Small Health Update

I saw my kidney doctor on Monday, and asked if I should be considering getting a booster shot of the vaccine, since I got the Johnson and Johnson single shot version on April 6th. He said not to worry about it yet, but keep paying attention to the news and, "if you don't trust the news you can call my office and ask."

He then noted that a number of his patients have refused the vaccine. Remember, these are people with kidney failure. He said three of his patients have caught COVID and ended up in the hospital. One had been vaccinated, and the case was mild. The other two had not been vaccinated. Both of them died.

This is anecdotal evidence, and I'm telling it to you second-hand, which means I may have gotten the facts slightly wrong. But even so, I saw the sadness in his eyes as he spoke and can't forget it. No doctor wants to lose a patient. Especially like that to something that - at that point - was preventable.

Lupus Saga part 4

I have discovered that in my dreams, my hands do not hurt. They hurt all the time when I am awake. But my dream persona doesn't have sore hands. In fact, my dream persona is able to do chin-ups, as I learned last night in a vivid dream. I can still feel the surprise and joy when I managed to pull myself up on a bar - I felt powerful and strong and wonderful. I thought to myself, "I'm so glad I can do this now!" and laughed. And shortly after, when I woke up, I still felt the happiness, and the disappointment did NOT overwhelm it.

Today I saw the rheumatologist for a check-up. I'm improving, dramatically, according to my bloodwork. My overall health is slowly improving. The doctor was very pleased to learn that I've done at least five minutes a day on the exercise bike every day this year, and the "movement is medicine" mantra seems to be true, in my case, as I'm having very few problems with my legs.

My hands, meanwhile, continue to hurt. And I cannot lift my arms over my head without pain. Plus, I've got a bit of "Golfer's Elbow" thanks to sitting at my computer too much. I have some exercises that should help with that. One of them involves "walking" my hand up the wall until my arm just starts to twinge - but letting my fingers do the effort of lifting instead of my arm. I also am getting a couple of cheap weights to do regular curls. I plan on doing them on my morning streams.

Speaking of, I am streaming regularly in the mornings on Twitch. I've been usually doing about five hours of streaming, mostly playing Stream Raiders, sometimes on cam and mic, sometimes off. If you want to pop in and say hello, I'm at twitch.tv/realtegan and usually start around 7 am Pacific and go until about noon. I monitor the chat almost constantly, so if you make a free Twitch account and write in my chat, I will probably answer... unless I'm in the middle of a Stream Raiders battle.

I had no obvious side effects from the COVID vaccine I got on April 6th, just a very slightly sore arm that didn't bother me half as much as my hands do every day. I did venture out to a restaurant when my sister visited, which was quite daring for me.

Hubby and I invested in HBO Max so I can watch DC movies, and I've taken full advantage of the service already, getting my money's worth. In addition to DC movies, I also went ahead and watched Godzilla vs Kong (fun in a classic monster movie sort of way) and Mortal Kombat (I expected violence and very little plot, I got violence and very little plot). After watching the Godzilla movie, I went back and watched the other three movies in the modern franchise - they were all fun. I didn't bother doing the same with the Mortal Kombat franchise, though. I also finally watched The Matrix all the way through, and found it much more compelling when you actually pay attention to it. I don't have any particular desire to see the sequels, but I may change my mind. I watched the Halle Berry Catwoman movie, and decided that it isn't a DC Universe movie at all - it just borrowed the name and almost nothing else. It's what a movie called "Catwoman" would be if someone who had never read a DC Comic and only knew about the superhero genre from Spider-Man wrote it.

I also tried to watch Cats, but the modem committed suicide while I was streaming it and I've been sternly warned by both the Spectrum internet tech and hubby-Eric not to try to finish it. No, not even just to listen to the songs. We don't want to lose another modem.

I do not play League of Legends, but I've found their music videos to be very interesting, which led me to look up the lore of the game - and it goes VERY deep. I'm not sure how deep I'm willing to go into that universe, but it's interesting and has been somewhat inspiring. The music is helping me trigger writing sessions. It's odd, if I'm writing while music is playing I will not actually hear the music, but if I stop writing for a bit, the music can help trigger another spurt of writing. So I play the music and hope for inspiration. One story I got quite a way into writing and felt like I need a first reader for it, but I'm not sure I'm currently brave enough to let someone else read.

So that's my latest update. I'm still keeping on, lots of pain, but still living. I guess I'll just have to see what tomorrow brings.

Full Kidney Saga (Start Here)

Full Lupus Saga (Start Here)

Lupus Saga part 3

Oops.

Yeah, I meant to write a blog entry, but would put it off for "a day or so" until I got more information. Then after a week or two, I'd think, I ought to write a blog entry, but wait, there's an appointment next week, I'll do an entry right after... And then another couple of weeks would pass. So, I have no actual excuse.

As I said in my last entry, my kidney disease is in complete remission and the kidney doctor says my blood tests show my system is processing everything normally. I'll have to continue having follow-up check-ups, but I can stop worrying about kidneys now.

My main issue is the lupus, which has decided to attack my joints. The most pain is in my hands, which hurt all the time. My knees are sometimes in pain, and it's still difficult to get out of a regular chair (thank goodness and my wonderful sister for the lift chair!). Getting up and down the stairs has become slightly easier overall. I've also gotten at least five minutes on the exercise bike every single morning - even on bad days - since I last wrote. The other bad spot is my shoulders, which I cannot lift over my head most of the time.

The big news today is that I got the vaccine for the coronavirus. Eric and I got the Johnson & Johnson version at a local pharmacy this morning. We then wandered around the store for a few minutes (to make sure there wasn't any reactions) and then headed home. I'm actually feeling pretty delighted to have it done - there was a line forming in the store for the vaccine by the time we left.

I've seen some worries about how fast the vaccines were developed, but there are two big factors that helped complete these vaccines: 1) the tech behind them has been in development for about 60 years (look up mRNA vaccine development) and 2) because the disease was so widespread, trials were more comprehensive and easier to conduct than if the virus hadn't been endemic. Add in the fact that the vaccine development was accelerated during the SARS crisis in 2003, and anyone who is paying attention understands that these vaccines were not developed fast - just finished and approved fast.

I've mostly been spending my days streaming in the morning and reading or watching videos in the afternoon and evenings. I'm not healthy yet, but I'm healing and making progress. I have regular blood tests and doctor appointments, and five days of every week I feel pretty good. But it's those other days, the bad days, that keep me from celebrating. I will sometimes wake with so much pain I just don't want to do anything. I usually force myself to stream since that's my only socialization at the moment, but will stay off the camera and sometimes even off the microphone.

I guess one reason I haven't been writing is that I haven't got much to tell. I mean - it's all the same news. I'm in remission from kidney disease, the lupus is painful, I'm streaming on Twitch, the cat is cute, the hubby is wonderful. I don't get out much, so there's nothing new coming in for me to write about.

Ah well. At least life, overall, seems to be looking up.

Full Kidney Saga (Start Here)

Full Lupus Saga (Start Here)

Lupus Saga part 2: January 19, 2021

I am officially in complete remission from kidney disease.

My doctor gave me the good news in our virtual appointment last week, and I'm thrilled. It doesn't change everything, because I'm still suffering from lupus, but it does allow me to loosen up my diet restrictions slightly (I can reintroduce some forbidden foods as special treats!). I was cautioned not to go crazy, and I don't intend to, but it will be nice to have a piece of bacon again.

Now my biggest concern is the lupus, which continues to attack my joints. The rheumatologist noted swelling in some joints but said my lupus seems to be taking a fairly classical route, which means the usual treatments will hopefully help. Although a whole category of treatments is cut off due to my reactions to one of the medicines they tried during my kidney failure. Still, she said they would start to work on upping my dose of the latest new medicine, and if/when that happens it'll be another couple of months before we know if it's working.

I have good days and bad days. The bad days tend to be marked by horrible pain that makes it difficult to move at all, while the good days are marked by horrible pain that I'm able to fight through and move when I need to. Exercise always seems to help, but it is very difficult to start exercising when the pain is bad. I send prayers of thanks for my sister every time I get on the exercise bike she gave me or use the lift chair so my knees don't hurt so bad.

The doctors are pleased that I'm exercising daily, but I need to ramp up the amount of exercise I do. I'm trying to get on the exercise bike the moment I'm dressed first thing in the morning - and get at least five minutes in. I want to then start adding a couple more short sessions of exercise later in the day. And my doctors said I should start walking again, even if I have to use the cane. I also need to figure out some exercises for my upper body, as my shoulders are often very sore.

I've been streaming almost daily since the start of the year, although this past weekend I was in too much pain to get more than a few test streams in. I don't have a lot of viewers, which is fine, but I'm an affiliate so I have my own emotes. I can use them anywhere on Twitch, and anyone who subscribes to my channel can use at least one of them (all if they subscribe at the highest level). In the event I get some subscribers, I hope to make a few more emotes. But I have to get "subscriber points" to earn emote slots, so I don't expect that to happen any time soon.

My three Twitch emotes. Regular subscribers get access to "SUS".

The best thing about streaming, for me, is figuring out the tech and learning how to do neat new stuff. I have a good teacher at Sophie Fatal TV. Sophie's husband is a tech wizard who also runs online clinics on how to set up OBS (the software people use to stream) and make it do cool things. With his help I've been able to sort out some of the early issues I had and now am expanding into other things. Like a new opening and closing for my stream just in time for my January 20th birthday!

After someone asked me if I intended to put my Twitch videos on YouTube, I remembered that I have a YouTube channel. And so my streams are being archived at my YouTube Channel and I've got a playlist for DC Universe Online going, and a complete playlist for The Room as well as a playlist for The Room Two. I expect I will be terribly embarrassed by those vids as time goes on.

My mother is home from the hospital, but is in a halo brace. I urge you to not Google that if you don't know what it is, because the images will disturb you. My sister is sending the entire family regular updates with photos. I worry about my mom every night, but there's not a lot I can do from here.

Inkwell has finally decided that my lift chair is great, and now is willing to sleep in it. This means I have to evict him from my chair each morning - a chore made difficult by his general cuteness and the way he purrs loudly when I enter the room. But it is my chair, and I need it, so he always loses the battle in the end.

Full Kidney Saga (Start Here)

Full Lupus Saga (Start Here)

Lupus Saga part 1

Time to start a new chapter in this book, eh?

A year ago I went in for blood tests after feeling unwell for a couple of months with what I wrongly believed were allergies. The next morning the doctor ordered me to the emergency room because she suspected my kidneys had failed. As it happened, my body had gone into kidney and heart failure due to lupus, which I may have been suffering from for a number of years without knowing it.

The kidney failure nearly killed me, and the cure had its own problems. The steroid that kept me alive gave me temporary diabetes as well as inflating my face to balloon-size. The first attempt at bringing my kidneys back to full function resulted in massive rashes and worse, forcing me into chemo. Luckily, the chemo worked, and I have been slowly recovering the past few months. Now the lupus has become my main issue.

Not a lot has happened as far as my health goes in the last month since I last updated. I kept thinking I would update when I had news - then I didn't have news. I still don't. My next appointment isn't for another week, and although I've had a blood test, the results - that I can understand - just show more improvement as expected and nothing dramatic.

I have good days and bad days. My hands hurt all the time, no matter what I'm doing. They are worse in the mornings. My legs are good at times and bad at other times, with my knees having the worst issues. Thankfully, my house has been made as friendly as possible to my condition, so I'm not having too many difficulties getting around and doing daily tasks like feeding myself. My long-suffering hubby, Eric, has also been able to help on those days I just cannot manage.

My biggest difficulty is keeping myself busy both mentally and physically. I've been playing a lot of video games, which isn't ideal, but does keep my mind going. I use an exercise bike for physical movement, but I feel like I need more. I haven't been out walking because of the virus, as well as the general difficulty getting out and just walking.

I'm still waiting for the new medication to have its desired effect, although I think it's beginning to work. I have had a few more good days in the last week than bad days. And the goal is for my lupus to stop attacking my joints, which is what happens on a good day. It's still too soon to be sure, though. Another few weeks is when the studies I read said it would become obvious. I would cross my fingers, but that hurts.

In other news, Inkwell has his own merchandise. Mark Monlux created RedBubble shops for his line of people's cats, and Inkwell is on it (with my permission). I haven't been able to buy any of it yet, but my sister purchased a couple and has been amusing me with photos of Inkwell merch around the house. The real cat, meanwhile, has continued to make my legs his favorite daytime cat bed.

CBS News made a short video tribute to PBS, and hubby-Eric actually appears in it! He's about 90 seconds into the piece, sitting at a phone bank while our friend William talks to Dalek Rainier.

As our Centurylink internet service has been degrading ever since Centurylink took over and bought the original company we signed up with, we finally made the hard decision to move to another service. I don't like moving internet providers for a lot of reasons, not the least of which was needing new hardware to go from DSL to Cable internet. I ended up buying a new coax cable and a new router, but frankly the advantages are truly worth it. The new internet, from Spectrum, is on average about 15 times faster than the old. But most importantly for Eric's teaching job, it doesn't keep dropping the connection. Centurylink had gotten so bad as to drop our service a couple of times a day. And while most of the outages were in the evening when Eric wasn't teaching, not all of them were. Since signing up with Spectrum, I haven't noticed any disconnects.

The decision to upgrade our internet has had another unforeseen effect. I'd been being encouraged by Sophie Fatal to try streaming with Twitch, but knew our internet couldn't handle it. Heck, there were days I couldn't *watch* Twitch because of outages and the incredibly slow speed. But with a fast internet, I started to think about streaming seriously. On December 31st, I woke up in such pain that I couldn't do my usual stuff online, or even play my game. What I could do was read online, so I read about how to get started streaming on Twitch. And before the end of the year I managed to stream three very short test streams, and one longer stream. I deleted the test streams and left the longer one up. Then on the first day of 2021, I streamed my favorite game, DC Universe Online, for a bit over 30 minutes. So. I guess I can call myself a streamer now.

Another thing that fast internet did was finish my online backup. It was due to finish in February with the old internet. It finished with the new internet in less than a week. My entire hard drive backed up online. Nice.

In other news, I found a couple of cat-related mods in Fallout 4. One, called Craftable Cats, allows you to make cats for your post-apocalyptic settlements. Naturally I went a little nuts on them and made a few too many. This didn't last, of course. I had to go back to an earlier save because having that many cats just KILLS the framerate on the computer. But it was fun anyway. The other mod is Immortal Cats for those of us that cannot, for whatever reason, bear the sight of a dead cat even in a game. Despite the description in the mod's notes, this did lead to an amusing incident when a robot started attacking cats that were weaving around its feet.

In family news, while I started the year in the hospital, my mother ended the year in the hospital. No, she didn't get COVID (at least I hope not), but instead somehow managed to break her back. I've questioned my siblings, but we aren't sure which one of us stepped on a crack. While she's putting up a good show, I know she's in a lot of pain. I hope she's able to get home soon.

Full Kidney Saga (Start Here)

Full Lupus Saga (Start Here)

Kidney Saga part 126

I really am a lucky person.

I mean, when I basically collapsed with kidney and heart failure in January and then nearly died in March from a diabetic coma, you probably wouldn't think of me as lucky. But I didn't die. I didn't even have a lot of pain, compared to other people. And falling so ill just *before* a global pandemic hit was also lucky, in a sense. No one actually expects me to leave my house and be sociable during a pandemic.

I'm also extremely lucky to have Eric, who is amazing and has managed to hold up well, despite unreal pressure being put on him as a caregiver. I'm stubborn and sometimes extremely annoying to get along with, but he's managed to keep me alive and well-fed and taking my medicine all along. I also have a fuzzy lap-warmer named Inkwell who has purred me to sleep more than once.

And I have an extended support network, including family and on-line friends. I haven't felt the sting of being alone because I can "talk" to other folks on the internet, via Twitch and Twitter and Facebook. Just watching Twitch and chatting with folks has given me all the social activity I felt I needed. Thank goodness for the internet! I even got to see most of my family on Thanksgiving via Discord and Zoom.

So... an update on my health. I had another virtual visit with my kidney doctor last week, and he confirmed the results of my last blood test: I'm in stage 2 kidney disease now, a very good improvement from stage 3. This means the threat/danger of dialysis is basically gone as long as I'm careful, but I still have damage so I need to stay the course and continue to eat low-sodium, low-potassium and low-phosphate foods. It may be upwards of a year before my body can handle normal levels of sodium again, if ever. Processed food is still too dangerous for me to have regularly, although I'm allowed a little wiggle room now.

The new medication will take at least 12 weeks from my starting it to show improvement, according to the studies I read after my doctor prescribed it. I've been taking it about three weeks now. Lupus is an autoimmune disease, which means that my immune system is attacking my organs and my joints. The really simplistic explanation of my treatment goes like this: we're turning off my immune system to try to reboot it. The first attempt didn't work, but the second attempt with Cytoxin did. That resulted in my kidneys getting better. Now we have to convince my immune system to stop attacking my joints. The new medication is used for people who had transplants to prevent rejection, as well as for severe arthritis, like mine. In about 12 weeks it should shut down my immune system again, and we'll see at that point whether or not my joint pain goes away. If it does, then the doctors will decide how long to keep my immune system suppressed before letting it come back and seeing if it's been properly rebooted. The doctor said it could be a year or two before I can stop the medication.

The on/off method even works for the human body, apparently.

The biggest problem with the new medicine is that I'm supposed to take it after meals - about 30 minutes after meals. Which means there is an even chance I'll forget to take it. And so it was - I *think* I forgot to take it one night. However, I wasn't certain I had really forgotten and that I hadn't just forgotten that I'd taken it. The confusion and uncertainty was distressing. So I turned to my cell phone, which is always with me, for help.

A search for a simple medication reminder app resulted in a lot of options, and after viewing a number of them, I finally settled on one called MyTherapy Pill Reminder & Medication Tracker. It has ways to track blood pressure, blood sugar, weight, and exercise along with a basic pill reminder that even includes a pill inventory so you can get a reminder when you need to refill a prescription. The default weight unit was in kg, and I had to write to support to figure out how to change it to lbs (it wasn't hard, just not obvious). I've only been using it for a week or so, but I am finding it very useful already.

For example, I have been recording my exercise daily, and it even provides me with a chart to show my progress.

My tech world has been very busy of late. In addition to my new reminder app, I also got some smart plugs for various lights around the house. I also plugged my room heater into one so I can turn it on and off remotely. Very nice! My feline paralysis makes it difficult to turn things on and off manually. The plugs have timers, so I replaced the mechanical timers on two of our lights with the smart plugs, and now I have them on a schedule AND can turn them on and off from my phone. I am even able to signal Eric (when he's downstairs) that I need his help by blinking one of the lights - which saves me from shouting across the house - although that's not something I want or intend to make a habit of doing.

My poor computer is running smoothly again, although I've still had no luck recovering my four months of lost data from the old drive. I have the old drive in an enclosure now, and keep hoping it might just decide to work one day. Sometimes computer stuff does that just to annoy people. I've managed to get it to show up a couple of times, but the recovery software "loses" it almost immediately, and the drive vanishes again. I am continuing a nightly local backup of my new drive and working on a cloud backup, although my data upload rate is so slow it'll be a couple of months before everything is fully backed up to the cloud. Once it is backed up, however, nightly backups should be fairly quick and easy.

The after-Thanksgiving sales allowed me to upgrade my memory on my computer from 8GB to 32GB, which has improved my gaming experience quite a bit. I also indulged in the Autumn Steam Sale and got Fallout 4 with all the DLCs. It was only about $20, and I suspect I will have a great time with the game despite its many faults. And vaults. I've already started playing it. I started out with a God Mode mod - and still somehow nearly managed to die. This one will take me a while to learn. The variety of mods available makes the game much larger than its base game, so I'm hoping to get some fun out of it when I tire of killing pixels as a superhero in DC Universe Online. The Fallout franchise is the spiritual successor to Wasteland, which I played on the C64 as a teenager and loved. I didn't actually finish Wasteland until I played it on an emulator as an adult. I don't know if I'll finish the main storyline in Fallout 4, but I suspect I'll enjoy it regardless.

I've been listening to a lot of audiobooks lately, in addition to podcasts. So far I've mostly stuck with books I've already read. Listening to them is a different experience and I've been surprised to find that I react differently when I listen as opposed to reading. I suppose the emphasis is different due to the narrator. It feels like adding a new dimension to the books, and I've enjoyed the experience immensely.

I made a couple of purchases on Etsy recently. I got two more catnip eyeballs for Inkwell from Scarywhitegirl and more lavender shower bombs from Frakking Bombs. Along with my lavender shower bombs, she threw in extra shower bombs in new scents, and a rubber ducky.

And so, life is not bad. My hands hurt all the time, and my shoulders, elbows and knees hurt most of the time. I can't lift heavy things, and I have trouble opening containers of all types because of the weakness in my hands. I have to go slowly up and down the stairs to avoid falling. But I feel good despite the pain, or maybe with the exception of the pain. My mood is certainly fine - I haven't fallen into a bad depression in quite some time (knock wood). And my boys are keeping me content, one by cuddling on my legs and purring and the other by cuddling me, feeding me, and generally being my everything.

Life is pretty good despite it all.

Full Kidney Saga (Start Here)

Kidney Saga part 125

I meant to write sooner, but things kept happening in real life.

Let's see... late October my wonderful sister bought me a Christmas/Birthday present: a new lift chair! It's a recliner, although it doesn't go fully flat. Inkwell the cat has found that he can rest on my lower legs while I'm playing on my computer, and likes to stretch out and sleep on me when I'm napping in the chair. Getting up has become much easier. I no longer feel the agony in my knees as I stand after a long writing/gaming session. This has made it easier in general to move around, which has made my life in general better.

The hospital system updated its policy on lab test results. Instead of waiting for a doctor to screen the results, they are immediately released to the electronic chart, accessible via a website. So when I got labs done at 11am, the results were already up by 1pm that same afternoon. Reading through them without a doctor's advice is a bit sketchy, but I knew enough of which items to look out for, so I was able to tell before my doctor appointment that I was still heading in the right direction. Some of the numbers that used to be way out of whack are now almost normal or within normal range. Don't get me wrong, my estimated GFR still puts me in Stage 3 kidney disease, but even that has improved dramatically since the beginning of this year.

A week after the tests, I saw my kidney doctor via Zoom. He confirmed my analysis, telling me I was definitely showing improvement. Except for the pain in my joints, I'm doing very well. Unfortunately, the pain in my joints is a classic lupus symptom. So he added a new medication that has been shown in clinical trials to have a good effect on people who took the treatment route I did - including the cytoxin chemo therapy. It's still too soon to see if it's having the desired effect, but I can say the medicine makes me miserable for about an hour or so after I've taken it. Not pain, just discomfort and stomach ache.

I've continued to manage a few minutes on the exercise bike most days. I have missed a few days due to pain or other things happening (when I installed my new light switch, it took enough out of me that I didn't try to exercise). I still have hope that I can get up to 30 minutes a day at least five days a week by the end of 2020, although I'm not going to push it when it comes down to it. I only do as much as I can tolerate without real pain.

In my tech world, some big things happened that helped to delay me writing this. My storage hard drive on my computer died. As I was only running my operating system and a single game from the boot drive, this meant that I lost EVERYTHING else. Fortunately, I had a back-up. Unfortunately, it was four months old. D'oh! So I lost four months of photos, writing, and other projects. Which is painful, but not so horrible that I feel like I need to go to a data retrieval company to try to recover the stuff on the drive. Instead, I purchased a new drive, installed it, restored the back-up to it, and am getting on with life as best I can. I now have a nightly back-up to an external drive *and* a cloud back-up going. I hope to not lose everything again.

In addition to the lift chair, I installed a nice "smart switch" for my room. The light levels in my room change frequently during the day depending on the location of the sun and whether or not we have weather outside. It's not a big thing to get up and turn the light on or off, but I often have severe feline paralysis when I want to change the light. Also, I have to wait for the lift chair to push me up. So a smart switch, which allows me to turn the light on or off from my phone, seemed like an interesting project. And so it was. I've done a little bit of DIY wiring before, and this was not a difficult thing to install. The worst part about it is that my hands, wrists and arms are still very weak - even pushing the wiring back into the box was harder than it should have been. I managed it anyway, which made me extremely happy on multiple levels. Being able to accomplish a small home improvement task is amazingly gratifying.

Installing the smart switch led to me installing some more apps on my cell phone, including figuring out how to install a new launcher on Android. I wanted to customize the icon for my light switch, and that's easiest with a launcher. Which is something I hadn't explored yet. But it will probably keep me fascinated for a bit, as it has a lot of options that techie-Laura loves. Ah, more toys to fool around with!

For once I'm also looking forward to my birthday, January 20th. Inauguration Day. Twice in my life, my birthday has been devastating. Hopefully this next one will be as wonderful as the one in 2009, which has probably been the best inauguration day b-day I've had. We just have to get through the two months leading up to it. Fingers crossed it won't be too bad.

No promises on my next update, but I'll try to keep updating regularly here as well as on Facebook.

Full Kidney Saga (Start Here)

Kidney Saga part 124

Movement is medicine.

My cardiologist was very happy to learn that I've got an exercise bike and have been using it almost every day. I also mentioned my goal to start walking daily to the nearest Pokestop - and she admitted she hadn't realized Pokemon Go encourages exercise.

Well, last Friday was the first time I missed a day of exercise since I got the bike, mostly due to pain. The pain - in turn - causes fatigue. And sometimes it's just too much to overcome. Mostly I've been able to carry on despite the hurt and exhaustion, but some days you just have to stop and rest. Last Friday was one of those days for me.

Fortunately, I was able to get back in the saddle and ride again - and have kept up at least five minutes a day since then.

I went to the cardiologist on Monday with my new "2020 Scariest Costume Ever" mask. I was mildly disappointed that no one commented on it, but by now lots of people have seen lots of masks, so I shouldn't be surprised. I suspect the etiquette of mask compliments is still not set.

The results of my echocardiogram were in, and are very good. In January when I first went into the hospital my "ejection fraction" was under 50%. Normal range is 50 to 70%. My echo showed I am now at a solid and healthy 58%. It's not enough to dump my medications, but as far as my heart is concerned I'm out of the woods. Whew!

The result is that I don't need to see the cardiologist until January unless I relapse. In the meantime, I have strict instructions to continue avoiding salt, to continue exercising, and to continue restricting my liquid intake. I also get to taper off the diuretic and see if I develop edema again.

Because the appointment was in Richland, about 40 miles away, hubby-Eric drove me. But as we came back I commented that my vision is fine again and I feel fairly strong, so maybe my next medical visit - to get x-rays - I should try to do alone. Eric was reluctant, but agreed if I thought I could do it I should give it a try.

I didn't have the energy on Tuesday, but on Wednesday I headed out to the Prosser hospital - about 15 miles - alone. It was odd driving again. I've driven exactly once in 2020 - to the dentist less than a mile from home. I made it to the hospital just fine, and went in with my newest mask. I was shepherded into the x-ray room where a duo of goofy techs helped me with my "photoshoot". I got x-rays of both feet, both knees and both hands. I also got asked how to pronounce my last name, to which I first replied "very carefully," which got a good laugh.

The drive home was slightly less fun. I felt a wave of exhaustion hit about halfway back and considered pulling over. In the end, I decided it would take as much effort to get off the freeway and find a safe place to stop as it would to continue all the way home. So I continued, and made it home safely.

I got the results back from the x-rays today - everything is within normal parameters and no immediate action needs to be taken. The only result that showed up in my online chart so far was for my left foot, and noted the heel spur that has been a slight bother for many years now.

My next appointment will be virtual again, yay! I need to visit Prosser hospital before then for a blood draw. All the standard tests need to be done. Hopefully I'll have made even more progress since my last tests and maybe, if I'm extremely lucky, I'll hear that my kidneys are healthy? Hey, a girl can dream!

Sadly, I know the lupus is here to stay. The pain is mostly in my hands and knees. My hands hurt all the time, waking or sleeping. It hasn't woken me up, but I dream about my hands in pain. The worst pain is always just after I've woken up, since they've been still for so long. Typing or playing the video games tends to make them hurt less - movement helps.

My knees hurt maybe three quarters of the day. The worst moments are still getting up from low chairs. My sister, being a wonderful person who loves me very much, decided to help out with that problem. She's ordered me a lift recliner which should arrive in the next few days. It will effectively remove the worst of the "getting up" pain if it works as advertised.

I've been keeping my kidney wish list up-to-date although I'm no longer in any desperate need of anything on the list. It's so nice to be able to say that!

I am continuing to use the lavender shower bombs as aromatherapy, and they continue to apparently work to reduce the intensity of my hot flashes.

The weather has finally turned enough that we switched from AC to heat. Inkwell has been extremely cuddly recently, clearly seeking out the human cat bed for my warmth. I mostly don't mind, although he doesn't really take a hint when I'm trying to play my game or type. I end up with cat butt in my face entirely too often.

I listen to Eric teaching each day. His teacher voice really carries - I only hope it gets through to his students. He's still learning how to be an effective online teacher, but he seems to be doing great.

I'll try to continue to update weekly as I move into a new phase of sickness. Living with lupus is going to be strange, I guess. Hopefully I can stay on track.

Full Kidney Saga (Start Here)

Kidney Saga part 123

I went to the rheumatologist last Thursday for a follow-up/check-up on my new medication and pain. She ordered X-rays on my hands, knees and feet so we can get a baseline - and to see if the lupus is already causing damage.

She also decided to keep my HCQ (Hydroxychloroquine) dosage the same for now, and discussed some options for future treatment. Due to my body's rejection of the first drug we tried for kidney failure, some treatment options are denied to me.

When I mentioned my fatigue, she noted that going off the Prednisone after being on it for nearly nine months would be tough on my body, and I could expect some rough patches. I've had some very down days and some days when I felt almost normal. And some days when I thought I was fine until I tried to do something. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm still sick and stop trying to overdo it. I gotta walk before I can run.

While at the doctor's office I also had a blood draw and got a flu shot. Lots of stuff going on.

I got an echocardiogram on Monday to check how my heart is progressing. The last one I had was in an emergency room when I was barely conscious, so this one was interesting. For most of the procedure I could see the monitor and therefore was looking into my own body. The valves were so vivid - I was surprised at how clear the image was. I don't know what it found yet, but I actually enjoyed seeing it.

I got risers for my chair and for the couch, and both have helped immensely in getting up. My knees still hurt quite a bit when I get up from my chair, but nothing short of a lifting chair/cushion will stop that, I think, due to the nature of the chair. Lifting the chair two inches still helped a lot even if it still hurts. And getting up from the couch is almost painless, although I still need to brace myself and push up with my arms.

The lavender treatment has dramatically decreased the annoyance of my hot flashes. I'm down to maybe one or two a night instead of a dozen or so, and they aren't nearly as severe. I'm going to keep getting lavender shower bombs and leaving them near my computer before I use them in the shower. The scent is clearly helping.

I'm still using the exercise bike, and to my surprise I haven't missed a day since I got it. I know I eventually will have a day that I'm just too tuckered out to ride it for even five minutes, but so far that day has not come.

Inkwell and hubby-Eric continue to survive, as well. Inkwell has been getting more cuddly as the days get cooler, so I'm turning into a glorified cat bed more often. And Eric is teaching heartily and keeping in touch with his students. My waking hours are spent mostly playing DC Universe Online and writing on various projects.

Full Kidney Saga (Start Here)

Kidney Saga part 122

I want to thank people.

I want to thank people, but I don't have the words to thank them enough. I want to thank the folks who supported us financially, and the folks like Anna and Elayne who sent socks and other needed objects. The person who, very early in my sickness, sent me a $50 Amazon gift card that literally kept me clothed. The folks who bought a humidifier, and the bidet. The folks who contributed to my GoFundMe, including the streamers on Sophie's channel. My sister-in-law, who not only gave me stuff to help but also provided advice and calming information.

I want to give you all the hugs and kisses and praise and happiness.

You helped us. You helped us a lot, during times that were really bad. Life has improved dramatically for us, with Eric now employed and my health slowly improving. I don't have enough thanks to give to everyone who deserves thanks. I hope I am past the worst of it, and can just concentrate on healing now. But I wouldn't have made it this far without all the support I got from other people.

Right. Health update time.

I'm off the Prednisone now, and we're watching to see if I relapse at all. I have a rheumatology appointment next week, and we'll see what adjustments need to be made to the HCQ (Hydroxychloroquine). My hands and knees both hurt a lot frequently, so I hope there's some solution that will help make life a little more tolerable. I've been using a combination of Tylenol and compression gloves to keep the pain at bay, but neither are perfect.

My hair has gone curly. Not as curly as some folks, but far more curly than I'm used to. I find it terribly annoying, but there's not a lot I can do about it right now. If not for the pandemic, I'd find someone who can style my hair and get a cut that would minimize the annoyance. But as it is I have only two real options: cut it short or let it grow. At this point I'm going to let it grow a bit and see if it starts to behave. If not, I may go ahead and chop it.

Still no issues with the diabetes. My blood sugar levels are extremely stable and normal. It's actually kind of surreal in some ways. I got used to worrying about making sure I took insulin, now I'm still testing my levels but not jamming a needle in my stomach before each meal.

My hot flashes are still an issue, but I read a study that said the scent of lavender actually helps reduce the intensity of hot flashes. So I ordered some lavender shower bombs and when they arrived left them next to my computer chair, filling the air with lavender scent. I don't know if it was the placebo effect, but my hot flashes that night were both less intense and far fewer in number. If my house smells like lavender for the next few years, you know why.

My biggest discomfort at the moment is getting up from my chair or the couch. Both are just a little too low, and my knees hurt fiercely when I stand. I'm looking into options for raising the chair a few inches (it's an Ikea Poang Chair). I could probably easily raise the couch with some store-bought risers, as well. It's just a matter of getting the risers for the couch and figuring out how to get or make risers for the chair.

I've been doing very well with my short daily exercise session on the recumbent bike. I've gotten up to 15 minutes a day. I'm not allowing myself to push it too much, with my daily hard goal set at 5 minutes and my hopeful goal at 15. I've also told myself that I can take a day off each week if needed. So far, keeping the goals easy has helped me reach the higher goals.

Inkwell is healthy again, and is restless and wants to play or cuddle all the time. I indulge him as much as I'm able.

Hubby-Eric is still settling into his new teaching job, but it appears online teaching really fits him. He spends a LOT of time doing research and prepping, and I can listen to his classes sometimes (he still has a classroom teacher voice that carries throughout the house). I have heard him calling students individually and he has conferences with fellow teachers on a regular basis. Assuming a child is suited to online learning, it appears this company is a pretty good outfit to be taught by. I know Eric is putting in as much work as he did when he had a physical classroom, and seems as interested and concerned about his students around the state as he was with his local students. If only we could get faster internet out here, it would be perfect.

So I am going to go and count my blessings again. And send good vibes and thanks to everyone who has helped me the past nine months of this nightmarish year.

Full Kidney Saga (Start Here)

Kidney Saga part 121

Every day a little stronger.

It gets a little easier to go up and down the stairs each day. The exercise bike feels less of a strain each day. I can get up out of my chair a little easier each day.

Oh, the evenings are difficult, as the exhaustion and pain take their toll. But I can feel the improvement each day in the mornings.

The diabetes seems to be gone. Going off the insulin didn't change my blood sugar test results. I'm still on the long-lasting insulin and will still need to test for a few more weeks, but the results have been spectacularly good so far. I even allowed myself to have a cream soda the other day to celebrate.

My biggest problem right now is the lupus arthritis pain. Most of the pain is in my hands, but I also have some in my knees and ankles. The compression gloves I ordered to help with the pain in my hands have not arrived, and seem to be stuck in some sort of post office limbo.

I was playing with Inkwell the cat yesterday on the landing, and sat down on the floor to play a little more intensely. I wasn't able to get up from the floor directly, I had to scoot over to the stairs and use the railing to pull myself up. I was disappointed, because I'd hoped I had enough strength now... but it'll come in time, I hope.

The hot flashes continue to be annoying but not intolerable. They always strike in the evening, and have kept me awake a couple of nights. I don't know how long they will last, but they do add an interesting sensation to my already full life. Again, I think I'm getting off easy with them. I know they could be a lot worse.

The windows are open this morning, with a light breeze clearing out the stuffiness of the house. Inkwell has been jumping from window to window to sniff and listen to the outside. I'm trying my best to forget about the rest of the world for a few hours and simply enjoy being alive.

Full Kidney Saga (Start Here)

Kidney Saga part 120

My diabetes is either gone or going away.

I talked to my doctor today about the tests I had the day after Labor Day, and the indicator for diabetes is dramatically normal. She said she's never seen someone go from where I was the last time she checked (around 8%) to where I am now (about 5%). The normal range is 4.8-5.6%, prediabetes is 5.7-6.4% and diabetes is more than 6.4%. She said most of the time she sees people drop to somewhere in the 6% range first, then drop down to normal range after a few months. But we still have to be careful. So I'm going off the fast-acting insulin as of now, but staying on the long-acting insulin for a bit longer. I will need to continue to do blood tests twice a day and watch carefully for either high or low blood sugar. I'm to report any oddness, and take insulin if needed. If everything stays happy, I'll check back in a couple of weeks to determine if I can go off the long-acting insulin.

That translates to three less needles a day, but the most annoying bits (the finger prick tests) are still necessary. Oh well. I guess you can't win 'em all.

Still, I'm delighted. Even though I was told there was a good chance the diabetes would go away once I was off or mostly off the Prednisone, I was prepared to live with it for the rest of my life. If I can keep my weight down, there's a chance I'll never have to deal with it again. I have a serious motivation to avoid it in the future now that I've lived with it for several months. On the other hand, I'm no longer frightened by it.

My dietary restrictions are a bit less onerous now. I don't have to count carbs, though I'll probably try to stay within the guidelines. I still have to avoid sodium and phosphates, and keep a close eye on how much potassium I get (although it's less of a concern due to the way water pills work). I will be able to eat when I want to instead of having to keep a careful schedule due to the insulin shots, which will be nice. Not dramatically different, but nice.

I also talked with the nephrologist via video on Monday. He didn't change any of my medications, which surprised me a little. His main concern was making sure I'm tapering off the Prednisone correctly (I am) and that the Hydroxychloroquine isn't having any massive side effects (it isn't). My blood tests are showing continued improvement, in line with the timeline from my chemo treatment. He wants to see me again after I'm off the Prednisone for awhile to make sure I don't regress. In short, all is well on the kidney front.

My hands continue to hurt, usually worse right after I wake up in the morning and late in the evening. I've ordered some compression gloves that are supposed to help with arthritis pain, so should (in theory) help me. In addition to hand pain, I feel minor pains in other joints, particularly my knees.

In fact, it has been hard to get out of my chair lately. I keep wishing for a new chair, but the downsides are a pain. I would want one that has a higher seat so it's easier to get out of it, but I still need to be able to elevate my feet. The sheer logistics of finding the right chair at the moment would be difficult. And then I'd have to get it upstairs and in my room. So I'm just trying to deal with the pain and make sure I'm careful about getting up.

To combat the pain, I've been exercising. My sister brought a recumbent exercise bike she's stopped using, and I've managed to get at least five minutes on it every day since she visited on Labor Day. Between it and going up and down the stairs for every meal, I'm very tired. But each day it all gets a little easier and I feel a little less exhausted, so I'm building up my energy again. It feels good when I think about being able to do normal things without collapsing. Movement is medicine, and one with only a few side effects.

The other new exciting medical issue I'm experiencing is hot flashes. Yup. I'm that old, and going through THAT. My hot flashes tend to happen every evening. Each one lasts a few minutes, and there's usually five or six of them in a row. I think I'm getting off easy, despite the annoyance. When I told my doctor, she was a bit concerned I was going to ask for hormone treatment or something. I basically said I'm on too many medications right now as it is, and I wouldn't even DARE to add another unless the hot flashes become intolerable. Right now they are annoying - mostly because of the sweat that gets into my eyes every time I have one - but not impossible to deal with. It's just one more thing to pay attention to, though.

Inkwell got sick last Thursday, throwing up and refusing to eat. He also became lethargic, to the point where he didn't even attack my hand when I touched his belly. We took him to the vet, but his blood tests came back normal. He only had some inflammation in his intestines. So we waited it out, and he slowly got back to eating and moving and being himself. But for awhile it was scary, and I checked on him every hour or so to make sure he was still breathing.

In addition to a sick cat, the smoke from all the wildfires in three states settled in across Washington and northern Oregon, turning the sky a filthy shade of yellow and causing local agencies to discourage people from going outside. I was given strict orders by my nephrologist to stay inside, as the smoke could definitely cause me serious problems. I have no problem with those orders. I'm just glad we have an air purifier. Both the nephrologist and my regular doctor said they are waiting for air purifiers, expressing some regret that they hadn't already gotten one.

Eric has been teaching on-line, and seems to be doing fine. I haven't really bothered him much, but he has cheerful little anecdotes about his students, and it's easy to read between the lines that he likes them and is already bonding with some of them. He's had some minor successes with the technology, as well. If we only had a faster internet connection, the job would be absolutely perfect.

Full Kidney Saga (Start Here)

Kidney Saga part 119

I haven't updated in way too long, sorry.

I meant to write every Monday, but on the 24th I was scheduled to have a blood draw, so I figured I would wait until after that so I could report on the visit to the hospital. Well, I went to the hospital on Monday and they didn't have any orders for a blood draw. So we contacted my nephrologist - but I ended up going home without a blood draw that day. I went back on Tuesday for the draw, which went well. My Zoom appointment with my nephrologist was scheduled for Wednesday, so I figured I might as well wait until after that appointment to write an update. Right?

I got a call Wednesday morning from his office - he was at the hospital taking care of an emergency, so he cancelled all his appointments for the remainder of the week. So I didn't have my visit. Which was a little worrisome as I expected a medication adjustment. Oddly, the office didn't reschedule - possibly because the emergency threw his entire schedule into chaos. I kept expecting a reschedule, and putting off writing an update until I had an idea what was happening... and so another week passed.

In the meantime, the local clinic called about my diabetes and scheduled an eye exam and blood tests for the Tuesday after Labor Day. So. I figured I would wait until I'd done that before writing. Hubby-Eric drove me to the appointment yesterday and then went off to go shopping while I went in and got my eyes checked and some blood taken. I'll have the results by early next week. The blood test might tell the doctors if I still have the steroid-induced diabetes. If I do still have it, it's very much in control, based on my blood sugar tests. I got out of the appointment only a few minutes before Eric got back to the clinic from the store, so our timing was nearly perfect. It was also a beautiful day out, so waiting outside the clinic for less than five minutes was very pleasant.

So, let's see... the HCQ (Hydroxychloroquine) continues to have annoying side effects. Whenever I stand up, I have to stand still for a moment to let myself balance or else I get dizzy. There is almost always a bit of nausea, but I'm getting used to it to the point that it barely bothers me unless I start to think about it. The no-need-for-laxative side effect is also persistent and disturbing. The pain in my hands continues, and when it gets intolerable I take some painkiller for it. I haven't seen any improvement. I was warned that the medication might not have an impact right away, if ever. But it supposedly will prevent the lupus from getting worse.

I'm down to an incredibly low dose of Prednisone, and most of its side effects are gone. No more nightmares and memory dumps, and my moonface is nearly gone. I still have a lot of extra hair, but that apparently tends to stick around for a bit. While the facial hair is distressing, the worst is the hair on my arms and shoulders because it's just light enough to move in any sort of wind or breeze and freaks me out because it feels like a spider or insect brushing against me.

My parents and younger sister visited on Labor Day. My mom brought me an awesome cat house, which I suspect I will enjoy far more than Inkwell will. My sister brought me an exercise bike that can be folded up nicely. It's recumbent and low impact, so I should be able to use it for a few minutes each day and start building up my strength again. I've already used it for very short sessions two days in a row, and it wore me out completely. Still, the point is to get to the point where I can go for longer and not be exhausted when I finish, so I hope I can keep at it.

My sister also helped me move a piece of furniture that I needed to move in order to take the next step in my recovery. I wanted to put my medicine table downstairs instead of in the bedroom, but there was a free-standing book rack in the way. My sister moved the book rack, and then I used all my energy and then some to get my table downstairs. This basically means hubby-Eric no longer has to haul my meals upstairs, as I'll be going downstairs to eat. It also means I will be getting more exercise because I will have to go up and down the stairs several times a day. Going down isn't too bad, but going up can be a challenge if I'm at all tired. Again, the point is to get stronger, so the move is a good thing.

Over the past weeks I also watched as my namesake hurricane moved in and caused death and damage as one of the biggest hurricanes to make landfall in recorded history. I've been following news about the Post Office being gutted. And I've followed the news of protests and shootings with dismay. This hasn't been a good year for most of the world.

Late in the night on September 1st, Eric and I got alerts on our phones to evacuate immediately due to a wildfire. Fortunately, it was a mistake. The fire was more than 40 miles away. We got more alerts later on explaining that it was a goof. Each one woke us up. The fires have been pretty bad in the state, and Labor Day was actually really bad for this area due to heavy smoke and high winds.

This past Friday our AC went out. As the temperatures were in the 90F range over the weekend, it wasn't pleasant. We decided to wait until Tuesday to get it fixed rather than pay for emergency service. There were moments I regretted that decision, but in the end we survived. Inkwell melted all over the house, and I sweated more than I have in some time, but we got through it. On Tuesday afternoon the tech came and fixed it very quickly. I opened some windows while the AC was out, but the smoke made it impossible to leave them open too long.

On Sunday, hubby-Eric tried a new recipe for lasagna, and it was excellent. It was very nice to be able to eat lasagna again - a nice low sodium version. Even better, there were several servings left over for lunches. Yum!

With Eric's permission, I also joined two Kickstarters over the past couple of weeks. The first is for Nani, a graphic novel inspired by African mythology. I pledged at the level to get both volumes digitally. To my delight, it funded very quickly and is already well on the way to its second stretch goal. I also backed Girl Genius - Adventures In Castle Heterodyne, a new video game based on the Girl Genius series. While it hasn't fully funded yet, I'll be surprised if it doesn't reach the goal.

Today is Eric's first teaching day on his new job. There have been some technical glitches along the way, but it sounds like he's ready. Ask him how it all went later in the day today, or check his Facebook page to see if he talks about it.

A fly got into the house, and Inkwell the magical cat has been delightedly chasing it around. From my chair I've watched him leap into the air many times after it. He also chitters at it, so I know when it comes into my room. He loves his new sky raisin toy, and seems extremely happy to have it. I wish he could catch it because it drives me nuts when it flies near me. Inkwell was also shocked by my family's visit, and has carefully examined his new cat house. He's been great entertainment for me.

Inkwell being cute.

My time continues to mostly be reading, listening to podcasts and e-books, and playing on DC Universe Online. Two new podcasts I've started listening to are the Archie McPhee podcast, Less Talk, More Monkey, and the Pat Cashman podcast Almost Live! Still Alive. The Archie McPhee podcast is surprisingly entertaining for being basically adverts for their products - mixed in with Seattle lore. And any fan of Almost Live really needs to listen to Pat Cashman's limited series as he goes back and interviews the folks who brought the show to us.

So, I guess to sum up, life is going as well as can be expected in this year of pandemic. I'm certainly grateful that I have a future to look forward to.

Full Kidney Saga (Start Here)

Kidney Saga part 118

I wrote a quick update this past Thursday on taking HCQ for my lupus. I noted the persistent low-grade nausea, the dizziness and the exhaustion. I also mentioned a worry that my depression was coming back.

Well, I seem to have gotten through the depression. I suspect I just got a little unbalanced, and it came back - as it tends to do - for a visit. I felt pretty solid over the weekend, and overall feel much better mentally now.

The dizziness, nausea and exhaustion haven't gone away. The dizziness has been fairly bad at times, leading me to wonder if I shouldn't start using the walker again. I don't want to, but I also don't want to fall.

Other side-effects are also apparent, including the "don't need the laxative any more" one that I'd rather not talk about much, but I find incredibly disturbing at times. I really don't recommend taking this stuff if you don't have to. It is not quite as bad as the prednisone, but it definitely is unpleasant.

Speaking of prednisone, the step down of dosage has made a difference. The memory dumps have almost entirely stopped. I did have a brutal memory/dream experience during a nap that surprised me (it involved a road I thought I knew with rock faces I'd never seen/noticed before and was really haunting and terrible), but it kind of felt like a last gasp of the last grasp the stuff has on me. I've also noticed a lack of mood swings in the last month or so, which is nice. Prednisone is a wonderfully useful drug that I hope to never ever have to take again.

Hubby-Eric has been working regularly, now. I have started to feed Inkwell the cat during some of his feeding times. Getting down the stairs is fine - getting up them again can be difficult at times. But overall I'm healthy enough to handle it.

I made my own breakfast the other morning, and nearly passed out as I finished. I am still very weak. Standing in the kitchen stirring a pot of oatmeal took more out of me than I like to admit. But it turned out good, although I had to rest on the couch for awhile before I could get back up the stairs.

Inkwell has been goofy. He has gotten brave enough to examine my lunches again, and has no compunction about telling me how awful my food choices are when he smells my veggie dish. He seems to know I'm healthier and has been trying to get me to chase him and play, which I try to do when I'm strong enough. He also insists on sleeping in my chair and refusing to move when I come into my room. I have to shoo him off, which he does not appreciate - although sometimes he decides to occupy my lap once I've sat down.

I still spend far too much time asleep. When I'm not asleep I'm often playing my video game and listening to podcasts. I'm entirely caught up on all the podcasts I got behind on, and have been looking for new ones that aren't too annoying. Unfortunately, I get really picky about what I like. There are some that are good but have really annoying ads, while others are just too long for my tastes (I prefer 15-45 minutes).

Overall, I'm still getting better, slowly but certainly. I guess that's all I can ask for now.

Full Kidney Saga (Start Here)