It's hard to believe, but it's been 6 weeks since my kidney transplant. It actually seems longer than that to me, but that's probably because I'm feeling even better as each week passes, and I'm the type that usually looks ahead, and rarely back; but that's just me.

I had my bi-weekly appointment last week, and both the Transplant Surgeon and Transplant Nephrologist were very pleased with my progress. Initially, I was supposed to go for weekly appointments all summer, but that was decreased when they saw how well I was progressing, and I think that the fact that I'm compulsive about following the post-op treatment plan also had something to do with it. The 2 other highlights of the appointment were that I'm now cleared to drive, and will be going back to work a month early!

My lab work on my BMP (Basic Metabolic Panel) was normal for the first time in at least 8 years! My creatinine is down from 1.4 to 1.2, but since my Prograf level (a.k.a. FK-506) is lower than it should be, that might explain the lower creatinine (high Prograf levels can cause increased creatinine). I did have my Prograf increased from 3mg/2mg to 3mg/3mg. I get labs mid-week, so hopefully my level will be back up above 8.

I did finally mail out my donor-family thank you letter. The reason it took me several weeks is that I initially did a rough draft about 2 weeks after the surgery, and wanted to come back to it to refine it once I was feeling better. I don't expect a response back, but it would be nice if I did.