Monthly Archives: September 2009

How long is too long?

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Waiting RoomSo as you may or may not know, every week I have to drive to Seattle (well, Meesh drives) to get labs and get seen by a nephrologist (the fancy word for a kidney doctor). Now, they warn you in the beginning you may end up waiting for a while during a clinical visit since they get real busy. I understand. I Really do. It can get Really crazy, but if you make an appointment, then do you Really expect to wait long? Isn’t there a reason you make an appointment? I mean you make one so you don’t have to wait right?

One day, we waited for 2 hours after my scheduled appointment time. 2 hours! How long would you wait for an appointment? I now find out that this is a common occurrence with this clinic. And yes, it’s University of Washington Medical Center, one of the top ten hospitals of the nation (or so they say).

How long would you wait?

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It's been a while

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Yes it’s been a while since I’ve last posted anything. I’m just recovering from my recent kidney transplant, and doing rather well. What have I been doing lately? Well, being a transplant recipient makes you re-learn how to do a lot of things. There are so many things I have to watch out for, and I just have to learn how not to do a lot right now. Luckily a lot of things I can do again after 6 months or so. Some things I’ve had to restrict myself to:

  1. I can’t eat lunchmeat anymore unless it’s either cooked (brought up to 165 degrees) or frozen for 24 hours. That’s because apparently it can contain lisertia. There’s more information from the CDC page about listeriosis (the disease that you get from listeria). Pregnant women in particular should read about it, it’s very interesting. This means no Subway or more importantly, Hoagies. *sigh*
  2. I can’t lift anything over 10 pounds. Do you know how many things weigh more than 10 lbs? Quite a bit! I feel so helpless, not to mention horrible, since I have to make Meesh carry everything. I must look like the horrible husband to bystanders.
  3. I can’t change the kitty litter. EVER. How crazy is this? Hell I have to wash my hands every time I play with the cat or even touch her. It’s Really thankful that our cat is Meesh’s cat and doesn’t like me as much. :P
  4. I can no longer have sushi. Ok this one Really upsets me the most. I’ve pretty much accepted it. With the immunosuppressant drugs, I just can’t take risks. If handled well and fresh I’m sure anyone would tell you it’s ok, but it’s not because I’m special. It’s just nuts. I Totally went out to eat sushi with my mom before the surgery.
  5. Likewise, I can’t have meat any other way than well done. No medium or medium well meat anymore. This includes burgers. So if I ever decide to go out to eat (which btw, I have to be cautious where I go now), I have to ask for well done burgers. I’m sure the waitresses will love me. Of course, I have no choice about this.

Not everything is entirely bad. Of course, now I don’t have to go to dialysis and trust me that is awesome. Not having to go to a place where I’m stuck in a chair for 4.5 hours is awesome.