Day +6 [Sunday]: The road to recovery is not necessarily a smooth one. There will always be bumps along the way and realistically speaking, these bumps are to be expected. Nothing could dampen my general sense of gratitude but there was definitely a certain amount of anxiety that is generated by these unexpected forays into the unknown.
My life had already irrevocably changed for the better, but there was a lot of information still to take in. The staff knew it was front-loading their patients and to take it easy by drip feeding the essential aspects of their care that was to be self-administered. The Doctor warned me that I was now a very different beast from the one that entered hospital seven days earlier and that it would take some getting used to.
Day +4 was a day of genuine progress. A lot went on and it was an emotional roller-coaster. I was being held together largely by contact with friends and loved ones... and by the near constant physical and emotional support from the staff on Ward 726.
Day +3: Every day is a learning experience; every day is a mini adventure. This is uncharted territory for me and to say that I was unprepared for the call is an understatement. But as I had no preconceptions, I had n choice but to take everything in my stride.
Day +2: It was a day of little drama. I was exhausted. Anyone who knows me well will know that the quiet is usually a great opportunity for me to do some quality overthinking, but I was starting to surprise myself. I had been learning about positive psychology for a few years and on day +2 I put this learning into practice.
Things are starting to calm down. I can't get dressed or get to the toilet unassisted but I'm counting my lucky stars and at this rate, running out of room in the sky.
Anyone who has had a major operation will know that all dignity is left at the door. I warn you that I will include details that may make you squirm, but these are the events as they occurred. Urinary catheters and all.
I am attempting to record my personal experience of kidney transplant in these pages. Memories fade but I am hoping that this will serve as a record of the events as they unfolded for me. It's been a surreal couple of weeks and my life has changed forever as a result.
After a very strange and subdued COVID-19 spring, yesterday I was admitted to hospital for an operation to have a dialysis fistula formed in my arm.
Today I started my new routine of dialysis from the comfort of my own home. Frequent dialysis is better dialysis, however the treatment provided at the kidney unit really is the minimum they can get away with; roughly the equivalent of a single kidney working at about 5% capacity. Since lockdown I had been receiving … Continue reading Coming Home
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