My life one year ago versus where I am now is pretty remarkable. A year ago I was tired, nauseous, weighed down with huge kidneys. I could not do basic things like clean my house and take good care of my own child. I needed help for lots of things and one excursion, like shopping for groceries, would be all I could handle for the day.

Here I am 6 months post-transplant. I am not 100% but I'd say I'm about 85%. I no longer have a nanny or cleaning person and I can do several things in a day. I am 30 pounds lighter than I was year ago and starting to really get my strength back. I have some annoying side effects from the meds but they are very manageable. By about 9 pm I am ready for bed and sometimes I have a low energy day. But I am full of renewed hope and energy and expect to have a long and happy future.

All the best to you!

It sounds like you are not doing well. Are you post-transplant?

PKDAD

at nearly 6 years post transplant I live a very normal life. I will say that the transplant meds make me more susceptible to catching any illness that's running around so I avoid crowds, even stopped attending mass because of the hand shaking, which I believe caused me to be ill a few times.
other than that, I do whatever I want, just make sure to take my meds twice a day.

I am still a ways away from transplant. Just having quite a bit of pain. Working on getting the meds worked out. Along with pain comes depression. And when I am in the funk, I seem to forget that some day the kidneys will come out and a new one will go in and life will be much closer to normal.

Seeing posts from people like you remind me that it's not all down hill from here. And for that, I very much appreciate it. It helps turn my mood around.

Larry,
What's going on with the pain and what are your doctors doing? I really do understand the pain issue, having lived with it for 6 years now. Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help. Just message me or send me an email.

Very gentle pain-free hugs,
Ruth

Thank you Ruth. Over the last 10 years, I have had occasional pain. This past year, I have had longer more sever bouts of pain. Sometimes it's specific often not. Since Christmas, I have started hurting more than I don't. One area is starting to stand out more than the others. The current plan is to use pain pills when necessary and see if it resolves on it's own. It looks like it is not. A surgical consult is next.

Do you take pain meds when needed, or is there something you take around the clock plus something else for break-out pain?