Transplant Check-In: It’s My Third Anniversary!

Year 3!

 I can’t believe it has been 3 years since my kidney transplant! Three years ago, one of the most important events in my life occurred – one that saved my life.

I always am grateful to my donor but I like to give out a special thanks on our anniversary

During 2020 – that miserable year LOL – we have been fortunate to be healthy and safe as we quarantined. My medications haven’t changed this year and my kidney function has remained stable. Blood sugar is borderline but I have to be more aggressive about my workout regimen. Lose a little weight – I started before the pandemic but those quarantine baking sessions took their toll!

She is repping for the Steelers right now but still says the Packers are her favorite football team!

My son has finished the first semester of college and my daughter has started high school online.  That is less than optimal as she has special needs but hopefully next year she will be able to attend in person.

My husband is quarantining with me and working from home. He can’t wait until we can travel again. We look forward to seeing J in Miami one day. I mean next year, Alabama and Miami pay each other in football! It’s a mini-civil war in the Brooks household!

ROLL TIDE!

For Goals for 2021:

  • Improve my fitness plan and lose 10 lbs
  • Continue to improve my Etsy Store – did I tell you I have an Etsy Store now? https://www.etsy.com/shop/LTRPrintables
  • Continue to publish my blogs and better monetize them
  • Do a better job posting on Wanted: A Kidney for Nikki
  • I sent my first novel to be edited so I want to have it published in 2021
  • Start novel number 2
  • Launch a few mini-courses (self-help) through my websites
  • Spend time with my family and hopefully travel again
  • Protect my kidney!

I hope you all have been having a safe and healthy year. Again, if you know of someone looking for a donor or if you are looking for a donor, send me some info and I will post it on my page/blog!

Have a Happy Holiday and a Happy New Year!

Love,

Dominique

Check-In: 18 Months Later

chairs with a beach view

Hi! I just wanted to post a quick update on me and my kidney!

The water is so peaceful…

Note: I published this on my blog yesterday but it did not get to my Facebook page. So I am publishing again…

It’s been two months since my last post.

I am walking more so that is finally getting back on track. For the first time in my life, I am actually counting calories! It is totally confusing. I spent my life (up until my kidneys gave out) eating at will. I typically tried to eat healthier as I got older but calories were never an issue. So counting them? Weird…LOL

My father is getting stronger since the surgery. But we have had to start to bring in an aide a few times a week to help him. Over the next 2 months, we will have to increase both the time and the number of days because my son is looking at colleges. We have a few trips planned to help him make some decisions. He’s a senior now and where did the time go?

Beautiful, isn’t it?

Finally, my husband and I went to Grand Cayman earlier this month. That is a wonderful place — perfect for relaxing on the beach or by the pool It’s not really a party place but there were a lot of things to do. I am going to publish a post on my blog (Tales of Rebooted Mom MD — which will launch in a bit) about our stay soon!

Remember to check the Wanted: A Kidney For Nikki Facebook page. I am regularly sharing posts about other people looking for a kidney. Please share!

Examples of New Journals in My Store…

Also, check out Life: The Reboot and My Amazon Author Page. I post once or twice a week to Life: The Reboot — all about self-improvement. There are also numerous journals for sale on my author page — check them out!

Have a wonderful day!

Be Inspired –Give Life!

Dominique

Check-in: It’s Been One Year!

Happy Holidays!

Just got the tree up and decorated

It’s December 26!  

The anniversary of one of the most important days in my life.

This time last year, I was undergoing a lifesaving kidney transplant from my living donor.

I wanted to give you an update of my year.

2018 — Year One after Transplant

A beach in Bermuda

Life has changed a lot since the surgery.

  • I haven’t needed dialysis because the kidney started working immediately and is holding its own.
  • I was allowed to start exercising after my incisions were sufficiently healed.
  • I was able to go on vacation to Bermuda without a dialysis machine
  • On a sad note, my mother passed away in July and I had to help my father handle her affairs (there went the exercising!)
  • My father has moved in with us in Texas and we sold the family home in Alabama.
  • I have gained weight – ugh! I know it’s not all my fault: some causes include the meds, an improvement in my appetite, and a lack of exercise because of all the other things going on. I plan to fix this in 2019!

A Difficult Summer

Right after the transplant, I saw the transplant doctors every week and then every 2 weeks with a blood draw every week or two. Every time we tried to space the appointments out more, my white blood cell count would take a dive – usually because of a medicine that I had been prescribed. This didn’t surprise me as my blood count has always been on the low side even when I was younger –it’s typical for me.

But those white cells were really low at the time I found out that my mother had died. I developed a fever and the doctors wanted to admit me to the hospital. But then I would have missed her funeral. Because I protested so much, my doctors sent me to an infectious disease doctor who determined that there was no active infection. I had developed this fever because my white blood cell count was way too low. They put me on antiviral medications and antibiotics and allowed me to travel to Alabama, which is how I got to attend.

I still had to go to the clinic every two weeks because of that setback.

Since August

Since then everything physically has been stable. We have just been trying to adjust to our new normal. I also have a lot of stuff from my childhood home in my office that I need to go through.

Attending a wedding

Earlier in December, the doctors said I could come back for my next visit in 2 months with a blood draw in January.  My veins really appreciate the break — it’s getting harder to get blood from me LOL. Hopefully, by the end of the next year, I have appointments every 6 months or maybe even every year!

What Else Have I Been Doing this Year

Other things that have changed over the past year:

  • I started a blog, Life: The Reboot
  • I just published some journals and planners for 2019 on Amazon KDP
  • I have been working on my novel (more on that later)

Check my blog and my Amazon pages out. I would appreciate it!

Moving Forward

I am excited and hopeful about what the next year has in store. I will continue to post about my progress and plans. But the biggest plan for this page now is to provide awareness of other people who are looking for donors. 

WIthout people taking the time to read my posts and share the information with their networks, I would have never met my donor. I am just so grateful to my donor who –by the way—is doing well herself. She’s just busy with life, work, and family. We touch base when we can and want to plan some kind of girls’ trip. I will let you know when we get that scheduled!

I really do appreciate all of the help you provided for me by sharing my posts and my page and your comments and prayers. Let’s spread that to others who are in the same spot I was.

Loving Life–The Reboot!

Dominique

Check-In: My Six-Month Transplantiversary

Hi everyone!

Sunset in BermudaIt has been six-months since my kidney transplant. So far, so good! My doctors’ visits have been good, and my lab work has been normal. Hopefully, there will be no changes in my medication levels for a while.

It’s been three months since I posted a personal note. What’s going on with me since then?

1. I have been cleared to start some core abdominal exercises. Hooray! I started Yoga this week. Well, I learned that I have a long way to go to get back into shape! LOL

2. I am still posting to my blog. Please check it out!

3. I have been trying to help my parents  get situated from a few states Thomas and I in Bermuda in June 2018.away.  My mother can’t stay in the house anymore and my dad can’t really help her.  They have an aide during the day — but this week, her doctors upped that to 24 hour care. I think they are going to move into a senior care facility in my hometown. I tried to move to nearer to me, but my mother is being stubborn. Oh well, what can you do? When they get ready to move, I will have to travel back to Alabama to help clear out the house.

4. I am finishing up my first novel. An editor friend of mine is editing it. Again, so far, so good.

5. I am still publicizing stories from people looking for donors or people who donated. Just email me through the site.

My donor is doing well, and we text each other at least once a week.

Send in your stories about people who need a kidney and please share the posts with your friends– remember more eyes, more exposure!

Have a wonderful day!

Be inspired—Give Life!

Dominique

Wanted: A Kidney for Cindy Elrod

My name is Cindy Elrod. I am a wife, a mother, and I need a kidney. I was diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease in December 2013. I have been on the waiting list since then. I am on two waiting lists, actually, in hopes that I will be able to receive a transplant sooner rather than later. The most certain and expeditious way for me to receive a transplant is to reach out to potential living donors. I am sharing my plea and hope that you will make the call to be tested should you feel compelled to do so.

Since being diagnosed with PKD and renal failure, I have been on peritoneal dialysis. For 9 hours each night, I am hooked to a machine designed to rid my body of toxins since my kidneys can no longer function as they should. I visit the doctor as least twice each month, have monthly labs drawn, and went from taking no medications to taking ten pills daily. Needless to say, it is a lot to keep up with and can be physically exhausting. I am limited in my ability to travel to spend time with family and friends, as the equipment and supplies required for peritoneal dialysis are bulky and numerous. I also have diet restrictions to include no chocolate, ice cream, or sodas.

Receiving a transplant would change my life in so many ways. I would have the time and energy to be the active mom I would like to be. I would be free from dialysis, allowing me more freedom to travel and visit family and friends. I would feel better and be able to enjoy the things I am currently missing.
If you would like to be tested as my potential donor, I could never thank you enough. My blood type is O. I can receive a direct transplant from all Type O blood types but anyone could potentially help me, as both of my transplant centers participate in the Paired Exchange Program.

More information on Paired Exchange can be found here:
https://unos.org/donation/kidney-paired-donation/

I am on the transplant waiting list at:
Augusta University
Coordinator: Kate Hefner
706-721-2888, ext. 8560

Or visit: augustahealth.org/transplant, then click on “Become a Living Donor”.

As mentioned above, I am listed at a second transplant center:
Medical University of South Carolina
Coordinator: Sarah Parker
1-800-277-8687

Please let them know you would like to be tested to become a living donor for me, Cynthia M. Elrod, DOB 4/23/60.

Thank you for reading my story and for helping however you can. You can follow my page here if you’d like.
https://www.facebook.com/cindy.m.elrod

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