Poked and Prodded

It's been quite some time since I've posted, but it's time again. I have been poked and prodded for the last several weeks and it's not over yet. I'm being tested to see if I'm healthy enough to go on the "LIST" for transplant. So far so good. I've found out that my heart is pretty darn good and my teeth are in great shape. The other day I had some blood drawn (23 vials to be exact) and found out that I'm not on any illegal drugs, that I'm low on some stuff and high on others. I also found out that I'm O neg. So, now they want me to bring up my counts on things like potassium and iron and lower my triglycerides and cholesterol numbers....

I don't want more pills. I already take ten daily. UGH....and I don't want to add to that....so I have taken responsibility for my jelly belly. Ok Ok Ok....I'm a little, well, maybe more than a little overweight. I personally want to lose seventy pounds. The docs say I only need to lose thirty....but...I want to look and feel good and seventy lbs will make that happen for me..(maybe I'd be happy with 50 lbs...hell....who am I kidding...I'd be ecstatic). Since they have to put the new kidney in the front of my stomach, I don't need more packed in there, so it's up to me to make room for it.

I've put myself on a diet. I've never done well with a long list of things I can't eat. You know what I mean....you can't eat donuts, cake, cookies, candy, pie, fudge, drink soda's with sugar (that one really hurts), white bread, pasta, and blah blah blah. I could go on and on with what added pounds to my once skinny little frame, but..I CAN do a diet when I only have to cut out a couple of things...and those things for me are processd sugar and white flour. I know what you're thinking...Oh my gosh..you are just rewording all of the above goodies and maybe I am. But to me it's only two things. I just have to make sure that what I eat doesn't contain either of the two ingredients that I have chosen to give up.

I now eat quite a bit of fruit. I drink the V8 fruit juices and Welch's Grape juice Lite. That usually takes care of my sugar cravings. Fruit also has sugar in it...but remember I only cut out foods with processed sugar. I also check all package foods to make sure that sugar is not listed in the ingredients. It was kind of a pain in the tukas in the beginning...but now it's a challenge. And, now, I only eat whole grain bread and pastas. One of my newest favorite treats is a mini whole wheat bagel, toasted and topped with creme cheese. Then I made a mix of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and sliced almonds and press that into the creme cheese. I top it with a slice of tomato and then cut it in half. To me, it's delicious and a treat. It meets all of my dietary requirements and is filling.
I don't know if I mentioned it or not...but I'm vegetarian and that makes it hard for me to get protien. The nuts and seeds are rich with protien...so if you need to add protien to your diet, try adding the nuts and seeds. Not only are they healthy, they are delish.

I never could stand diet sodas. That was until I tried zero coke. I love it. People say that even diet drinks are bad for you, but if we didn't eat everything that people say is bad for you, then we'd be stuck with only drinking water. And even then, who knows? I always hear about all those squiggly little things they find in water, so now we're only supposed to drink bottled water and then you find out by reading the label that the bottled water comes from our public drinking water. Round and round we go.

What does heathy mean anyway? To me...it's what promotes me feeling good about myself. Being able to do what I want to do physically (I'll be there soon) and not regretting what you've eaten after you've eaten it. I call it...eaters remorse. I've done it and I'm pretty sure we've all done it. I've been down and I blame that for making me crave something really delicious, like baking a cherry pie at eleven o'clock at night then eating most of it. It really hits home that I probably just ate 1,000 calories when I'm licking the last piece of great tasting goo off my finger. Yum...but oh crap what have I done.


I'm rambling...so back to my diet. I went through a real sugar withdrawal in the first two weeks but after that, it's been okay. I put myself on this self diet six weeks ago. What made me do it...partially a blood test that I had on September 19. My triglycerides were 660 (I had been enjoying my cakes and cookies) and then had another blood test on Oct 3rd...triglycerides were 300. Lowered by more than half . That was only two weeks after I started the self driven diet. Now..they are probably normal. Also my cholesterol was 220 on Sept 19th and on Oct 3rd it was
140. I'd also lost 11 lbs in that same two weeks. I am now on a mission! It was tough getting through that first two weeks, but when I saw the proof on my scale and through the blood tests I am now a believer that I CAN DO THIS!

I want to get healthy. The main reason is because I don't want to go on dialysis before the transplant and if I don't lose the weight that is what will happen. It will not happen to me. I won't let it. If you are going through the same thing....don't let other people tell you what will happen to you if you don't do this or don't do that. Make the choice...take hold of your health and control it. Stop letting it control you. Join me in being who you've alway wanted to be. The true us. Who could ask for more. We are fabulous! Let's go get what we want!

Leave comments about your progress. You're success will only help me with mine. I need your support to get through this and I'm there for you too.

I am Loving Life.

Sounds strange saying that after begging for an instant death and release from pain forever, however, life can never be taken too lightly. I was treated for a "Stupid Brain Tumor" at UT Southwestern University Hospital - Zale Lipshey.

Not only were the doctors, nurses, technitions, valets who parked my familie's cars, the folks who checked my bodily functions, the guy who made sure my a/c was working and keeping me comfortable, the women and men who mopped my floor, and their peers who changed my sheets, including everyone who always delivered my food with a smile on their face. (The food was really good also) to the employees who just dropped by to make sure I was OK, excellent, they made the experience a memorable one and made me remember how people are supposed to treat each other.

Their kindness, concern and caring touched my heart every time they entered my room and I will be thankful on a daily basis as to how each and every one of these caring individuals contributed to saving my life.

I know I am being all sappy and I'm having a Touched by an Angel moment , but I am thankful to be alive and I just wanted everyone involved in that process to know that I realize it is because of them that I am sucking it in and exhaling it out.

So to sum up this flowering mess, I want to thank my family, friends and professional team for their decision....

Thank you for deciding I was worth the effort.

My name is Donna and I will live another day because of you.

The Dr. shakes his head slowly and says

It’s been a while since I put to words my medical mishaps, so here goes, I’m at it again. Today I went to see Dr. Toto, (nephrology) to check on my kidneys before the surgery. I am now at about 21% function and am in stage 4 kidney failure. However, that’s really not all that bad. I have been in stage 3.9999999 for quite some time, so I plan on being in stage 4 (the beginning) for a while. Sounds like a movie of the week.

“Dr. We have a situation here. This strikingly beautiful woman, (nurse points to me) has a brain tumor and is in stage 4 kidney failure. She also suffers from Cushings Disease and has a liberal sister!”

The Dr. shakes his head slowly and says, “Yes, nurse, I know she is strinkingly beautiful.”

My drama goes something like that!!!

Anyway, back to the kidney thing, I have a couple of offers. My sister, who is probably the closest match, my husband, my daughter and believe it or not, one of the contractors working on our house. He has offered, but I don’t think he knows what he would be getting himself into. Anyway, I am sure my sis is a perfect match, so I will become one with her. God help me, she is a screaming liberal, so I’m crossing my fingers for the conservative kidney.

Now to the good news. There is absolutely nothing about my kidneys that will hamper the brain surgery. I just have to make sure they know about the kidney situation before I go under and then all will be perfect.

So...I am just hanging around waiting to get the ball rolling and get this mess over with so I can go back to living. I am pretty darn sick of being so tired and puekey all the time.

Wish me luck, if you are reading this, then you are in my thoughts..Wishing you nothing but good luck and good health.

My name is Donna....and I am in pretty good shape....considering!