Energy Crisis

I am so glad that my workload is getting a bit easier. The long hours have been really stressful, and I am finding that it really has taken a toll on my health – physically and mentally. It’s not only work that has been taking my time, my other activities have been quite demanding as well. We have been preparing for our holiday show in my hula group, and the rehearsals, new material and costuming can be a lot of work.

Thank goodness my kidney is still in good shape. Through all this, I’d like to think that I am taking good care of it: drinking plenty of fluids, eating the right foods, and taking my medication on time. However, I do notice that my energy level is low, I am more irritable (ask Hubby) and can easily get stressed out.

At first, I was thinking that this is probably due to aging. I am getting older and perhaps I cannot pull the hours that I used to: work 45-50 hours per week, go to aikido class 3 times a week, hula class once a week, workout in between, and contribute my share in the housework.

As I think about it, I realized that this might be due to my compromised immune system. In my last doctor visit, the nurse practitioner did say that I will feel more tired because of my compromised immune system. Unfortunately, this is one of the tradeoffs I need to live with given the kidney transplant.

It does suck sometimes. Often times, I feel I have a lot of stuff that I need to do and so little time to do it. As much as my mind thinks that I can still do it, my body usually stops me and says “um…nap time”.

Some of it may be coming from my need to play catch up from the five years of dialysis and my feeling left out. I just have to remind myself that some of those can wait, and I need to prioritize. Others though are real: work deadlines, chores, studying for hula, and fulfilling my obligations at the dojo. Those I really need to work on.

What I usually do to fix this

Focus. To get something done, I just focus on one task. I used to be the queen of multitasking. Having two or three conversations via chat and working on two things. This was really tempting especially during the peak time of my work. That actually lasted for weeks, if not months.

By focusing, I am able to finish my projects with more quality and perhaps in less time. Besides, there is really no such thing as multitasking; you’re really splitting your attention in little time slices.

Napping. I did not use to take naps. I have way too much work to take that kind of a break. However, these days, I find that I sometimes need a quick 10-minute nap to recharge. That was a trick I learned from watching Dr. Oz. In Dr. Oz’s website, I read “in a NASA funded research, a siesta boosted performance of long haul pilots by 34%.” If it works for them, I suspect it will work for me too. Even in a smaller scale, anything will help. When I work from home, I sneak in a 10 minute nap at lunch so I can get through the afternoon. Otherwise, I sometimes would even take a nap after work to get me ready for the evening. Boy, sometimes I really needed it.

Dark Chocolate. Lately, I’ve been having a half an ounce of dark chocolate to provide a quick boost (Another little trick from Dr. Oz).  This is my favorite. Per Dr. Oz, dark chocolate is full of flavonoids that helps boost energy naturally… and it does work. I've tried it.

I think he recommends at least 72% cacao, but honestly, I find this percentage a bit too bitter. I settle for about 60%. Also, about an ounce is sufficient. Please don’t overdo it…regularly.

Also, if you are still in dialysis and watching your lab results, do monitor and see how the chocolate impacts your results. If I remember correctly, chocolate is a bit high on potassium (or was it my old nemesis, phosphorus). Do watch your sugar too if you are diabetic. I am not a nutritionist, so consult your dietician how much you can add to your diet. Fortunately, dark chocolate has less sugar and dairy.

Caffeine. Honestly, this has been my go-to choice for the past year. However, I am finding that I cannot have too much coffee anymore because it does give me abdominal discomfort. I wonder if this is a side effect of some of my medications (or just the age thing again). I try to stick to chai or green tea. Occasionally, I will still have coffee (because I do love it), but I consider it a treat.

I am hoping that in the longer term, my body can adjust and I will regain my previous youthful energy levels, or at least 80% of it. Perhaps in time, I will need less immunosuppressants, and I will have more energy. In the meantime, I’ll get rest… and have more chocolate. 

Planning for Adventure

I have not been blogging much lately, primarily because I’ve been working, working, working. Since I’ve mostly been blogging about how busy I have been, I decided to do something about it.

Craving to travel again...hopefully somewhere warm.

Actually I’ve been forced to take time off since I am maxing out on my accrued time-off: I already got to the point of “use it or lose it” – so I am trying to use it as much as possible. However, this had been only days off here and there and often only sufficient time to catch up with chores.

We’ve also been planning on an extended vacation. This is after five years of dialysis. Don’t get me wrong. Although, we enjoyed mini three- or four-day breaks here and there, but it’s not quite the same since there was not enough time to truly recharge.

This will also be the first vacation where we don’t have to plan dialysis time. So, all the time would be R&R. Also, when I was in dialysis, we limited out vacation to the United States only, to minimize dialysis costs (our insurance still pays for it). For the first time, we can consider an international vacation.

At first, I thought that it would be like old times: plan the trip, pack and go (pay for it later). However, travelling with a kidney transplant presents some new challenges for me.

How to bring my medicine? For an extended vacation, I would need to bring a lot of medication – at least enough to cover the days when we are gone – maybe more for back-up. I was originally thinking of packing half in my weekly container and extras in another container. However, I was told that it may be better to pack them in their original containers: it would better chance of passing security and not getting confiscated.

I would probably also put them in my carry-on so there is less opportunity to get them lost. I can pack two sets and have the other one with my husband… again, in case things get misplaced.

When to take my medicine?  Since there are time zones involved when travelling, it can be challenging if the time difference is more than 3 hours. That means that I may need to take my regular medication in the wee hours of morning.

In my last doctor’s visit, I had the opportunity to ask my advice nurse about this dilemma. She suggested that I adjust my medication times before the trip, maybe in 30 minute increments, until I get to my desired time. Then, do the reverse when I get back.

Food Safety. All the food safety rules still apply, even when on vacation. That means washing fruits – with clean water. No buffets. Ensure that your food was prepared in a very safe manner. To be on the safe side, I may bring a lot of granola or protein bars. That will at least ensure that I have something to eat during the day.

I am also concerned on how to let my family know about my limitations. They have not seen me in a while. I feel my diet is quite strict and I am not sure how other people will adjust.

Water Hygiene. Another factor to consider is safe water. Although I still need to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, there are many parts of the world where water may be a bit iffy to drink. For me, that may mean only bottled water. Filtered water (with my own filters) may be okay too. I need to check with the nutritionists.

We’re really excited about travelling again. It has been too long since we’ve explored other cultures and see the wonders of the world. We are really looking forward to it.