Here is a pic of Cas, too!
2.01.2007
The Dog in the Snow....FUN!!
I took Mia out in the snow for a little bit today. She loves getting hit in the face with snowballs!! I think she has some "special" problems. I got some good pics out of the deal though. Thought I might share!
Here is a pic of Cas, too!
Here is a pic of Cas, too!
Snow Days in Georgia
Gotta love snow days in Georgia!! This is a ton of snow for us! That is a 20 oz Dasani water bottle in the snow! I have no real desire to go out in it....but it sure is pretty to look at and it got me out of work for a day!
1.29.2007
Organ Donation Project
I added a couple of new links to my "Blogs of Interest" area over on the right hand side of the page. Brent messaged me after he saw my blog on Becky's "Chopped Liver" to tell me about his blog. Brent is a guy who tried to become a living liver donor to his father-in-law but was denied for medical reasons.
Since then, he has developed a project to raise organ donation awareness. His project, One-A-Day 2007, consists of him going up to a complete stranger every day of 2007 and starting a conversation about organ donation. He is then going to try to get them to let him take a picture of them to place on his photoblog. (Quite an undertaking seeing that he will have to get each of these people to sign a release.) He says that the project is not to change people's minds about organ donation (though I am sure he wouldn't mind), but to raise awareness and to get people thinking about organ donation. There is a major shortage of organs in the United States, and the list grows every day. I was one of the fortunate ones to receive an organ. I believe that it is my job to help bring organ donation awareness to the forefront.
The other link, Casual Effect, is his blog that primarily discusses living organ donation. There are some great stories and insight on his blog from the point of view of a living donor. Check out his links.
Brent has gotten me thinking about what I can do to help out with a project of my own or to help out with his. If you have any suggestions, leave me a comment. I have been thinking about maybe starting a smaller scale project like Brent's, but you all know how hard that would be for this extreme introvert!
Since then, he has developed a project to raise organ donation awareness. His project, One-A-Day 2007, consists of him going up to a complete stranger every day of 2007 and starting a conversation about organ donation. He is then going to try to get them to let him take a picture of them to place on his photoblog. (Quite an undertaking seeing that he will have to get each of these people to sign a release.) He says that the project is not to change people's minds about organ donation (though I am sure he wouldn't mind), but to raise awareness and to get people thinking about organ donation. There is a major shortage of organs in the United States, and the list grows every day. I was one of the fortunate ones to receive an organ. I believe that it is my job to help bring organ donation awareness to the forefront.
The other link, Casual Effect, is his blog that primarily discusses living organ donation. There are some great stories and insight on his blog from the point of view of a living donor. Check out his links.
Brent has gotten me thinking about what I can do to help out with a project of my own or to help out with his. If you have any suggestions, leave me a comment. I have been thinking about maybe starting a smaller scale project like Brent's, but you all know how hard that would be for this extreme introvert!
1.17.2007
Progression of Me
Figured I would post some pics of me showing the change from just before surgery until now!
3 days before surgery....nice tan huh?? haha!! Weighing in around 135!
2 weeks after surgery....probably floating between 125 and 130 pounds.
3 months after surgery
7 months after surgery
9 months after surgery....weighing in around 150 pounds now.
3 days before surgery....nice tan huh?? haha!! Weighing in around 135!
2 weeks after surgery....probably floating between 125 and 130 pounds.
3 months after surgery
7 months after surgery
9 months after surgery....weighing in around 150 pounds now.
1.15.2007
As promised
Here are the pics that I promised. The first is from about 2 weeks after surgery and the second is from last night.
You can tell how much swelling there was when you compare it to the second picture. I had forgotten I was that swollen.
The little bump on the left side (my right) of the pic is my liver still trying to get back into position! You can compare the right side bulge and see that it has gone down a lot since March. I am surprised the scar is fading like it is. I am pretty proud of it now....and to think that I was so scared! What a pansy!!
You can tell how much swelling there was when you compare it to the second picture. I had forgotten I was that swollen.The little bump on the left side (my right) of the pic is my liver still trying to get back into position! You can compare the right side bulge and see that it has gone down a lot since March. I am surprised the scar is fading like it is. I am pretty proud of it now....and to think that I was so scared! What a pansy!!
1.05.2007
Long Time
Haven't posted in a while. Things have now calmed down a little after Christmas and I plan on posting more here soon.
Short Update: I have not been in the hospital in a little over a month (knock on wood). The doctors changed some of my medication at the end of November which caused some of my liver enzymes to become elevated. They have put be back on my original dosages and the levels are coming back down. It is funny to see how finicky the transplant process is when it comes to medication and rejection. Long story short, I am doing well. I had a great Christmas and New Year's, saw some friends, had a break from work, and enjoyed every minute. I am looking forward to the new year and the changes 2007 may hold for me. It feels good to be healthy!
Hopefully soon I will get a picture of the scar up.......I am planning on posting the picture of the incision (staples and all) and a recent picture of how it all is healing. Keep looking back!
Short Update: I have not been in the hospital in a little over a month (knock on wood). The doctors changed some of my medication at the end of November which caused some of my liver enzymes to become elevated. They have put be back on my original dosages and the levels are coming back down. It is funny to see how finicky the transplant process is when it comes to medication and rejection. Long story short, I am doing well. I had a great Christmas and New Year's, saw some friends, had a break from work, and enjoyed every minute. I am looking forward to the new year and the changes 2007 may hold for me. It feels good to be healthy!
Hopefully soon I will get a picture of the scar up.......I am planning on posting the picture of the incision (staples and all) and a recent picture of how it all is healing. Keep looking back!
11.24.2006
Hard Work
This is ten percent luck, twenty percent skill
Fifteen percent concentrated power of will
Five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain
And a hundred percent reason to remember the name!
-Fort Minor "Remember the Name"
Was listening to this song the other day and got to thinking about life. More specifically, having things in life that we take pride in. I'm not talking material possessions or trivial things, but relationships that we have had to work at, careers that we had to work to achieve, and other things that we can honestly look back and say, "I did that!" To get there is rarely an easy road and we have all put in our "fifty percent pain" while only getting the "five percent pleasure." Looking back though, we have pleasure in knowing that we did all we could to make things work and we can be proud and have 100% pleasure in knowing that we have worked hard for what we have and that no one can take that from us.
With that, I just want to say thank you to everyone who has helped me get the things that I am proud to look back at with a feeling of accomplishment. Some of you probably don't know the part you played. One day I hope to be able to tell everyone that part and thank them personally!
Fifteen percent concentrated power of will
Five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain
And a hundred percent reason to remember the name!
-Fort Minor "Remember the Name"
Was listening to this song the other day and got to thinking about life. More specifically, having things in life that we take pride in. I'm not talking material possessions or trivial things, but relationships that we have had to work at, careers that we had to work to achieve, and other things that we can honestly look back and say, "I did that!" To get there is rarely an easy road and we have all put in our "fifty percent pain" while only getting the "five percent pleasure." Looking back though, we have pleasure in knowing that we did all we could to make things work and we can be proud and have 100% pleasure in knowing that we have worked hard for what we have and that no one can take that from us.
With that, I just want to say thank you to everyone who has helped me get the things that I am proud to look back at with a feeling of accomplishment. Some of you probably don't know the part you played. One day I hope to be able to tell everyone that part and thank them personally!
11.23.2006
Happy Thanksgiving
Hope everyone has had a great Thanksgiving. I know this is getting out late on Thanksgiving night, but I have been busy all day doing family "stuff." It has been a really good day. Had some time to reflect today on things to be thankful for and, of course, I have many! It didn't hit me until later tonight that just being around family for me this year is a blessing. Just to not be in the hospital or sick is a blessing. To have a family to spend time with is a blessing. I could go on and on. I know, lately, I have been scarce with my friends but I have been spending more time with my family. I want to thank everyone who reads this and who has helped me through hard times with the transplant. I know that the prayers that were prayed and the kind words that were said to me will not go unpaid. I just want everyone to know that, on Earth, right now, they haven't gone unnoticed! Happy Thanksgiving!
11.18.2006
11.13.2006
Wellness Conference
Sorry for the long delay in updating. I have been incredibly busy with teaching and trying to stay caught up. It is easy to get behind when you miss at least one day a week, not to mention the hospital stays that have set me back 3 or 4 days at a time. I am getting caught up and actually feel like I can breathe now. Hopefully I will be updating more regularly now. Now for the update....
First off, I am whole again! I had a biliary drain in my side until last Wednesday and it was removed. This means that there are no more tubes or medical appendages coming out of my body. It feels good to not have to worry about pulling it out before it needs to come out. I was happy to discover that the removal of the biliary drain did not hurt. I was worried going in because the removal of my JP drain was nothing short of excruciating. The doctor just told me to take a deep breath and before I could finish inhaling, he was finished. Otherwise, I am doing well.
Second, I spent all day Saturday at a Wellness Conference put on by the Georgia Transplant Foundation. It was awesome to meet other people who have had a transplant and see other people who I haven't seen since we left Emory. I also met my inspiration and benchmark for getting better, Chris Klug. He is an Olympic bronze medalist snowboarder who won that medal just a year and a half after transplant. He is a superstar in the transplant community and an inspiration to others. You never know how it is going to be when you meet people with "status." I went to a seminar that was a Q&A with Klug. In the seminar there was also a transplant pharmacist from Tampa General Hospital who was a recipient of 2 kidneys. Klug later came up and we had a short conversation over lunch. It is always nice when you meet people you look up to and they live up to those expectations.
Well that is the update for now, hope you enjoyed!
First off, I am whole again! I had a biliary drain in my side until last Wednesday and it was removed. This means that there are no more tubes or medical appendages coming out of my body. It feels good to not have to worry about pulling it out before it needs to come out. I was happy to discover that the removal of the biliary drain did not hurt. I was worried going in because the removal of my JP drain was nothing short of excruciating. The doctor just told me to take a deep breath and before I could finish inhaling, he was finished. Otherwise, I am doing well.
Second, I spent all day Saturday at a Wellness Conference put on by the Georgia Transplant Foundation. It was awesome to meet other people who have had a transplant and see other people who I haven't seen since we left Emory. I also met my inspiration and benchmark for getting better, Chris Klug. He is an Olympic bronze medalist snowboarder who won that medal just a year and a half after transplant. He is a superstar in the transplant community and an inspiration to others. You never know how it is going to be when you meet people with "status." I went to a seminar that was a Q&A with Klug. In the seminar there was also a transplant pharmacist from Tampa General Hospital who was a recipient of 2 kidneys. Klug later came up and we had a short conversation over lunch. It is always nice when you meet people you look up to and they live up to those expectations.
Well that is the update for now, hope you enjoyed!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
