Well, Blogosphere, I apologize for the long delay between posts… but, I finally have something to say about my ongoing life following a kidney donation to my Stepdad.
I’ve been steadily training for my upcoming triathlon season. My training had been going really well up until a couple of weeks ago. Nothing seriously bad happened, but as I started to try to push things beyond what I was doing (i.e., longer/faster running, hillier bike rides, etc.) – I found that I hit a couple of walls. My body said, whoa, wait a minute. So, I had to admit that I’m not totally back to normal yet.
I’ve heard that it takes about a year to get back to normal. So, I shouldn’t be disappointed at all. I’m doing great after only four months. But it’s still difficult to admit that you can’t do everything you want. You feel normal. In fact, I have to remind myself sometimes that I even donated a kidney! And, I don’t think it’s all down to having only one kidney. I think the big thing is just my body adjusting after having surgery. It’s still getting back on track, and I just don’t realize it. I’m not sure if I’m over-doing it or not. But I think there are a couple of things I could be better about…
I need to get more rest/sleep in general. I also need to drink more water. I already drink a lot, but I can tell that I need even more. And, finally, I need to try to stop having so much caffeine. I’m really, really bad about that. But I can’t stand feeling tired/sleepy. And with my training schedule, I tend to have caffeine in order to keep up with everything. I really don’t know how I’m going to improve in that area, but it’s definitely in the back of my mind. No one told me that I needed to give up caffeine following my donation. So, this is just based on my own instincts.
Well, other than that, I can report that my stepfather, Gary, is still doing really well. I think he stopped walking (for fitness) some during the colder months but is back to walking more now. I sure hope he keeps that up and continues to live a wonderful, healthy life – free from dialysis! He’s always sending me well wishes from my kidney.
To other donors and potential donors out there — Be well!
-Jenn