Check up at 3 weeks

I just realized that it has been 2 weeks since I posted an update. You can be sure that if anything earth shattering had occured, I would have posted it, but instead things have been going smoothly.

I have gradually felt stronger and my labs have been good and my cheeks are getting fuller. Katie tried going back to work right after we got home then thought better of it and stayed home for one more week. She went back to work on the 14th of April feeling much better and able to keep up with her students. She also is taking her grad school classes and sang in the concert with the Seattle Women's Chorus. I sat this concert out as I am still in an abdominal binder that holds my diaphragm high and won't allow a deep breath. But I am planning to go to Miami in July with the chorus to sing at the GALA festival!

I flew back to Madison on Wednesday, 16 April, for an appointment with my surgeon and transplant coordinator. Dr Sollinger was pleased with the progress and labs, he took out my staples and cut my prednisone dose in half. Hurray!! Christa, my coordinator, was also happy with how things are progressing and we will now do labs only twice a week.

I will go back again in 3 weeks then it will probably be a while before I have to go back to Wisconsin, as long as things keep on the straight and narrow.

We hope you are all enjoying Spring and the newness of life that comes every year but is always so lovely to behold and appreciate! Love to you all.

Happy to be home!

I have just been settling in to being back home. Thursday night, when Sarah's m0m, Ellen, picked us up at the airport, she also took me to get some groceries. I have unpacked and been able to feel settled in.

On Friday morning, I took a cab to the hospital to have my labs drawn--nice and stable results--then took the bus home, pausing downtown to just enjoy being out and feeling good again. Then my good friend Peggy brought the mail she had collected for me and I went through sorting and organizing.

It just feels so good to be up and active--more active than before the transplant--and not always tired. Who knew how good your kidneys make you feel?

Today I plan to walk down to the yarn store and Starbuck's before going out to dinner with Sarah and Katie. Tomorrow they are going to Bellingham to sing in a concert with the Seattle Women's Chorus but I will stay home and plan to go to rehearsal on Tuesday.

It is so amazing how much better I feel and how much I am looking forward to taking down the Christmas decorations and getting back to normal.

Please have a good weekend and enjoy life, such a precious gift!

Paula

Home Safe and Sound

We've been home for the past 29.5 hours (details are very important, as you know), and everyone is doing well. We are all very happy to be eating from our own kitchens (thus to avoid strange things like bagels being buttered before the cream cheese is put on them -- but hey, I guess to their credit I didn't ask for it NOT to have butter on it) and sleeping in our own cozy beds.

Katie and I have been all over town today, restocking our refrigerator and getting beautiful new dresses for the Men's and Women's Chorus auction. Tomorrow we're making a quick swing by the doctor's office, because one of Katie's small incisions is oozing and particularly uncomfortable. Hopefully it's nothing, but either way, we're taking care of it quickly.

Morning Adventures.

We started off our morning with one last trip up to the hospital. Paula got things squared away there and we all had breakfast, then headed back to the hotel for some "light reading". By light reading, I mean Paula read us the report from her operation. It was quite a bit different than Katie's, as in the person who wrote it seems to actually have anticipated someone might read it, but not quite as funny, because the word "tedious" wasn't used throughout it.

Soon we should hear from one of Paula's friends, with whom we are having lunch. Katie is still quite sore and uncomfortable, which doesn't seem to surprise any of the transplant people, one of whom said something along the lines of "you're doing a nice job pretending to feel okay".

The Flowers.

Some of you might be wondering what happened to the beautiful flowers that many of you sent to Katie and Paula.

When we checked Katie out of the hospital on Sunday, we moved her flowers to Paula's room, so that we could all continue to enjoy them (because really, we've spent very little time in the hotel room). Today when we checked Paula out, we knew that we didn't want to take the flowers with us -- we leave on Thursday and again, don't plan to spend much time in the hotel room. So we asked one of the nurses to help us distribute them -- to other patients in need of pretty flowers, to put them at the main desk in the unit, for the nurses to take, whatever, we wanted someone to enjoy them. When we returned from the pharmacy (our final stop before taking Paula home), we passed the nurse we'd asked to help us, who told us that the distribution had begun, and showed us the lovely vase of flowers she was taking home to enjoy! When we got back to the room, more than half of the flowers were already gone!

Everyone who sent flowers should be happy to know that they are still being enjoyed.

Paula is released!

When the doctors came to do rounds today, we were able to get a picture of Paula with her surgeons. Dr. Sollinger said that he doesn't usually let patients take pictures with him, but made an exception because we came from so far away.

Today, we went down to the transplant center so that Paula could buy Katie a silver kidney charm (to make up for the one that she gave away).

It was a long day of waiting before they sprung Paula from the hospital, so Katie took a little rest in the bed while we were waiting.

Tonight we went to Applebee's for dinner. It was alright, but my opinion remains: don't go out of your way to get to an Applebee's.

Thunder and Lightening and Cheese Curds, OH MY!

Last night, Katie and I went out to to dinner with Amy and Reid (after a visit to their brand new house) at a restaurant near the capitol building in Madison, called Old Fashioned. We started off our meal with some deep fried cheese curds (a Wisconsin specialty).

When we left the restaurant, it was raining, but as soon as we rounded the corner, it began to downpour so hard, that Amy, Katie, and I hid under the awning at the YWCA while Reid got the car. The thunder and lightening was short lived, but exciting!