Recieved my first and hopefully only transplant Feb 2nd. Success!

[ARCB]

 
 I did it!  After 7 years of PD I got a transplant. My husband, my wonderful amazing partner donated his kidney to a stranger so that I could get one. I am still in disbelief that it's all over. The actual surgery pain was more intense than I expected but that only lasted a few days. The anti rejection drugs are not as bad as I thought they were going to be , knock on wood it stays like that.  My creatinine has gone from 1200 to 128. My hemoglobin is now in the 90 s which has been years since that happened.  All other labs are good. They call me a textbook transplant. Surgeon said it slipped right into place a perfect fit. Started peeing before he closed me up. Still going in daily for labs and such hope to be back home in a few weeks.
 Never actually allowed myself to think that this was going to come true. The question is now what?  I've been out of the job field for years. I'm 31 now. I have and education a BA and. BEd. If I teach again will that expose me to too many germs ?  It's hard not to worry about this little kidney failing. But as my love says live for today and enjoy it . I am trying to put the fear away. I love eating fruit and dairy. I love not doing dialysis for the last week. Saved 80 hours of my life. Love not putting a dressing on my catheter anymore after showering. Love the new found energy. The lust goes on as I now experience many new wonderful things. Oh and on a side note I pee every 30-40 minutes cause I haven't used my bladder for almost a decade so it shrunk to a large walnut lol. They say it'll streach soon enough. I want everyone's advice on post transplant experiences. I loved u all helping me through dialysis and could use your support starting my life over again which it seems like I am, restarting.  Whats next Do's don'ts  please.

[coravh]

Congrats on the transplant. These chains are wonderful things. As for dos and don'ts, there aren't that many things. Purell is going to be your best friend. I use it after touching most common things like bank machines, shopping carts, mall door handles, etc. My first year I was very diligent. Then I slacked off and kept getting colds. Once I started using it again, I was fine.

Since you were on pd you probably had a more varied diet than I did on hemo. I had a very limited range of food I could eat due to my potassium sensitivity. So I overdid it and gained a lot of weight after. Try to avoid that. I felt bad and it wasn't good for my kidney either.

Best of luck.

Cora

[jeannea]

Dos and donts? Always take your meds and get your blood tests. That's the most important. The rest is just try to stay healthy. Do be careful about infection risks. Don't listen to idiots who say you're ridiculous about those infection risks. Celebrate your transplant anniversaries. Enjoy!

[boswife]

this is so fun to read..  such a new beginning for you and i hope it lasts for ever and ever.  Im very happy for you and thank that man of yours as well 

[jbeany]

 

Don't worry - right about the time you are no longer amused with peeing every 30 minutes, your bladder really will stretch back to a semi-normal size!

As for being out of the job field for years - well, that's you, me, and everyone else who just lost an obsolete job in this economy.  Starting over, especially at 31, is so common these days that no one will even blink.  (You're a decade younger than I am, and I'm finishing my paralegal post-bach certificate in 3 months.)

Going back into a school environment isn't impossible, if that's what you really want to do.  You just have to be a lot more cautious than most.  If the germs do scare you enough to make you reconsider your career path, I'd highly recommend taking an updated Meyer-Briggs or other personality test that help lead you into a new field.  I did when I was ready to look into new possible careers to build off of my BA, and that's how I ended up as a paralegal.  I never would have thought of it without the test results, and I love what I'm training to do.  Plus, I think being sick for so long changes you in subtle ways that you may not even consider, and the personality tests may help guide you in a direction that suits who you are now.

Here's a fun one just to start off -   http://www.humanmetrics.com/index.htm#intro

Good luck!

[willowtreewren]

 

Wonderful news.

I just wanted to weigh in on the teaching. Carl got a transplant a little over a year ago. He was a preschool teacher before that. Well, he stayed out of the classroom for about a month, then slowly eased his way back into teaching little germ carriers! He is doing fine. A few things, though. He carries a small bottle of Purell with him and uses it frequently. He no longer changes diapers, cleans up vomit, or changes any of the animal cages. Other than that, he leads a "normal" life. Oh, he also doesn't push elevator buttons. 

Congratulations! Enjoy your new freedom every day!

Aleta

[ARCB]

   lol. I don't touch elevator buttons either. Too funny. Thanks for all of your input it was really helpful. Especially about the personality test to determine a new career. I never considered that. Will do it tomorrow. I'm sure I've changed over the years to, it'll be interesting to see what comes of it. I was a bit of a germ Phobia on dialysis but now I am super aware of people touching the faces or stuff off the floor and then handing it to my ect. It's good to be proactive I figure. Also thanks for the advice I will celebrate my new kidney friend which I've named Salley religiously.
Will keep u updated , thanks for the support

Love Alisa (& Salley)

[natnnnat]

Excercise a little every day to keep your system strong and your weight down.
Congratulations!!!! Its great to see your plan to enjoy your kidney!
I wish you a long and happy time together with Salley!
 

[Poppylicious]

Congratulations!

I'm 31 now. I have and education a BA and. BEd. If I teach again will that expose me to too many germs?

You need to chat to Lou!  Maybe she'll pop along and see this post.  I believe she had her transplant whilst teaching and then returned to teaching, and is still teaching two years later. 

To be honest, when I think of all the people my Blokey meets and walks past and *touches* (through them having touched money/a door handle/anything) it blows my mind and it would blow my mind even more if I then thought of all the germs associated with that.  I just don't have the energy to worry *that* much and I have to trust that he does what he needs to do, as you will too. 

Again, BIGGEST congrats!

 

[cassandra]

Congratulations arcb, enjoy, and some good tips above here.

[jbs149]

Congratulations!! It is so nice to hear that you got a transplant!!! You and your husband are an inspiration to those of us still waiting on the list!  God Bless you and I hope your bladder gets larger soon!! Please keep us all posted regarding life after dialysis!!!

[Krisna]

Congrats!  I've had 4 transplants, 2 of which were during my childhood and teen yrs.  I went to public school and yes, I got sick.  I called my kidney doc when I got a cold or flu and let her know so she could keep a watch on my kidney.  Washing you hands regularly and using hand sanitizer are the best defenses against viruses.  You need to make sure your family who live outside of your home inform you if they are sick before you visit them or they visit you.  This is especially important for abt the first yr.

As long as you take precautions and let your doc know when you are sick especially if you are running a fever then you should be fine.

And as far as the teaching goes...I don't know...I was a student and all my teachers and classmates knew I had a transplant.  I had teachers with various medical problems who told the class certain things.  One was hypoglycemic and had to eat a lot but she was the typing teacher so no food or drink was allowed in the room except for her.  If it were me I would tell the class to please use hand sanitizer and/or wash your hands and if you are sick be sure to cover your mouth when coughing.  When my sisters were little I just said that I got sick real easy and it could hurt my kidney so they knew to be careful.   How you word it all depends on the age of the person you explaining it to.  Most of my classmates were cool abt it.  My family was of course.

As for the bladder thing...that happened to me after my last 2 transplants.  The 3rd one had to removed 9 wks after transplant so it wasn't in very long.  But eventually it did expand.  I'll never forget the trip I took with my dad to Idaho (from Seattle) for a funeral shortly after my last transplant.  We had to stop at every exit with a bathroom!  It took forever to get there!  lol

[rsudock]

I was transplanted in June and went back to work with kids in a hospital at the end of September...and so far and so good....I had CMV in January but it wasn't from the kids just a transplant hazard. Congrats on the kidney wishing you many years of health!!!

xo,
R