Friday, June 21, 2013

One Year Update!



It’s been a year and two months since I donated my kidney, and it has just flown by!

There is really not a lot of difference in my life pre and post-kidney donation. My body’s ability to heal seems almost magical. I am fairly active, and I am still doing all of the things I used to do before I gave away a kidney. Lots of yoga, and the occasional run. I do find that if I don't do some stretching at least a couple of times a week, the muscles around the areas where my incisions were get a little bit "tight". Yoga really helps with this, even if I can only manage to get to one class a week.

There are only a couple of dietary things I am careful about:

I keep track of how much protein I’m putting in my body. (Too much protein can be hard on your kidneys)

I stay away from too much salt and drink lots of water to keep myself hydrated. If I have any alcohol (which is very rarely) I make sure to drink an equal amount of water. Same with any caffeinated beverages.

AND last but not least, I eat lots of leafy greens and fruits and veggies to help clean my blood.

But, when you think about it those are things that we should all be doing anyhow, right?  ;)

I went digging through my closet and I found my box of “kidney memories”. I spent a very nostalgic afternoon revisiting my whole experience, sitting on my bedroom floor looking through photos and cards. One card in particular stood out. 💗