that I only have one kidney, and I don’t think very much
about the operation anymore. Which is
kind of weird because I spent 18 months thinking intensively about it.
What’s funny is that when I meet people who I haven’t seen
in six months, I get a very big hello and a very pointed, “How ARE you??” And I wonder why they are acting so strange, and then I remember that they haven’t seen me
since my surgery.
How am I? I can’t
notice any big differences in my body
really. The incisions are all fine and
don’t hurt. My back doesn’t hurt
anymore. Digestively I sometimes have
issues with gurgly gas in my intestines, I never really noticed that
before. I feel back to my regular
energy, and my regular life, regular amounts of activity.
Six weeks after the operation I went to my family doctor to
have my creatinine levels checked (a blood test), and they were fine. I have a blood test once a year, that’s the
only follow up there is.
One thing that is a bit of a drag is that since my surgery I
have had three bad colds, which is very unusual for me, I might get one
cold a winter. So that does show you that my immune system
has taken a hit. I am trying to take
care of myself.
I still have people coming up to me and telling me kidney
stories, about how someone they know had kidney disease and died, or how
someone’s life was saved by a transplant.
I’ve had people I hardly know come and talk to me about reading my blog
and how it made a big impression on their life.
I don’t think very much about the person who has my kidney,
it seems a bit unreal. It’s a contrast
to how much I was thinking about them before the surgery.
And today is World Kidney Day; on my facebook page I encouraged people to sign their donor card. I was surprised to find that only 25% of people in Ontario have signed their donor card. It's a small gesture, but one that can save a life.