Today is my one-month kidney-versary. Four weeks ago I had a kidney transplant, the organ coming from a deceased donor. I achieved my goal of a pre-emptive transplant (i.e., no dialysis) through hard physical exercise seven days a week, but I had a lot of unpleasant symptoms so it was time.
The recovery has been going well, with regular monitoring by the clinic to watch for signs of infection and incipient rejection. The first week out of the hospital I was able to walk a couple of blocks, the second I was walking a mile every day, and last week I was walking two miles (3.2 km) every day. I feel good, have a ravenous appetite, and am enjoying being active and healthy. Next week I can get back in the pool and start lifting light weights. I have lost about twenty pounds (9 kg) in the past two months, but I wouldn't recommend it as a weight-loss regimen. I lost too much strength in my legs during the rehabilitation.
I need to figure out a protective plastron for my lower abdomen, as the new kidney is in the front of my abdomen, rather than retro-peritoneal as the native kidneys are. I was thinking of cutting off the top half of a chest protector and wearing it low-slung. My classes will begin late September, so I have time to figure out something suitable. I'm looking forward to getting back on the strip.
07-19-2009 01:57 PM