Another Excellent FAQ

FAQ ANSWERED (HOPEFULLY)

Allow me attempt to respond to another fine FAQ sent to us once again by Suzi S. of Berkeley, CA. In this one, Suzi asks:

"What were the three things you most missed pre-transplant that you are enjoying now or hope to enjoy in the near future?"

Excellent question and thanks Suzi. This one has made me think real hard (duh) and try to decide the three things I missed the most. There were many from the ridiculous to the sublime, but here is my best shot at sorting out the top three.

1. I very much missed my interest in participating in activities I had previously enjoyed. Everything seemed too difficult physically; I had to evaluate everything on the basis of "can I physically do this ?" If it involved hills, stairs, or a lot of walking it frankly freaked me out. That is not to say I am instantly renewed in this area. I still have some serious work to do both in and out of cardiac rehab to restore my lost muscle, especially in my legs. Long periods of "sheet time" in the hospital do not support maintenance of muscle health and I do feel that now. I do not, however, expect to be limited by chest discomfort and potential heart problems like before. That has been a constant cloud hanging over me for many years. So I am looking forward to being physically able to do more as I become stronger. The long-lost mental desire to engage in activities seems to have been largely restored as well. Cheryl is particularly interested in this area where it relates specifically to travel. We have both, and she particularly, have very much missed the many travel opportunities we could potentially have enjoyed with her involvement in the industry. Recall my disastrous visit to Long Beach last summer which resulted in a difficult return trip to UCSF via medivac jet and ambulance. And that was only 400 miles away for one night! So a return to some (initially limited) ability to get out and go will be very greatly anticipated. We will experiment a bit this weekend by going to Westlake Village to visit the cemetary on what would have been our Dad's 90th birthday. My big concern this time is not about winding up in some dumpy ER somewhere but instead my ability to go more than, say, an hour without an, er, Comfort Stop. Cheryl is particularly insensitive to this situation as she claims to having been dealing with this for years. On the other hand, one of the very FEW advantages of dialysis was the ablity to go (actually NOT go) several days without the need for a visit to some scuzzy gas station can or even any can for that matter. It may be quite a challenge this weekend. Sorry, this may be TMI but I thought I would share my innermost fears and feelings with you, my public.

2. Being a genuine, card-carrying Moss in good standing suggests a certain, shall we say,uh, interest in dining. This is at the same time a pleasure as well as a curse, as it is a key reason how I got here in the first place. The main things I missed pre-transplant were directly related to renal failure. I have been used to diabetic and cardiac diets for some time (and have MOSTLY followed them!) but when I went on dialysis it was the final insult, so to speak. Many of you knew of the myriad quirks of that diet regimen. Severe limitations placed on potassium (tomatoes, avocados, bananas, melons, cola, beans, mushrooms, coffee, blah blah), phosphorous (milk, cheese, colas again, etc.etc.) and fluids (nutballs again, soup, ice cream, jello, water and so on) placed a major damper on my frankly high interest in food and beverages. And oh yeah, I forgot that excessive two or three lousy beers a month I was sucking up. Sheesh! So now my goal is to adopt a food regimen that does allow me to enjoy some of my favorite things but still preserves cardiac and diabetic health, not to mention protecting my (outstanding) new kidney. My experience recently has been mixed, as I seem to be somewhat abusing carbohydrates a bit. While my insulin pump is a great tool in compensating partially for this abuse, that and the immunosuppressants have radically increased my insulin requirements to over twice what I was using pre-transplant. I will be working closely with my endocrinologist and the local Diet Police (aka Lt. Cheryl Moss) to get better results in this important area.

3. As I described in my (overly verbose) answer to your previous question I sorely missed my keen sense of humor, such as it was. My state of mind and constantly-threatening physical condition paralyzed me in that area. As you observed I was pretty much a drag, and although at times in my life I have been accused of excessive ragging (sorry Cheryl, Dan and everyone else I dragged down over the years) it had reached epic proportions before the transplant. Despite the drugs, counseling and outright cajoling by family and friends I was largely in a dull unentertaining funk. While these treatments did help to improve the situation somewhat I knew I was still largely off of my "A" game. But hey, take a lookit me now! I seem to be back a certain degree. Maybe a lot of degrees. Shoot, our Transplant Trib has been both internationally popular and stimulating for me to produce for you, my faithful fans. I feel some of my old Funnies and trademark sarcasm slowly returning. My plan now is to continue to take advantage of this new momentum and build on it day by day. This will be accomplished by (watch out) more of this malarkey you are now reading, as well as a renewed overall Koolness for which I was previously well-known. I guess. What it probably does NOT mean would be stand-up comedy shows on college campuses, publishing any type of book or magazine article, and certainly any appearances on Letterman, Leno or Oprah. I know my limits.

So Suzi I hope I was able to adequately address your queries. I still have one more to scrutinize and answer, so be patient with me. Thanks and keep 'em coming.

WHOOPS, WE'VE RUN OUT OF TIME AGAIN

Sorry again for the excessive length of this post. I felt I owed Suzi a thoughtful response to her thoughtful FAQs. Again I have not allowed sufficient time or brain function to describe some of our other recent activities. But it gives all of us (I hope) something to look forward to in future episodes of the Transplant Trib! Watch this space!

Mentally exhausted, but in a humorous way,

Bob/Irv