Hi @cehunt57 😊 It sounds like you really went through a lot that first year! (Especially having to have a second surgery so soon after the first surgery). It's probably a good thing that 16 years later, some of the experience is a blur. All is well that ends well, but when you are going through the trials and tribulations it doesn't feel that great.
My kidney transplant story started when I was a little girl. I had an infection that damaged my kidneys and began my lifetime scarring. My childhood nephrologist told me when I was nine years old that when I was a fifty year old woman I would need a kidney transplant. Well, fast forward.....at 60 years old I needed a transplant. My MIRACLE occurred in July 2020 (during the pandemic). I received a call at 2am from Mayo that they had a match! I thought I was DREAMING. When I arrived at the hospital I had a covid test, my cross match test, all of the other prep tests, and by 2pm I had my new kidney! I still can not believe how blessed I am. I drive my mother to kidney dialysis three times a week and she is there for three hours. Dialysis of course is a lifesaver and she is too old to qualify for a transplant. Dialysis takes a lot out of her so I am very aware of what a gift this transplant is for me.
My first year also had the challenges of trying to get the meds right. Neupogen shots to treat neutropenia and leukopenia, elevated liver enzymes. At the 8 month, I had CMV. My donor was CMV positive and I was CMV negative. After 6 weeks of Valcyte and lowered suppression, the CMV resolved. Since that time, my monthly labs have been pretty reliable and stable... It's WONDERFUL! I highly recommend a kidney transplant at Mayo Clinic. They are an AMAZING team. I tell everyone that the world would be a magical place if everything and everyone could be like the Mayo Clinic. Excellent and Caring. Like you always say, this is my personal miracle story! Love to you