Thoughts...

While reading current events yesterday I came across an article about Eric Breed. Eric Breed was a rapper...his stage name was MC Breed. The thing that caught my attention was how he died and his age. Mr. Breed died of kidney failure at the age of 37.

Breed was rushed to the hospital in early September of kidney failure. The rapper was on life support for two days before slightly recovering. In late September, he conducted a phone interview with his publicist where he talked about his health crisis. Fast forward two months, he was found dead at a friend's house in Michigan.

This really made me think about the severity of this illness and how if left untreated it can, and most certainly will end you life. In retrospect I personally seem to doing ok on dialysis up to this point. The process of dialysis has grown to become my necessary beast of burden. I now reflect on this burden and wonder had it not been available, how long it would have taken to succumb to full blown kidney failure and it's associated complications. It seems a morbid thought at first glance, but I now truly realize I'm surviving on borrowed time. Had it not been for artificial means I would most certainly be dead or dying.

Well enough talk of death, life is for living. Which reminds me to call Emory to arrange for my final transplant exams. Once complete I should be fully cleared for transplant, whether it be from a living donor or otherwise.

So that's it for now...remember life is way to short to be unhappy any minute of any day!

Quick update...Turkey Day coming fast!

Well it's over the hump day, and here I sit at home working. I don't recall ever being thankful on here about the ability to continue working by means of remote access, but I truly am thankful. When this situation (kidney failure) first occurred I had concerns about how I would be able to continue to contribute to the family. Fortunately, I work in a role where it isn't necessary for me to physically occupy space at the office. This freedom has allowed me to continue working, along with the flexibility to attend various doctor appointments throughout the month (which can be numerous, especially with the transplant program).

So, it's been about five months since I went under the knife. It seems like it's been much longer. When I think back on the stress and anxiety leading up to the surgery, it seems sort of silly. I think this situation has really matured me in a way I never expected possible. I now have no problem getting my blood drawn, in the past I have my wife hold my hand during lab test. Now the idea of surgery does not bother me, I actually look forward to my next time on the table to receive a good kidney. This is absolutely amazing to me hear that come from me...before I was diagnosed the thought of surgery repulsed me. But, my PD placement experience was flawless without any complications. The test fill and drain in the hospital was textbook. From what I can remember post surgery pain was very limited, in fact I was up walking around 2-3 days out of the hospital ( with the use of some pretty good pain meds ).

Oh, I wanted to tell Suzann to hang in there and keep her husband in good spirits. I found the most difficult issue to manage is the mental component. The best advise I can provide is to not allow him to feel depressed for long periods of time. The longer I live with this condition, the better I am able to cope with the changes that have happened in my life. I still have bad days both mentally and sometimes physically, but I feel fortunate to still be here and able to look forward to better days.

Speaking of my health...I recently have experienced dips in my energy levels thought out the day. Could be my diet, or maybe I need to workout...whatever be the case I'm working on building more stamina.

I think that's all folks...until next time.