Post-Transplant Update: 24 May 2019

Over this past week, there have been few new developments, so this entry will be fairly brief. 

My daily vitals have been stable. As per usual, my morning and evening blood pressure (BP) readings are divergent from each other. While the difference is now less following the partial parathyroidectomy, it is still there. As I stated in last weeks' entry, the Clinic doctors are unconcerned by that at this time, so I won't worry too much about the AM/PM gap.  
On the other hand, my average pulse rate is in the mid 60's, which is excellent!     
As far as my weight...I seem to have stalled in my downward vacillation, hovering at or near 125 Kg's. 


Yesterday, I finally finished the latest puzzle that I have been working on for several months. The reason it has taken so long is because it is a "Challenge" puzzle of 1,000 pieces, and with similar patterns of color and shape throughout. A good early session on the puzzle was 2-3 pieces. Some days, I got nothing done. As I put more pieces in place, the puzzle went faster as there were fewer and fewer pieces to sort through; less patters to evaluate and identify.  Below is a picture of that puzzle:

This particular puzzle, though frustrating to even get started, was a great exercise for my recovering brain. It really helped me to settle my mind away from frustration and  towards problem solving, and seeing more intricate patterns. 

The next puzzle I will do will not be so difficult; which I will start on this weekend.

On the TMD front, I had a small victory this past month. Let me explain...

Ever since my Abdominal Hernia surgery (and all the terrible resultant pain), my T3 usage has been one month of meds taken over about 26-28 days; or, about 3.15 tablets per day. This usage was consistent...until my latest Rx was done. I started using that on the morning of 22 April. I finished that bottle of meds in the morning of 22 May, for a solid 3.0 tablets per day.  I know, that doesn't sound like a big drop; but it is the first time since that 2017 surgery that I have been able to go a full 30 days on one allotment of meds. Plus, as I stated last week, I had several days that I took only one T3. 

This small victory gives me even more hope that I am finally on my way to getting to the point of completely controlling the TMD headaches once again.

My energy this past week has been low; but considering how much I had to do from Tuesday (14 May) until Monday morning, I really am not surprised that my body is tired. However, I have to look at it from the perspective of my having enough healing and physical energy that I could do so much solo driving, and so many errands in the first place! This is terrific progress, even if I have to take a step backward for a few days.

Again...small victories!

My sleep has been OK; my appetite is consummate with my overall activity level; my water intake is a solid 2.5 Liters every day (plus other fluids) and I am feeling like I am moving slowly forward. A long road to overall recovery still lies before me, but I am seeing clear signs that I am on my way.

I hope that all of my U.S. readers have a safe Memorial Day weekend! Please take a few minutes to remember those who gave their lives so that we all can enjoy the freedoms that we live with every day. Without their sacrifices, our lives would be vastly different!

Good Health to All!

ScottW

Post-Transplant Update: 16 May 2019

My apologies for taking too long to write this entry. I just failed to sit down and get it done. However, with the last two days now done, I am finally getting caught up.

Tuesday (14 May) I had my monthly labs and infusion.

14 May 19 Labs:

*Creat:   2.88 (+0.23) 

*HCT:   35.2 (-0.3) IR

*Hemo:   11.3 (+0.2) IR

*Lymph:   15.4 (+1.6) IR (Low End)

*Lymph ABS:   0.9 (NC) Low

*Neut:   76.1 (-0.7) High

*Neut ABS:   4.6 (-0.1) IR

*RBC:   3.97 (+0.03) Very Low

*WBC:   6.1 (-0.4) IR

*BUN:   42 (+2) Extremely High

*CA:   9.9 (NC) IR

*GFR:   23 (-3) Extremely Low

*Gluc:   96

*K+:   4.3 (-0.1) IR

*NA+:   138 (NC) IR

*Prot:   7.1 (+0.1) IR

*MG:   2.2 (NC) IR

*Phos:   4.3 (+0.2) IR

*PTH:   63 (-58) IR
            NC= No Change     IR= IN Range

The labs are looking really good, overall.  The Lymphocytes, while still a touch on the low end of the range, still show stability. There is still lots of room for immune system strengthening; but I am glad that this reading is stable!

The latest Parathyroid Hormone (PTH) reading came back in fantastic shape! I think that the April reading of 121 was simply an anomalous reading. The surgeon has already contacted me and is extremely pleased with both the PTH and CA readings. Plus, I am to continue with my current calcium supplement intake (Tums, 100 mg 4x/day), and no other changes or concerns.  So, terrific news there!

The Creatinine reading will be discussed in just a bit.


Urinalysis (UA) 14 May 19

Appearance:   Normal

Color:   Normal

Glucose, UR:   Negative

Hgb,UR:   Negative

Ketones, UR:   Negative

Leuk Esterase:   Negative

Nitrite:   Negative

pH, Urine:   6.0 (Normal Range is 5.0-8.5)

Prot, UR:   Negative

Specific Gravity, Urine:   1.01 (Normal Range is 1.003-1.030)

The only change on this month's UA is in the Protein. It has gone from a trace in April to negative this month. Again, renal filtering is going well.

My Belatacept Infusion [on Tuesday] went well. The IV canulation was easy, and the infusion went off without any issues. As is now the pattern, I have had zero side effects from the medication--which continues to be 600 Mg in 100cc of Normal Saline (NS) given over 30 minutes.


Now, yesterday (Wednesday, 15 May) I had my two year post-transplant follow-up with the Kidney Clinic. As always, we discussed meds, compliance with renal care instructions, physical exam and answering any questions I might have. 
In summary, the Clinic doctors are extremely pleased with my progress, and have no changes or further instructions, at this time.
As for my current Creatinine reading of 2.88, they are not yet concerned, as muscle building increases the normal Creatinine levels. IF this gets over 3.0, they could order new tests to determine if anything untoward is causing the increase [other than muscle growth]. 

And speaking of my two-year follow-up, I cannot believe that I have already had my kidney for two full years! May 4th (Star Wars Day) is my "Kidney-versary". 
Despite all the struggles that have occurred since the transplant, the kidney is finally strengthening and functioning nicely; as well as is my immune system. It has been a very long, arduous road to get to this point; but I wouldn't trade it for anything!


On other areas, I am getting my walks in probably 3-4 times each week, depending on things that are going on from day to day. Last week, I decreased my brief walk of about 250 yards (mostly on a slight uphill gradient) from 7:37 to 6:36.75. Though the walk still exhausts me, it is very encouraging that after only a relatively few walks, my time is already decreasing. Once my time lowers to about five minutes, I will likely increase the distance incrementally. Of course, I will keep you updated on my progress.

Next, my TMD is finally settled down to a somewhat normal level. It is hard, when talking about TMD and its associated headaches, to describe "normal." Being subjective, it means one thing to me, but something else entirely to someone else. Anyhow, with the headache intensity and frequency lessened, I haven't taken any strong meds in about three weeks. Unfortunately, my T3 usage is still averaging about three per day. On the plus side of that news, I have already had several days that I took only one T3, which is an excellent sign that I may finally be on the upside of knocking these headaches down again. 

My weight seems to have plateaued over the past week or so. I hit a high of 126.6 Kg's on 02 May; but my current weight is 125.4 Kg. I have seen a recent downward vacillation  that will hopefully continue.

On other, infrequently discussed topics: 

The Neuropathy in my feet seems to be getting slowly better. I am wearing shoes now on my walks, and when I drive (which I have been doing barefoot because I can't feel the pedals through shoes) in order to help my feet get used to having the irritation increase. I am hoping that between these efforts and acupuncture, I might be able to wear shoes all the time within a month or two. (Though I am cautiously pessimistic that that will actually happen anytime soon.) At least I am on my way to getting back into shoes.

Since the recent tooth repair, I have had no further issues. Plus, my wife noticed that my teeth have naturally whitened slightly since the partial Parathyroidectomy, as if the calcium and other nutrients are finally reaching the teeth. 

My sleep has been pretty good each night. I am generally getting between 6-7 hours of decent sleep, though that changes whenever I have to get up more that two times to relieve my still under-sized bladder. Most of the time I can get back to sleep; but once in a while, I have to get up after taking an hour to get back asleep. 

And speaking of my bladder, the absolute most that I have had it hold was 650 cc's...but that was only after I was dead asleep for too long, and I literally bolted up out of sleep (and the bed) in order to hit the restroom. Most nights, I average between 300-500 cc's, and from 2-5 times each night; which makes a no average nightly total between 700 cc's - 2 Liters. (Like I said...no nightly average for urinary voiding.) The Clinic doctors frankly don't know if I can expect my bladder to increase in holding volume. I hope that it does; but if it does, that could take some time.


And with that, I will conclude this edition of my blog.

I hope that each of you, my readers, are doing exceptionally well, and moving ahead towards your goals despite any and all opposition!

Good Health to All!

ScottW

Post-Transplant Update: 25 April 2019

Alright...a few things to discuss today.

First, I had my appointment with the parathyroid surgeon. He is pleased with my progress, and is unconcerned with my latest PTH lab. He told me that with a partial parathyroidectomy, the PTH level can waffle up and down. Right now, he is happy if the reading ranges between 80-120, so long as the Calcium level stays in the mid-9.5 area. Any lower [calcium reading] and the PTH will spike and cause issues. So for now, maintain my current calcium supplement intake (1000 mg 4x/day), have the PTH re-tested in May, then call in for further instructions.

Also during this doctor visit, the three sutures that were causing me further discomfort were all trimmed down so as to be below the skin. He did this by using an 'alligator' clamp to grab hold of the individual suture ends [and pull them away from the skin a bit], then his nurse clipped each off, and the clamp released resulting in all three ends retreating back into the skin. There should be no further issues with these sutures; though I should still apply ointment once each day for about two weeks to help further dissolve the remaining surgical threads.

Next, the headache has, overall, begun to decrease earlier than I had anticipated following my last dental appointment. However, it still spikes daily; but at least it has begun to ease off for a period of time each day. This is terrific news on the TMD front!

Remember...small victories!

With the TMD settling down I finally began my daily walks to improve my leg strength, conditioning and stamina. 

I started with a short walk of about 150 yards last evening, then I just got done with another of about 200 yards right before I sat down to type this entry. Today's walk showed me just how much further my strength has slipped. With only a slight elevation increase over about 2/3's of the circular route I took, it left me wiped out. My legs were weak and aching by the time I arrived back home.

I expected this, even though the result today is a tad disconcerting. I have to remember that I am months and months behind where I thought I'd be by now because of everything that has happened since my transplant.

The weakening of my muscles is greater now than two years ago, so I must keep the positive thought that just getting started is the hardest part of regaining strength! Once your efforts become habit, the exercise becomes easier as you grow stronger...no matter how incremental that progress might be.

A couple of days ago I was thinking about how far I have to go in getting back in shape. The thought occurred to me that it is as if I am starting to gain strength for the first time...all over again. THAT is how I must look at my day to day progress. It doesn't matter how long it takes; only that I am giving my best every single day.

My weight continues to rise, though I am unsure if the increase is from eating too much compared to my activity level, if I am holding onto too much water from day to day, or if my normal daily activity level has increased what muscle mass I have, thereby increasing my weight. Though I generally void most all of my daily fluid intake, there are days that I hold onto some [fluids] for whatever reason. In this regard, I have been counting my nightly urine output for the past few weeks. My nightly output is ranging from 800 cc's (8/10's of a Liter or kilogram) to 2,000 cc's (or 2 Liters/Kilograms). There hasn't seemed to be an apparent 'normal' volume of nightly urine output, though I will continue to check this. 

As far as my daily food intake, I rarely eat breakfast. (I believe I have previously stated that I haven't eaten a breakfast with any regularity in decades simply because I dislike most all typical breakfast foods.) Meanwhile, my lunches are light to moderate in total volume, and my dinners go between moderate to normal. Plus, I will sometimes eat an evening snack; though not consistently.  So, I don't know that the weight increase is due to this. It could just be a combination of all these factors. 

In any event, as my strength and stamina increase, my fatty tissue will decrease while muscle mass increases (even before weight training), so it will be interesting to see what happens with my weight.

Though I am frustrated with a few things, I am pleased, overall, with how I am coming along. Again, I must remember how far I have to go so that I temper any frustration with understanding of the journey ahead.

And with that, I will wrap this up for today.

Have a fantastic week, everyone!

Good Health to All!

ScottW

Post-Transplant Update: 19 April 2019

I am getting to this post later than I had intended due to having that tooth crown placed, and the ensuing headache that resulted. So, let's start with labs...

16 April 19 Labs:

*Creat:   2.77 (+0.12) 

*HCT:   35.5 (-0.6) IR

*Hemo:   11.1 (NC) IR

*Lymph:   13.8 (-1.5) Low

*Lymph ABS:   0.9 (-0.1) Low

*Neut:   76.8 (-1.9) High

*Neut ABS:   5.0 (-0.1) IR

*RBC:   3.94 (-0.02) Very Low

*WBC:   6.5 (+0.3) IR

*BUN:   42 (+2) Extremely High

*CA:   9.5 (-0.5) IR

*GFR:   24 (-2) Extremely Low

*Gluc:   95 (Normal 80-100)

*K+:   4.8 (+0.4) IR

*NA+:   141 (+3) IR

*Prot:   ??

*MG:   2.2 (NC) IR

*Phos:   3.9 (-0.2) IR

*PTH:   121 (+59) Very High

          NC= No Change     IR= In Range

Though there has been small drops in a few of my numbers, I am particularly interested ion the latest Parathyroid Hormone (PTH) reading. Last month it was terrific. This month, not at all. As per previous physician instructions, I called the surgeon's office to relay the PTH and Calcium readings. Rather than immediately adjusting my calcium intake, the doctor wants to see me on Monday. Plus, he will be looking at the still-undissolved sutures in my neck, and will possible remove them, as well.  I will update you next week on the outcome of that appointment.

As far as the other numbers with movement in the wrong direction, I have a sneaking suspicion that these are a result of the higher PTH level. 


Urinalysis (UA) 16 April 19

Appearance:   Normal

Color:   Normal

Glucose, UR:   Negative

Hgb,UR:   Negative

Ketones, UR:   Negative

Leuk Esterase:   Negative

Nitrite:   Negative

pH, Urine:   6.0 (Normal Range is 5.0-8.5)

Prot, UR:   Trace

Specific Gravity, Urine:   1.01 (Normal Range is 1.003-1.030)

Aside from the slight elevation of the pH level (5.5 up to 6.0), the UA continues to clearly show that the kidney is filtering well. (YAY!)

As I stated at the very beginning of this entry, I finally had the tooth crown placed over the broken #19 tooth. The crown fits perfectly, and is level with the other teeth around it. Unfortunately, the headache I had from the initial dental appointment was only just beginning to ease up; and even the moderately light pressure exerted on my jaw was enough to send the headache pain spiraling upward once again. Luckily, the crown placement (and cleanup of extra cement) only took about 30 minutes, so I am hoping that the latest increase in headache pain goes away sooner than before. 

Oh...just FYI, before the latest appointment, my headaches were averaging about a solid 7 (out of 1-10), after nearly two weeks of nothing but 9-10's. This time, I came home with a 10+, and it is now averaging an 8.  :o(    :o(    :o(

Next, my energy level has remained up despite the elevated PTH. This is an excellent development! It tells me that I have not only increased some muscle, but also some stamina, as well. Though I still get exhausted doing chores, I continue cooking every day, as well as seeing that the house remains in good shape. So...definite progress!

I know that I had a few other things to tell you about, but my headache is hurting too much--despite pain meds--to both remember what else I has, and to keep typing up this entry. So, I'll quickly wrap this up...

Again, I will let you know how Monday's appointment goes. Until then...

Good Health to All!

ScottW

Post-Transplant Update: 09 April 2019

I don't have a lot to discuss today as things have been pretty uneventful, overall.

However, that doesn't mean there is nothing to pass on.

First, I had my initial dental appointment to fix that broken tooth (#19, apparently). As I stated in an earlier post, the break on the tooth was clean, and the underlying dentin was still in great condition; as well as was a filling on the tooth that had no stability issues.
Because of these factors, there was zero 'build-up' needed on or around the tooth to stabilize the crown. I had several impressions of the tooth taken, and a 'temporary' crown was created over the tooth in order to protect it from further damage, and the dentist just needed to clean up the tooth so that the crown would fit nicely.

Getting the crown made will take two weeks, and I will have the temporary crown removed and the permanent crown then placed on the 18th of this month. 

That was the good news...

...now for the bad...

As with every time I have any dental work, my TMD was set off BIG TIME!
Ever since the appointment one week ago, my headaches have been averaging a solid 8, with frequent bumps up to 10+. Even with meds, my headache is terrible, and only time will help things relax again. Unfortunately, with the crown placement coming up--and more TMD aggravation--it will likely been some time before the pain calms down to a normal level. Plus, I'll be getting a cleaning in the next month or two. This is NOT a fun time to have TMD complications. Oh well...I do what I must and know that eventually these headaches will reduce.

Next, the scar from my partial parathyroidectomy is coming along.

(Seven weeks post-surgery)

The actual surgery pain is completely gone, and I can move my neck freely once again. However, even after following physician instructions, I still have undissolved sutures along the incision. 

After I see my monthly labs next week, I am to call the doctors' nurse to ask about any alterations of calcium intake. I will also ask about the sutures and if I need to have them removed. I will let you know what I find out.

My recent energy uptick has remained. Having the three parathyroid glands excised was definitely the right thing for me to do. I had been wanting to get out walking more than a few times each week, but with the TMND headaches so severe right now, there is yet another delay in really getting started.  :o( 

In any event, I am glad for the energy increase. I am cooking every day again, doing more household chores and am not such a lump at home (which is fantastic!). I'm even finding that I am getting bored; which I take as an excellent sign that I am on the upswing!

And that is all I have for today.

Labs and my next monthly infusion of Belatacept are next Tuesday (16 April). I will update my blog once those labs are completely available.

Have a terrific week, everyone!

Good Health to All!

ScottW

Post-Transplant Update: 27 March 2019

**Reminder...This blog reflects MY personal journey with PCKD, dialysis and renal transplant; treatments, medication use, tests, etc. Every kidney patient is different, so be sure that you follow your physicians' advice and treatment plan. Only they can know how best to proceed for any individual patient.
Everything that has happened to me following transplant is NOT the normal course of events, so it should never be construed to reflect every transplant patients' journey.


As I have little to pass on today, this entry will be relatively brief.

To start, the one-month follow-up with the Parathyroid doctor went well. He was extremely pleased with my labs (PTH of 62, CA of 9.9), and with the fact that my energy has increased. Also, after examining the scar, he saw a several pieces of suture that have not yet fully dissolved. Of these, he removed two sections, and left another three as they were too deep in the skin to safely excise. For the remainder, I am to put a Neosporin-type gel on the incision for three or four days in order to help the sutures finish dissolving. After that, to put lidocaine cream on the incision to help alleviate most of the discomfort I am still feeling.
(When I first applied the gel, I could feel the ends of the remaining sutures under my fingertips, so I was sure to do this very gently so as to avoid unnecessary irritation.)

I am also to reduce my intake of Calcium (Tums) from 1,000 mg every four hours (or 6 each day), to 1,000 mg every six hours. In one month--after my next labs--I am to call the office's nurse and ask of I need to adjust the calcium intake again, or leave it alone.

Lastly, the doctor volunteered a bit of information that made me appreciate his work even more than I already do. When he did his surgical training, he was under the tutelage of "the best EENT surgeon in the world, at that time." I was amazed by his comment, then remarked to the doctor that throughout my whole kidney journey, I keep having doctors come into my life that are either tops in their field, or who trained under top physicians or programs. The doctor then remarked, "You are both blessed and extremely fortunate for that to happen."

Definitely!


As far as my day to day, another indicator that my energy is up is that I have made dinner (from scratch) every night for the past week. Plus, I even fully cleaned the kitchen after eating a few times, which I haven't done since probably 2013, or so. 

Next, my headaches have taken an uptick this past week. While that is disappointing, I have to take into account that these headaches are only TMD involved, instead of having some that hit without any jaw popping, as was the case before the Parathyroid glands were removed.  On average, my T3 use has increased to four tablets per day (plus a 500 mg Excedrin each dose). Even with that increase, I am still having to tolerate quite a bit of headache pain all day. 
So, while the headaches have increased, there is only a single cause now, rather than having a second, and wholly unrelated factor [to the TMD] involved.  This result only confirms that the high PTH level was causing additional headaches.

I forgot to have my wife take pictures of me as my starting point reference now that I can begin moving forward, physically. I will get these done, and post them when I do.

Lastly today, I received some sad personal news yesterday. My only brother died in his sleep over the weekend. He was 59 years old. The cause of death is unknown at this time; but he was dealing with MS (Multiple Sclerosis), and apparently, had been struggling with ETOH (Alcohol) for a number of years. He was unmarried, and had no children.

And on that unfortunate note, I will conclude this entry. I will write again next week.

Good Health to All!

ScottW

Post-Transplant Update: 20 March 2019

This week, I will start off talking about the obvious benefit of the now-removed dysfunctional Parathyroid glands. I had my monthly labs yesterday, and the fresh Parathyroid Hormone (PTH) level has dropped from 103 (26 Feb 19) down to 62.
That number is essentially middle of the range for a normal PTH reading. 
This is fantastic news!

Next up, I had that dental appointment, and the tooth that had a piece come off is NOT affected other than having the broken section on the cheek side of the tooth. The dentist told me that the area had a clean break, and I would need a crown to cover it. I should be getting that taken care of in the next few weeks.

On the post-surgery side of things, the scar is looking better. I took the following picture yesterday; just under four weeks after the surgery...

As far as other things affected by the Parathyroidectomy, my nausea has reduced to almost zero, my headaches, though up and down this past week, are showing a definite improvement. In fact yesterday, I took only a single T3 and Excedrin all day. That's all.
Again, the downturn could very well be coincidental [in regards to the TMD symptomology]; but high PTH levels can cause prolonged unremittent headaches, so time will tell if the is real, or not.


I had my March Belatacept infusion yesterday, as well. The stick and the infusion were both done well, and I have had zero side effects once more.


19 Mar 19 Labs

*Creat:   2.65 (-0.09)

*HCT:   36.1 (+0.9) IR

*Hemo:   11.1 (+0.1) IR

*Lymph:   15.3 (+1.1) IR (Very Low End)

*Lymph ABS:   1.0 (+0.2) IR

*Neut:   78.7 (+0.5) High

*Neut ABS:   4.9 (+0.7) IR

*RBC:   3.69 (+0.06) Low

*WBC:   6.2 (+0.9) IR

BUN:   40 (-7) Extremely High

*CA:   9.9 (NC) IR

*GFR:   26 (+1) Extremely Low

*Gluc:   96

*K+:   4.4 (-0.1) IR

*NA+:   138 (NC) IR

*Prot:   7.0 (+0.3) IR

*MG:   2.2 (+0.3) IR

*Phos:   4.1 (+0.5) IR

**PTH (Parathyroid Hormone):   62 (-39) Middle of the Range
         NC= No Change     IR= In Range

On the labs above, after a series of elevations [possibly due to the high PTH], the Creatinine is coming down. I am still hoping this drops to around the 2.0 mark.
The Hematocrit, Hemoglobin and Red Blood Cells all showed more improvement now that the Parathyroids are out.  As far as the RBC's, a normal level is 4.50 to 5.90; so I still have a ways to go, but at least now that number is consistently increasing. 
Lastly, the Lymphocytes are better--instead of taking a dive; such as has been the case since the rejection episode. Plus, the Lymphocyte Absolute (Lymph ABS) rose to a solid 1.0 for the first time since last Spring. A key indicator of immune system health, I was extremely pleased to see this lab value finally hit that mark!

Next, this months' UA results:

UA 19 Mar 19:

Appearance:   Normal

Color:   Normal

Glucose, UR:   Negative

Hgb,UR:   Negative

Ketones, UR:   Negative

Leuk Esterase:   Negative

Nitrite:   Negative

pH, Urine:   5.5 (Normal Range is 5.0-8.5)

Prot, UR:   Trace

Specific Gravity, Urine:   1.01 (Normal Range is 1.003-1.030)

These numbers are terrific! Aside from a trace of Protein, this  reading is exactly what it was in February; which indicates that the kidney continues to process fluids properly.


My wife and I were discussing my weight gain since my transplant. At that time, I went into the hospital weighing 93.3 Kg.
With the steroids involved with transplantation, with the renal occlusion, with the hernia surgery and then the rejection episode, I have put on about 30 Kg's. Now of that amount, about 7 Kg's can be attributed to muscle increase, as I was moving around more.
The rest, water gain from high steroid therapy, is what I have to remove. We estimate that I have about 50 pounds to lose for my ideal muscle weight. That is about 22.7 Kg's.

Add in anticipated muscle gain, and I want to be at 235 pounds, or 106.8 Kg.

Now that I have that number, I have a hard target to shoot for, instead of an iffy 'about here' target that would likely change constantly. With Spring here, and my strength slowly increasing, it is time to get walking again. My 10-step plan for getting in shape is still valid...I just have to adjust the timeline a bit.
And in anticipation of that journey, I am going to humble myself and post a profile pic of how I look now for comparison against when I achieve my weight loss and muscle mass increase. I am planning on posting that next week.

Speaking of next week, I have my one-month follow-up with the doctor who removed the three parathyroid glands. We will discuss the latest PTH number, and most likely adjust my calcium intake. Of course, I will inform you of all necessary information from that visit.

Aside from that appointment, I  won' have (amazingly enough) another doctor visit--scheduled, at least--until May for my 2-year Kidney-versary, then early July for my local nephrologist. FINALLY!  :o)

And with that, I will end this latest entry.

Until next week...

Good Health to All!

ScottW