This and That and Talk - My Transplant

@rosemarya I have to go weekly until my next appointment with him in September.

Thankfully they have some type of agreement with a group of labs called "quest labs" that are all over the place. It's about 10 minutes down the road. There is just one person there, she does the blood draw and sends it "stat" to MA where it is analyzed. I cannot imagine how much that must cost, for just my blood to go about an hour away! I get an email in the afternoon telling me the results are in and that I can see them on the portal. I have gotten so friendly with the phlebotomist that she is almost like a friend now.
JK

@rosemarya Rosemary, you are an inspiration! I hate going to the gym part of my club and do not do it as much as I should, most of my activity is confined to the pool. Maybe you will inspire me to do the gym more.
Have a great time in the Great Smoky Mountains. Up here the mountains are cooler -- you need to come to New England!
I do not see my pre-transplant people at all now, but I love seeing my transplant surgeon. Initially I was such a mess and now I am looking very well. I know it is very gratifying for him to see his patients recover so well.
JK

@rosemarya, Rosemary, I asked my surgeon today what percentage of liver recipients development kidney problems and he said about 10% - 15%, and that it generally takes at least 6 years. I hope I am on the far end of that. He is the head of the kidney transplant department along with being a top liver transplant surgeon so hopefully if I ever get to that point I will be able to have him once again.

Those trembles must be very annoying. I know how much mine bothered me pre-transplant. All the pictures I took were a blur and sometimes when I was out I was embarrassed drinking a cup of coffee. I had that for a long time, it was thought initially that it was essential tremor but of course it was the cirrhosis rearing it's ugly head.

I wonder if I could do the stair step machine. How are your knees? Mine are not good but I know the water exercise and my recumbent bike are both good for them, developing the muscles around the joint to help. Maybe the step machine would be also.
JK

@contentandwell, Yes, Anytime my meds are adjusted or changed, I can also expect frequent blood tests. It is remarkable how much information that they get from those labs and how closely that we are monitored after our transplants. I appreciate it.
Do you have to travel back to his office for the labs? I think you said it is a couple of hours? I have my labs drawn locally and then the results are faxed to Mayo and my PCP gets a hard. Since the lab is nearby, I usually drive there to pick up the results myself in a couple hours. That way I can check to be sure they were faxed.
Rosemary

@lcamino, I would gladly make that drive too. I toyed with the idea of going to an internist at the MGH satellite in Danvers MA. It's about the same distance as Boston but you don't hit that Boston traffic so it would generally be about an hour. I go there for MRIs and ECHOs. I just figured that's a bit too far to go. I am going to try to find one either in Concord, NH (about 22 miles north) or Nashua NH (about 22 miles south). None of the ones around Manchester that are accepting new patients are that good.
It's daunting to change doctors though. I wish somehow he could explain his gaffe to give me a reason to stay with him. As I believe I commented before, I actually like him and enjoy my visits with him, we generally chat a bit about family. He's 20 years older than my son but their physiques and hairlines are similar so he makes me think of my son. The picture is my son and his young lady on New Year's Eve. She keeps me up on things, sending me pictures.
JK

@rosemarya Also, the Parker House, a venerable old hotel, was a favorite spot of JFK for lunch, that and the Union Oyster House.
JK

@rosemarya Thanks Rosemary, I am getting there. Had a good appointment today with my surgeon, he is modifying my medications so now I have to resume weekly blood tests so they can track what difference the changes make. They are very conservative there which I view as a good thing.
JK

@lcamino My son really is such a great guy. I always felt, as I said in a different post, that things would work out with him eventually but he is good beyond my wildest dreams. Many people have commented to me on what a gentleman he is. That, along with the fact that he is just an all-around good guy are the things that make me proud of him. My daughter is great also, but in a totally different way, less expressive.
JK

@hopeful33250 - Teresa, I do have to brag about my training program!! Since I am fortunate to have no physical restrictions, I am doing 4 days a week. 2 days are with machines for arms, chest, legs, abs,; and 2 days are devoted to treadmill and stair climber. I am learning to feel my body and my heart rate and to make some adjustments to my pace. My family have always been outdoor lovers. And a good hike is always our choice vacation activity. (I do choose a motel and a cooked meal - no more camping)
We are headed to the Great Smoky Mts in a couple weeks. And it is hot and humid there. My fear is that with my fairly new exercise induced asthma, that I'm going to need all the extra physical conditioning to get me up a mountain trail. I am being treated by pulmonologist and it is under control, except for the heat and humidity component.

The neat thing about the post transplant protocol for visits is the opportunity to see the very same people who took care of me when I was so very sick. It is happy for both of us!

@lcamino, good to hear about VRBO. I know my son and daughter both have used it and my daughter used to travel a lot for her job so she had her NYC apartment on airbnb for a while -- it helped to pay the rent. I was sort of nervous about that, if someone could copy the key, but she never had a problem.
VRBO really is a good way to go when traveling with others.
JK