Along for the Ride

Well, hello, there, friendly blogger friends! It's been a while since I've dusted off the ol' blog, and like most medical update websites, that's because no news is good news. Things in my medical mystery tour have been going swimmingly, and I've been doing very well, all things considered.  Of course, there are things going on in the world...LOTS of things, in fact.  But one of the biggest things recently has been COVID-19. As a transplant recipient, I've been following developments of the novel coronavirus diligently since January when the first rumblings of this illness began making their way into the news. At first, we all just kind of assumed that this would be one of those things that would creep up and then just sort of disappear, but man...we were wrong. This illness has shut down life as we know it. Social media feeds are filled with people bickering over whether masks are political statements, whether our government has responded appropriately and done...

I can't quite believe this, but yesterday marked 8 weeks from transplant!  Things have been going very well during these last two months.  I've been recovering at home, and I've enjoyed some relaxing time reading, watching Netflix, and catching up on household chores. When I was released from the hospital, I had Steri-strips along my incisions and a list of activity restrictions: no driving, no lifting, no exercise except gentle walking in the house, no crowds, no shopping at stores, no visiting kids, and no time spent outside.  Since then, some of the restrictions have been lifted.  I can drive again, and I can go outside for short periods of time as long as I wear a surgical mask.  I can go to stores as long as they aren't busy (so no weekends or evenings), and I have to wear my surgical mask at all times, clean my hands thoroughly, and wipe down the carts.  Needless to say, we've become BIG fans of curbside pick-up for groceries and Amazon for delivery...

I'm not sure what it is about Sundays, but I tend to get a bit reflective on Sunday afternoons.  Perhaps it's the preparation for the week ahead.  Perhaps it's the goal-setting and planning.  Perhaps it's the rare moment to sit back, relax, and unwind after a busy week and weekend.  Regardless, it seems like this time - these evening hours on Sundays - are when I find my mind wandering. I've always been a bit of a Pollyanna, but I have to admit that my outlook in the last few weeks has been more positive than it has been in a long, long time.  I try to stay positive most of the time, but this transplant business has really  lit a fire under my tail.  I gotta be honest.   I come from a long line of strong women, from "firm up, Mable," "put on your big girl panties," and "keep your chin up."  So I guess that tenacity, combined with my natural optimism, makes for a pretty strong "anything can happen" attitude.  So natu...

Howdy there! I spent some time recently trying to clean up my blog a bit.  I figured that - with this new phase of my journey - a fresh "look" might help renew the purpose of this blog.  In previous years, I've found that this site not only helps me communicate important updates and information about my medical journey, but it also allows me a place to process my thoughts and feelings.  Somehow it seems to help me calm my monkey mind, organize my thoughts, and build my team. I also added categories for easy sorting to help with distinguishing my medical life from, you know, life  life.  If only real life were that easy to sort and categorize! If you have recently joined me in this journey, welcome!  I try to be an open book, and sometimes I'm probably a little too  honest, but I know how much it helps me to have open and honest people to turn to, so I'm taking a leap of faith and continuing to put myself, my thoughts, my hopes, and my fears...

A friend of mine recently posted a link on Facebook of a series of photos of tattoos with book quotes and illustrations.  She asked her friends what quote they would get tattooed on themselves if given the chance. When I was in college, I felt the need to let out a little bit of my inner “bad” girl by getting a tattoo on my lower back.  Many of my friends and sorority sisters were getting tattoos of dragons, fairies, and anchors with yellow roses in tribute to our sorority.  I pondered the idea for well over a year, eventually deciding that I definitely wanted to get some ink.  My family had always been relatively conservative, but not unreasonably so.  I was most concerned about my father’s reaction, so I “greased the wheels” a little by introducing the idea to my mom first.  She seemed cool with it, saying that it was my body and all that.  I took that as a green light. One weekend night, my friends and I loaded up my Integra and made t...

In recent years, I've been developing a more "wholistic" view of life. I've seen an interconnectedness in life and nature that I don't think I realized existed before. In my explorations with relgion and spirituality, I found a connection between body, mind, and spirit, that I think can be very powerful. Now that I'm dealing with this new challenge - the whole "being sick" thing - I find that the connection between those seemingly different aspects of my being are even more important. The thing that is tricky is that this illness is autoimmune. So, by definition, my body is attacking itself. It's a strange concept. Here I am, attempting to do right by my body - ingest whole and organic foods, quiet and still my mind, meditate and center my soul - all in an attempt to get my body to love itself again. When you get a cold or a virus, it's realatively easy to imagine this vile "intruder" in your body. I've known cancer sur...

I've been struggling with writing this entry for a while. I knew I wanted to write about it, but I wasn't quite sure how or when I'd be ready. I'm actually thinking that it might be sort of anti-climatic now. Kind of like that day my brother delivered the Girl Scout cookies to work. I literally thought about the box of Thin Mints under my desk all day long. By 7th period, I could practically taste them. I had waited for so long that I was anxious to taste just 1... but a serving size was 4, so I had to get all 4 (of course). The first bite, my heart was ready to sing! I was yearning for that annual treat of minty chocolate goodness coated in the thin coating of sublime bliss. But it tasted a little.... well.... bland. And dry... I thought, OK, this is just because I built it up in my head too much. The second cookie will bring me that moment of sheer joy. But it was cakey and got stuck in my teeth. Disappointing. I half-heartedly finished the other two cookies, closed t...

In recent weeks, I've been thinking about ways that I could help myself "get happy". I think dealing with any kind of chronic illness or ongoing stress can cause us all to get a little bleary-eyed and tired from time to time, so over the last few weeks, I've been sort of cataloging a list in my mind of little tricks that make me happy. Anytime I feel that things are slipping out of my control - whether it's from the uncertainty of a medical prognosis, the unknowns of future job and financial situations, or general "blahs" from life - these are little tricks that seem to help me keep my chin up. While I would love to say that I'm able to maintain a Zen-like level of calm at all times, meditating on things as they occur, sometimes I just need some distractions to keep that spring in my step. I'm always looking for more great ideas, so please feel free to comment with your own "get happy" tricks! 1. Take a walk outside. Even 10-15 m...

This morning we had a meeting at work to discuss - among other things - school finance. Topics on the agenda included an upcoming reduction in force and the fact that teachers won’t be getting raises. Add in a sure-fire increase in medical premiums, and I suppose I can actually look forward to making less next year than this year. Normally, this information would have incensed me. I would have left the meeting riled up and ready for a fight, yapping off the ears of anyone unfortunate enough to come in my path with my frustrations about not being taken seriously and the dangers to the public education system. While I’m certainly not at the point of apathy, I found myself filled with a certain level of calm. I immediately starting thinking… “I have a job. It’s a secure job. Someone has to teach the kids. Mike has a job. We have health insurance. We have a roof over our heads. We have food to eat, clothes to wear, and people who love us.” Then I looked at my arms and actual...

Lately I've been doing some thinking about friendship and how it fits with my spirituality and lifestyle. The last few years, I have developed some fantastic friendships with some amazing people. A couple of weeks ago, we hosted an early Thanksgiving dinner, and I was listening in on the conversations of our guests. I was so impressed with the intelligence and wit of the people in the room. When my husband and I were recapping the evening the next day, we both commented about how nice it was to share an evening with people who could engage in civil conversations about politics and religion. I started thinking about my definition of friendship and evaluating the relationships I have in my life. I've never been one to have many friends, but the friends I do have are very close. For that reason, I would much rather have 1 or 2 friends with whom I can really connect than a whole group of people who barely know me. I was recently reminded of the value of boundaries, particularly w...

As we near the end of July 2010, I feel compelled to reflect over the past year. I realize that it seems a bit strange to reflect in July. After all, January is typically the month for reflection and resolutions. But for us, July holds an important meaning. In July of 2009, my husband was laid off from his job as a graphic designer. The recession we had heard about and seen shaking our community suddenly became very personal. We found ourselves "shocked and awed" by the economy and job market, and that experience has led us to a year of greater enlightenment, personal growth, and understanding about ourselves, our marriage, and our beliefs. I suppose I should back up and start by explaining a few things. My husband had been through layoffs before – several, in fact. Layoffs are part and parcel of working in the IT field, which he had done for years. He had always been able to find a new job quickly. His resume is impressive, and he has a very broad set of skills...