Randomness

So the surgery went well and things are looking great.

Watched a lot of the Little League World Series while in the hospital and since I have been home. Mostly been a defensive series since they moved the outfield fence back this year. I watched a no-hitter pitched by a 12 year old the other night. Wow!!! This is what baseball should be about. I like minor league ball cause the players are trying to make it to the majors and giving it their all (as are the little leaguers) but I dont always feel that major leaguers are giving it their all and are more interested in making their millions but that is just me. One kid playing in the Little League series was 6'8" at 13 years old, who played for the Saudi Arabian team. I think his dad is an American working in the oil fields.

Speaking of series, I also got to watch some of the World Series of Poker main event this week. I was excited to see my least favorite pro, Phil Hellmuth, lose early on the first day. Hellmuth likes to say that he is the best no limit player ever so to watch him have to have a big heaping helping of crowe early on was awesome. He would get a pair of 10's and someone at the table would have a pair of Jacks. Queens for Phil and somebody at the table would have pocket rockets. The winner of the main event this year took home around $12 million.

My dogs were excited to see me when I got home from the hospital. They missed their daddy. The little girl likes to jump up on me but she hasnt this week. It is weird, but the dogs sense that something is wrong and are protecting me.

Getting kinda tired of chicken. It seems that everybody that has brought something over to the house has brought some kind of chicken dish. My donor is experiencing the same thing. It's not that we are ungrateful for people thinking of us, it's just that we getting kinda tired of chicken.

Today I received a phone call from a player from the Atlanta Thrashers, Garnett Exelby. X is ranked as the #2 defenseman in the NHL and just wanted to call and wish me well. I will give more details later after my donor gets her call. Seems she didnt recognize the phone number when he called and so she didnt answer it. Instead she got a great voicemail promising a return phone call this week.

Like the Week Before Christmas

So, if you know me you know that this is a BIG week for me. Thursday I am set for a kidney transplant. You have no idea how excited I am. And just like when you are a little tyke and Christmas is getting near, I am finding it hard to sleep at night.

I am not worried or nervous about the surgery. I have talked to people that have had the operation so I know what to expect. The hospital that I am having the surgery has a better than normal record for surgical success and my surgeon is one of the tops in the country for kidney transplants.

As the surgery gets closer I keep thinking about some of the changes that will soon be happening. Today I had what I hope is one of the last shots of epogin that I will have to have for sometime (I have had to take a shot a week for almost 2 years as a part of being a dialysis patient). I only have 2 more times to do dialysis (even though I do PD and it is far better than Hemo, I hate having to have my life revolve around my machine).

I am amazed at the kindness of strangers. I have gotten a lot of prayers and well wishes from people that I barely know but that pales in comparsion to my donor; I mean we had only met once or maybe twice before she expressed an interest in seeing if she was a match or not. Now, they are like a second family. They are great people that I am glad I have gotten to know, even if there wasnt a kidney involved.

Soon my life is going to change in a big way. Soon I will be able to lead an almost normal life for the first time in almost two years. I know I will have to take a ton of pills for the rest of my life and that there will be things I cant do that I have enjoyed in my past, but to be able to live an almost normal life is a great thing that I am looking forward to.

I know that the odds are that I will have to have at least one more transplant in my lifetime but I am thankful for the life I have had and the life I have yet to live.

Sidewalks

When the wife and I bought our house, one of the big selling points was the sidewalks that connect the entire subdivision. Too bad most of the residents dont use them.

It doesnt matter what time of day or day of the week people will walk in the middle of the road. Young or old, male or female it doesnt matter. The other day I was coming home and a father was busy teaching his toddler how to ride a tricycle. Were they on the sidewalk? No. Were they in their driveway? No. Sidestreet? No. They were in the middle of the main road of our subdivision and the father look perturbed that I was interrupting them.

I dont get it. I really dont. Unfortunately it is likely that one day someone in our subdivision is going to be injured because of the volume of people that never use the sidewalks.