First Quarter Later: Pros and Cons

It has been three months since my kidney transplant – One quarter!!! In Jimmy Fallon-style, here are the pros and cons of the first quarter.

Pros	Cons
I can eat a lot of things that I couldn’t enjoy before. This includes ice cream, corn bread, pancakes, and waffles.	I am gaining weight again. I do think that some of it is unusual and may be fluid retention, since I am not eating enough to gain a pound in one day. I am still concerned that another angioplasty may be coming.
I’ve completed my first month working; two weeks of which was full-time work.	Uh-oh, here come the projects. No more time for blogging and watching “Scrubs”!
I registered for the Kidney Walk, and in just 10 days of fundraising, I am 75% of goal.	Oh, my legs… sore from the daily training!
I’ve rejoined my hula class. It has been awhile since I have danced with my hula group. The last time that I attended class regularly was almost two years ago. I stopped going regularly because I had to go three days a week to dialysis.	Now, my knees are sore too! And I am so tired after class that I find myself falling to sleep early that evening, thereby missing late night TV.
I’ve enjoyed my first aikido (weapons) class just yesterday (Saturday). It felt really great to be back in class – the friends, the exercise, and all that energy.	Four words: Afternoon naps are back! Oh, and the “knees-thing” apply too.

For those not familiar with Jimmy Fallon’s Pros and Cons, here’s an example (of course, his skit is funnier). Warning: some of it can be a bit crude, but that is the nature of late night TV.

Overall, I feel pretty good: my blood pressure is stable, my lab values look great, and my skin is not as dry. Also, no more dandruff (probably from phosphate build-up) and thick hair growing all over my body (side-effect of the medication). I feel I am getting more energy, day by day. More importantly, I am slowly getting back into my old healthy, productive routine, and not going into dialysis three times a week. Given that, I still have some concerns, which is somewhat normal. Hopefully, we’ll get this resolved during our next doctor’s appointment in a couple of weeks.