Virginia is for Lovers

Not kidney related, but it's an update on my life...

I've lived a few places in my life, in different situations (from living alone to having roommates who's names I didn't know), different environments (we all know the Brooklyn story), but I never felt truly at home until I moved to Virginia. It might have to do with living with my significant other, or the calming effect of living by the water, but it's the first place that I felt I really belonged. I've tried to live my best life here- I can't remember more than one or two weekends that I didn't spend exploring the area. The idea of moving makes me pretty sad, but I'm glad that I can look back and know that I took full advantage of living in such a beautiful and fun place. Here are a few of the things I love most about Virginia: 

The breweries: O'Connor's, Green Flash, Smartmouth, Commonwealth, Pleasure House, Wasserhund (the pizza!!), and the list goes on...I've learned to really love beer and I love the environment of all of the breweries here. I've played games, had doggy dates, came in 2nd in trivia (well I sort of contributed to that), taken yoga classes, and tried tons of food trucks, which brings me to my next point...

The food trucks: I love food trucks, especially when they're outside of a brewery, and I got to eat at some really delicious ones in Virginia. I tried my first (and second and third and fourth...) lobster roll at Bite of Maine, ate really cheesy fries from a Pittsburgh-themed truck, had many white pizzas from Your Pie, and devoured a few beer battered fries from Bros Fish Tacos.

The beach: I lived on a beach that had dolphins swim by on an almost daily basis, so I don't even think I need to say anything about how great that was. 

The seafood: It's a fairly well-known fact that I'm a picky eater who basically lives off of cheese and bread, but in Virginia I got to eat so much more (although I also ate a lot of that stuff)...she crab soup, crab cakes, crab dip...Ok, so maybe not a whole lot more, but a whole lot more crab, and a little bit of shrimp.

The people: While I didn't make too many friends here, I was lucky to have a couple great co-workers turned friends, and to spend the last couple months getting to know some really awesome Jersey transplants. I also met some fun drunk people while out at events...I don't remember any of their names, but they left me with some interesting memories.

The events: Some of my favorites were two beer fests: one on the Virginia Beach waterfront and another at a petting zoo (beer and goats!! <3 ), a free Weezer concert to celebrate the opening of Norfolk's Waterside District (aka Flavortown!), VB & Hampton Restaurant Week, yoga on a battleship, and Mimosa Flight Fridays at Citrus, which deserves a mention all on it's own...

CITRUS: my favorite breakfast spot, my go-to for out of town visitors or for, ya know, all the time...Shore Drive was my main dish, but the side of pumpkin pancakes with cinnamon pecan glaze was, in the words of the great Guy Fieri, "out of bounds."

Honorable food/bar mentions: Cookout, Grilled Cheese Bistro, Jack Brown's, Benny Damato's, Waterman's Surfside Grille, Grain Rooftop at the Main, Mermaid Winery, The Back Deck, Duck Donuts, Shorebreak, Chick's, 11th Street Taphouse, Hummingbird Macarons

This was my long-winded love letter to Virginia. I'm so grateful that I got the opportunity to live in a place that I love so much, and got to have all the incredible experiences that came along with it. I'm even more grateful that I got to share so many of those experiences with friends, family, Papi Chulo, and the incredible guy that I get to share my life with. Thanks to everybody who came to visit! I'm not exactly sure what the immediate future holds, but I do know that vacations in Virginia are a definite.

Visitor Wall:

Yoga on the Battleship Wisconsin:

Jack Brown's: The Greg Brady- burger w/ mac n cheese and bbq chips:

The Back Deck:

 The beach behind our house:

 Virginia Beach Craft Beer Festival, October 2017:

 Me and bae on our beach:

Pittsburgh food truck cheese fries and beer at Green Flash Brewery:

 Lobster roll from Bite of Maine at CoVa Beer Fest & Food Truck Rodeo at Hunt Club Farm, May 2017:

 The Grilled Cheese Bistro- lobster mac n cheese grilled cheese:

Papi Chulo watching the sun set:

Dolphins behind our house:

6 Month(-ish) Check-Up

Today I went for my 6 month check up (at 7 1/2 months), and it felt good to go back to UPenn. I almost forgot how amazing everybody is there. While my immediate post-surgery experiences were a little iffy, the actual transplant team is really so great. I got to see my pal that takes my blood, which is always a delight (she's seriously so good, you don't even feel it, plus she's hilarious), I found out that I didn't gain as much weight as I thought I had (I literally ran out and  dramatically tried on a bunch of size 8 pants, 3 sizes up from my normal size 2), and then I had a fun visit with the nurse practitioner (she called me "thin" so I left feeling really good). The positivity (I was told donation stories that gave me goose bumps!), and genuine care and appreciation (the donation coordinator saw I had an appointment and sought me out just to see how I've been!) from the team there is really just incredible (even the front desk guy remembered me), and set the tone for a wonderful day of Philly food (I think my friend and I literally ate everything in the city of Philadelphia). And just a couple hours later, while I was soaking up the sun at the Japanese garden, I got a voicemail saying that my tests came back perfect, and that I "won best labs of the day." It's always good to hear that I'm in great health, and be reminded that I made a good choice. I can't stress enough what a great experience being a kidney donor was, and I'm so thankful that I was able to do it. And now I get to rock this awesome license plate!

Also here is me, today, all healthy and healed and such...

And just because I realized I never posted the link to the news story: http://www.myfoxphilly.com/story/24595804/woman-donates-to-stranger

Boring (thank goodness!) Update

Thursday will be 8 weeks from my surgery. I honestly don't feel as great as I thought I would, but I feel pretty darn good. I have to wait until 12 weeks to lift, but I'm allowed to do cardio workouts so I made my first attempt yesterday with an outside run. I generally hate running, especially outdoors, but it felt great to workout. I love that I'm sore today from something not related to this whole thing. I'm also super excited that I'm able to wear jeans again! I was getting really tired of leggings and long shirts. I've still got the little belly, but at least I can tuck it into my jeans with only a little discomfort. It's funny the trivial things that you miss after they're taken away from you. I really never thought I'd be so happy about pants and running.

I also survived my best friend's wedding this weekend, which consisted of lots of dancing and drinking, and very little sleep. It was overall one of my favorite weekends, maybe of my life...aside from the fact that it was ridiculously fun, I've never seen Kerry so happy...it was just perfect! Aside from 16 years of friend, Kerry was with me through the whole donation process; she helped take care of me and came to the hospital more than once without me having to ask, so it was really important for me to be with her on such a special day. It also made me happy that I chose to donate my kidney, rather than part of my liver because I most definitely would not be functioning today had that been the case!
Me and Kerry at the wedding: 

One of the weirder things I've noticed is that I'm not gaining weight. In the weeks following the surgery I dropped down to my lowest weight (probably from not being able to eat a lot and loss of muscle mass), and I was concerned that once I started eating normally I'd gain a lot back since I wasn't able to exercise, but at my appointment 2 weeks ago I hadn't even gained a pound back. I'm definitely not complaining, I just thought it was interesting that my body is functioning a little differently in that way (because normally I gain weight just looking at food!).

It's also really cool that I've been noticing a lot of transplant stuff lately...like Wilson donating his liver to a patient on an episode of House that I was watching last week, or Frank getting his kidney removed (when he was supposed to getting a new liver on the black market) on Shameless. Even Hannibal had a character talking about living with one kidney after one of his was cut out (and eaten, actually, if I remember correctly). I love seeing stories of organ donation, and I hope to eventually be able to help spread the need for it. I learned from seeing a news story, so you never know what just hearing a little story can do!

Emotionally I haven't had any issues. In the first 3 weeks I became a little over the pain and kind of nervous I'd feel that way forever, but I was lucky not to feel any kind of depression, which is something I hear about often in the transplant groups I'm a part of. People sometimes liken it to pregnancy post-partum. I never felt anything like that and I haven't for a minute regretted doing it. It's hard to describe the feeling I got when I learned that not only did I start a chain of 4 kidney transplants, but that my direct recipient is doing great. Since I wasn't a part of the transplant community before this whole thing, sometimes it's hard for me now to read all the stories of people waiting for organs. I get sad that I can't help more people, but it's a small comfort to be able to remind myself that I did what I could to at least help one.

So in general, I'm pretty much back to normal. There are a few things I still can't do, like pick up my nephew or work out my stomach. I still feel strange when I eat too much, or when I belly-laugh in excess. I'm sure in a few weeks that will be gone and I'll be 100%. More than anything I'm looking forward to getting back to full out workouts. My life doesn't really need to change from surgery...I don't have dietary restrictions or anything, but it's more important than before that I stay in shape and keep my weight down (because I can't risk diabetes).

My one incision is little weird right now, but once that heals and my stomach goes down I'll post pictures of my scars. :)

4 weeks!

Today marks 4 weeks from my surgery. I'm definitely not 100% but I'm feeling so much better. I'd say I'm about 70% at this point. Sometimes I feel worse, but I've definitely passed that threshold of awful into consistently tolerable. I'm starting to be able to focus (I'm reading and watching new tv shows/movies...Sabrina right now...that Humphrey Bogart is so dreamy!), and I can get almost comfortable. I'm still tired a lot, but I think that has to do with not being able to sleep that great. It's crazy how the human body heals itself. To think just a month ago I had a major organ removed from my body and today I'm sitting here virtually pain free...it's just so cool. Now I'm looking forward looking down and not seeing a swollen stomach, and being able to wear jeans. I'm also really hoping that I'm able to dance at my best friend's bachelorette party next weekend. We're going to an 80s club in New York City and I got a great dress for the occasion (it hides my stomach pooch too!). 

Incisions at 4 weeks: 

Some random observations looking back at my surgery/recovery:

-One of the weirdest things about it was that I was hot pretty much all of the time. Generally I'm a cold person (and I don't mean my personality, although some might beg to differ!), but I sweat so much, I'm guessing from one of the medications. I hated it!

-I usually don't mind just hanging out, watching tv or whatnot, but I really wanted time to pass quickly during recovery. Being uncomfortable nearly 100% of the time made everything weird.

-The physical feelings I felt were hard to describe...it was like nothing I've ever felt before or can imagine feeling again. It was definitely tolerable, but just overall strange. It's not often that you feel the pangs of nerve endings healing in your abdomen.

-Medicine is important. I'm one of those people that never goes to the doctors, I just keep moving and let it pass when I don't feel well or am in pain. But I learned through this that medicine helps you heal and oxycodones are delightful (except that they make it hard to poop...that's the living worst!).

-Everything passes. I knew that going in, which is why I was so okay with doing something so uncomfortable, but it just solidified that feeling. Pain (physical and emotional) is just temporary. Someday (soon!) this will all just be but a distant memory, but for the person that received my kidney it will hopefully be one that changed their life. I don't know for sure (I really hope to get some kind of information on that at my next appoint in a couple of weeks), but it helps to think that might be true.

That's all for now...I'm going to go enjoy being able to sit around and watch movies for the afternoon. :)

Finally an Update

I've only written once in the last almost 2 weeks and it was so boring, I didn't even bother to post it. Up until yesterday I had only had 2 good days, and was otherwise feeling very uncomfortable still. Luckily a few days ago, the gas subsided (until then I was getting very bad pains behind my ribs, making it hard to breath). Yesterday and today have been great. I'm still tired and I'm getting waves of pains in my lower stomach, but other than that I'm feeling so much better. I even laid on my left side for about 10 minutes last night...hopefully that means I'll be able to sleep comfortably soon! And I've been getting solid blocks of 4-5 hours of sleep the last couple of nights which is the most I've gotten. The pooch I've got going is also still pretty sensitive, sometimes I get annoyed having clothing over it or it makes me a little nauseous if something is rubbing it for too long, but it's getting better. The incisions themselves are definitely healing. I took pictures at 2 and 3 weeks to post, but today I got a new phone and lost all my pictures so this is what they look like today at 3 1/2 weeks:

I've been able to get out...lunches with friends, running errands, and lots of Target trips with my mom. Today I drove for the first time, which was really nice. My appetite isn't as big as it used to be(which I'm happy about for now!), but I'm eating much more regularly now, as well. I'm still walking hunched over a bit (today my nephew said "You look like a grandma!"), but I'm standing a lot straighter than before. I have my next doctor's appointment on March 10th, so I'm hoping to find out how the recipient is doing while I'm there. Altogether I'm feeling a little better each day, and while I'm still uncomfortable and tired I'm finally starting to see the possibility of feeling like myself again, which I'm so very much looking forward to!

Monday & Tuesday

I promised myself that I wouldn't blog when I wasn't feeling well, but I'm making an exception today because I've found a comfortable sitting position for the moment and I'd like to take advantage of it. The past couple days have been more uncomfortable than I expected. I'm getting a little frustrated with myself because I thought I'd heal quickly and without any issues, but that hasn't totally been the case. I really feel like that stomach bug set me back. Today was a particularly rough day for me. Not going to the bathroom is really awful and I had a very hard time moving a gas bubble that kept getting caught behind my ribs (breathing in was not a good time!). I definitely realized that I need to be walking more than I have, but it's hard with all this crazy snow! My mom has been really helpful though about trying to get me out, if only just to Target to walk around. On top of that I've been a little bit stressed about life in general. For those of you that don't know, I was laid off a few weeks before surgery. It was actually really great timing, as I don't think it would be good if I was in a hurry to get back to work, but I think just being in a negative state of mind today had me a little worried about what I'm going to do with myself once I'm feeling better. I really just need to relax and take life one day at a time for now. I know things always work out, so now is probably not the best time to stress over things I can't control.

Yesterday morning I had my 2 week (1 1/2, really) check up at the University of Pennsylvania. When they called later about my labs, the doctor said that my creatinine level was great, but my white blood cell count is slightly elevated (I'm hoping it's just from that bug last week, but just in case I'm being extra cautious about washing my hands and such). My parents both had to work so my friend, Christine took me. I just want to take a moment to acknowledge that Christine is one of the most selfless, generous, and caring friends I've ever had, and I can't thank her enough, not only for all she did for me yesterday (without me even having to ask!), but for everything in life...she's truly amazing. Anyway, the appointment went well (aside from a little snafu with getting my stronger laxative) and we went to Pizza Brain for lunch. I was pretty disappointed in myself because I love that pizza SO much (I think that's a pretty well known fact about me!), but I could only fit in one small slice. But I guess one is better than nothing! We did a lot of walking between the hospital and lunch, which really helped me so much. I was beyond exhausted when I got home but it was so worth it for how my body felt during it. 

These are my observations regarding recovery thus far:

*I know everybody says it, but it's because it's so true...walk, walk, walk!! Sometimes my back hurts if I've walked a lot, but it's way better than how I feel just sitting around.

*Mornings are the worst. I never feel worse than when I first wake up. I literally dread it.

*It's normal to get tired very easily and unexpectedly. Just sitting here, my eyes are starting to close. Typing on a computer just made me so tired I need to sleep.

*You will get funny looks if you go out in public carrying a stuffed animal close to your side. I bring my kidney pillow all over so I can use it to apply pressure...lots of people look at it, nobody asks.

I'm actually getting so tired, I can't remember where I was going with this so that'll have to be the end. My apologies! I'll try to give something a little more entertaining tomorrow!

Saturday & Sunday

Yesterday I woke up, got dressed, and headed to Target and PetSmart with my mom. By the end I was so tired I had to come home and rest until my friend Claire came over with lunch from Panera for me. We caught up and watched super cute kittens on Animal Planet (that channel can be so addictive!), and when she left I was so tired I slept for a full 3 hours. I woke up, watched Will & Grace for a few hours (love the Saturday night marathons!), and was back asleep by 11. I slept on and off until about 9 this morning and was still tired when I got up. I think the exhaustion is the most surprising part about all this. I was actually told that, but it's still such a weird feeling to get tired from pretty much doing nothing. Today I went to my nephews basketball game, which made me happy since I haven't seen him too much since my surgery. I finally ate some Taco Bell (which is my absolute favorite and I've been avoiding it just in case it made me sick...I wouldn't want to have any negative feelings towards my love), and it did nothing for my bathroom issues. All I want in the whole world right now is to be able to use the bathroom (big dreams). I know that's a super attractive thing to share, but this whole surgery has thrown any shame I had out the window. It pretty much consumes all of my thoughts. I think at this point, about 80% of my pain comes from not having gone in a week. It's just so uncomfortable! I have my follow up tomorrow so hopefully they can help me out. I also miss being able to read in a bubble bath, so today I filled the tub with hot water and put my feet in it to read. Not completely the same thing, but it had a similar effect (kept my feet warm, at least). And then I napped again (because taking a fake bath is exhausting). And that's all the updates I've got. Hoping for a good report on my follow up tomorrow! :)

These are just a few of my many fading bruises from all the IVs and shots...

A shot from my pretend bubble bath...