Mama’s Got A New Kidney

12/25/2024

11/28/2024

Happy Thanksgiving!!
My heart is full of gratitude for my donor, their family and the gift of life💚

10/31/2024

Today is my theee year kidney transplant anniversary!! I’ve had some tough times for sure, but today I am strong, healthy and my new little bean is going strong 💪💚

10/16/2024

Day 8 of a viral sinus thing. Headache, pressure, congestion, pain, etc…resting a lot, tons of fluids and sinus medicine are taking the edge off but not feeling much improvement. And I must have been coughing in my sleep quite hard last night because I woke up with a blown blood vessel in my eye🙄😌

10/07/2024

Second iron infusion completed this morning. It took three tries to get my vein but once they did, infusion was quick and easy. Plus they fed me lunch and I got to watch a barge out on Lake Michigan head towards the cement plant near the hospital 😎

10/07/2024

Colonoscopy went smoothly and the prep was the worst part for sure! Liquid diet only from 12:00am day before. Then starting at 3:00 pm I had to drink 64 oz of Gatorade mixed with an entire bottle of Miralax, (8oz every 15 minutes ) until gone, after 3 dulcolax tablets 😱💩By 8:00pm I was hangry and all cleaned out…lol. Doctor did take two spots to biopsy but found no polyps and said I could wait 10 years until my next visit to see her. If you’ve never had a colonoscopy, schedule one!! A close friend of mine died from colon cancer and I miss her very much! It’s not as scary or embarrassing as you worry it will be.💚👍

10/03/2024

How’s your Thursday?? I’ve got a date with my throne 😂😂

10/03/2024

Third appointment of the week complete! Met my new local (1.5 hours away) nephrologist today and we discussed current issues with a big focus on finding the cause of my chronic anemia. The travel to see him will be worth it. I liked him a lot. I’ll still be followed by my team at U of M but he’ll be my go to for future care. Next appointment is in 6 months and will require a slew of new blood work to begin the “rule out” phase. 💚💪

09/30/2024

Starting off my busy week of appointments with an iron infusion. Here’s to raising my hemoglobin!!

08/10/2024

Just another day at work 😁😍🌈☀️

04/17/2024

Day two in my own clothes!! Yay!! Still have some dried scabs and pain, but it’s much better😁 Last night I kept waking up with the most intense tickles in my nerves! I know that means healing is happening💪 ANY pressure or effective technique at scratching the itch was still extremely painful though. So I basically sat up on the edge of the bed and wriggled like a maniac…lol. Even running the back of my hand against my rib cage hurts. But, small improvements each day are letting me see the end of this horrible experience.

04/06/2024

Shingles update:
Blisters have all dried out and now the rash is faded significantly. Nerve pain is almost gone, but now it’s been replaced with a constant “chill up my spine” feeling 🙄 It’s a welcome change, but it’s also causing my to have numbness in my backside and hips. Bathroom business is a bit odd right now…lol. My energy is improving but I’m still limited with arm use. I’m hoping the extreme sensitivity in my nerves means their healing😁💪