Along for the Ride

So tomorrow I head back to UTSW for some more tests. Everything is moving and grooving, and so far my tests are coming back well. But... I'm 17 pounds away. So, it's time for the big guns. The endocrinologist is super busy, and even though I'm on the wait list, so far I haven't had any luck getting my appointment moved up from the end of August. My pre-transplant coordinator is pulling all the strings she can find to get me in earlier, though. I am doing my Weight Watchers thing, but it's slow. Really slow. I was emailing with a few folks today: my pre-transplant coordinator, my nurse, and my renal dietitian. I had been wanting to try a variation of the pre-bariatric surgery diet. You know... The one that's like 700-800 calories, almost all liquid, that helps to shrink the liver and reduce weight quickly a few weeks before bariatric surgery? Yep. That one. But I was nervous. See, on dialysis, my blood levels are a finely tuned machine. One thing gets outt...

Well, hello there! Last week on Thursday, my mom and I headed down to UTSW for another full day of tests and meetings.  The day started with an abdominal ultrasound.  That's a pretty simple test, so it was quick and painless.   After that test, my mom and I made our way over to the office building where we'd be the rest of the day.  We had breakfast in the cafe downstairs before heading up to the kidney transplant office.  The biggest part of the day would be spent in that office in a "kidney transplant orientation" class.  It started at 9am and finished up just before 1pm.  Basically, my mom and I sat at a conference table with a couple of other transplant candidates while different people cycled through the room, each giving a little presentation. I find the stories of other people fascinating.  Especially in a place like UTSW.  You see folks in the elevator, and you just know that they all have a story.  Pretty soon, these ladies...