A little update

Some days I'm as happy as a kitten chasing a leaky cow and other days I feel like a one legged man in a butt kicking contest. The last few weeks it's been the latter. On Sunday, April 7th I ended up being transported by ambulance and admitted to UofU hospital. This time for chest pains. The doctors were worried that I was having a heart attack. Instead we discovered my kidneys were in distress. The doctors said I needed a heart cauterization, but told me I could wait since I already have one scheduled with Stanford on May 7th. After an overnight stay for observation and adjusting some of my meds I was able to return home.

On April 5th I had another stomach emptying study. One order of eggs and toast laced with radioactive dye and 7 x-rays over a 4 hour period and it showed that my stomach still does not digest food as it should. I'm probably looking at another procedure to address that. I will be discussing the results and treatment plans with my Stanford team when I meet with them next month.

My Stanford team has told me I need to be diligent in using sunscreen as I am at a higher risk for skin cancer because of the meds I take. I'll be honest and admit that I rarely wore sunscreen and my skin easily tanned. Not anymore. I went outside to enjoy the sunshine and watch Zoe play at the park and it did not take long for me to get sunburned on the only part of my body that was not covered. I have never sunburned my hands before. My left hand got burnt so bad that is swelled up and hurt for days. Lesson learned. Always wear sunscreen.

It's been easy for me to get discouraged with my slow healing progress. I was blessed in the beginning making huge and unexpected gains. I get frustrated because I want to be further along. It seems as soon as I am ready to give up and accept that I will not get better, Heavenly Father gives me enough strength and progress to motivate me to keep pushing myself.

I walked about 2 miles with my friends around the lake this morning. When I say that my friends walk around the lake I should say SPEED walk around the lake. It was awesome. My body was exhausted but my heart and lungs were so happy and felt great. I'm so thrilled to see some progress.

I try to acknowledge the progress I'm making, whether is be big or small. I try my hardest to look for the good and be grateful for what I have been given. I will not say that I am thankful or grateful that I had my stroke, but I will say that I am grateful for my life and the strength I gain from my experiences. I am thankful for the gift of my transplant. For without it I would not be alive today. It is very humbling to know that my life has been extended because someone chose to donate their loved ones organs.

I am forever grateful.