As I write, today is my 2023 transplantiversary, though you won’t see this post for a few days more.

It was 2011 when the call came, and I berated the doctor for ringing and ringing all my numbers continuously until I finally answered. Not that I know anything about my donor, except that he/she/they died in the night. Most likely a traffic incident.

Twelve years on, I’m recovering from a bilateral mastectomy, and having all my implants removed, but all in all I feel pretty good about the last year.

The Kidney

Unlike last year, my 2023 transplantiversary review tells my the results of my blood work have been a bit up and down, but mostly down.

To help me get to grips with this, I decided to make up a spreadsheet to start tracking my numbers a bit more seriously. Even though I know what I need to do.

I need to pay more attention to eating less meat protein, fat, salt, and sugar, and hope for better results in my kidney function, blood pressure, cholestoral and glucose.

And of course, losing weight would help all those markers too, so time to cut back on salty and sugary snacks, and (howls of derisive laugter), eat more fruit!

And as Dr Orlena calls it, focus in living in postive brain rather than negative brain. Dealing with stress, through things like meditating, sleeping and exercising well so that I can make better food choices more easily.

Mind you, while I haven’t got the results yet, I had a kidney ultrasound, and seemingly my bladder is filling up quickly and well, which it wouldn’t do if the transplant wasn’t working well. I have to wait for a month or so for the results of that.

The Body

Happily, Clever Girl still needs a crap-tonne of exercise, and she is my main motivation for walking as much as I do. Not to mention trotting about the garden playing endless games of catch.

What is new for the 2023 transplantiversary, is my kind of hankering to start running. Not something I’ve felt for at least twenty years, so I might try walking faster as I recuperate.

Skin sensitivity is still a problem. If the current rate of decline continues, I won’t need to take the drugs that are causing it, but I can’t say that’s my preferred option.

The Work

With this year’s cottage construction, it’s been difficult to do much in the way of work, and it’s been frustrating to say the least.

So, I focused on less creative tasks, and reopened the shop on my publishing website. I’ve been happily filling it with books and merchandise, and hope to catch up on the backlog by the end of the year.

In time for Christmas shopping would be great…

Also changed webhosts and themes, and am fairly happy with the way it’s all looking. Could be faster, so I may need to change the location of my data server.

We’re hoping to do some renovation on the main house next year, so who knows what that’s going to do for the work?

But taking the recent surgery into account, I’m finding it a little easier to stress less as I do less.

The Verdict

I don’t have a definitive answer – but, perhaps that’s just my pensive nature.

In some ways the year was as bad as the Covid years. But maybe that’s just me taking me a little bit more time to find my post-Covid normal than some others. It sort of fits with everything else health related taking longer than normals thanks to the immune suppression.

Have I made my organ donor proud? I’m not so sure about that either.

My mental health is excellent right now. I feel in pretty good shape.

I’d like to think, that in general, I’ve made the best of a bad situation.

Or maybe I’m like the moss, clinging to whatever surface I find myself on.

If you’d like to read more about my Transplantiversaries, click here.

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Photo by Emmanuel Mbala via Unsplash