My first 5 Km run after...

The Race for Cure 2014 in Frankfurt, was on my plan since we got back to Germany in Sept 2013 after my transplant. I aspired to run 5 kms at this event.
While I knew, if I wasn't able to, I could opt to walk 2 Kms, I wanted to keep the 5 Kms goal.

I kept myself as active as I could, but it became challenging to get my daily dose of exercise in the last couple of weeks up to 28th September as we played host to visitors at home. I wasn't sure if I was fit enough to do this.

It was hard to shake off the urge to get back to sleep at 6:00 am on the cold, 28th morning and skip the 1 hr drive to Frankfurt.

At the venue I was among 7,000 other participants. :-O
While I got my white t-shirt and company sponsored cap, there were others in pink t-shirts - the 'survivors' and yet others who had a card on their t-shirts with names of loved ones they lost/ praying for...unbelievable spirit.

I hydrated myself well.
A butter pretzels and almond milk and I was at the start line.

The weather was good for a run. I let the fast ones pass me...and ran at my own pace. One walking break as the road went uphill and soon I could see the Finish line and the crowd cheering.

47 min and I finished the long awaited 5 Kms run.
I felt proud of myself :)

This was my first even participation in an event to run. I am really glad that my participation was for an event that helped some people who needed it/ would benefit from it. I am so glad I did this.

Thanks Mom and Nuo :)

A year with Nuo

This day last year my mom, aged 68 donated one of her kidney to help me with my CKD.
I cannot feel grateful enough.
Thank you mommy. I wish and pray that your noble deed serves its purpose as long as it can.

It has been a bumpy year but we've learnt to live in the moment and appreciate joy. We've learnt to appreciate the color gray and live with it in peace. A lot of things have changed, but we have welcomed each aspect of it with open arms.

V and I have come a long way together with this life changing experience. Despite all the upheavals, we seem to be able to find peace within situations.

Thanks for all the love and support from all of our friends and family. It gives us immense strength and encouragement to have you all around us (physically/mentally).

Hoping to spend more such anniversaries together with Nuo in this journey called Life :)

Another milestone: 6 months with Nuo

Today Nuo and I finished 6 months together.
The important thing is, my mom, Nuo and me are doing good so far. Here's hoping things stay this way and the three of us can lead our lives with minimal disruptions ahead.

Thanks Mom :)  

Enjoying the beautiful autumn days

As we wait for the reports and a decision about the future course of my medications, I tried to set a work out schedule for myself. Getting back to the gym after almost 2 years needs a LOT of motivation :( - especially for an outdoor person like me.

Thankfully, the weather has been very nice. Its been a warm and relatively dry late October. I've been making the most of it - riding my mountain bike. 

• Saturday: 16.98 Kms 
• Sunday: It rained all day so did all the home chores
• Monday: 13 kms 
• Tuesday: 9.24 Kms
• Wednesday: 20 Kms (indoors in the gym)
• Thursday: I took it a bit easy and went for a walk in the wine yards instead for 5.20 Kms 
• Friday: I had all intentions to go to the gym again. Before that, I went to my office and saw all these lean/slim good looking people and my 'damaged goods syndrome' (as Lori Hartwell puts it) took over. Depressed - I just got back home and continued working :( 

I know that perhaps I am not pushing myself enough to see some encouraging signs of weight loss. I also know the kind of perseverance needed and the time it takes. So, my efforts are going to be sincere, but I am sure I will have days like today when my mind will not be with me. Thankfully, my husband (V) plays the role to push and encourage me...

Here are some pictures of the wonderful, sunny autumn days I have been taking advantage of to exercise and recover - on days like these I certainly don't need much pushing to get out and get some exercise.

5 months with Nuo

So far so good. Still a lot of uncertainty - course of medication to follow going forward...will the Creatinine come down to the range of 1.3-1.5 (it is slightly higher right now but thankfully stable). 

Keeping our fingers crossed. 

Ironies of the world

As an organ recipient, me and people like me are perhaps the ones who can most appreciate the act of donating one's organs. We are the breed that will forever have gratitude towards those who have been selfless to help us get a life.
We are also among those who perhaps understand the issues around availability of organs etc.

So today I did something that has been long pending on my list of to dos - sign up to be an organ donor myself, (Obviously those that I was born with and are still functioning) so I could be of some use for someone else. To my surprise, the doctor told me, "they may not accept you to be an organ donor."

I had heard that one organ donor can save up to 10 lives...with different functioning organs. By that, I should be able to save 9 lives - as my kidney are not counted.
Why can't my other organs still be considered for those in need of them???

Phew!! I wonder if there is any logical reason behind this or if its just one of those archaic rules of the world that nobody has questioned enough. No wonder we have such scarcities in this world.

Nevertheless, here is my Organspendeausweiss (Organ donor identity) - if anything were to happen with me suddenly, I will let the doctors at the time decide what to do with my functioning organs.

In the last few months, my husband has signed up to be a donor, two of my friends and one other person I know too...I am so proud of all of you. There's hope in this world :)

Meeting my team

I briefly stopped by at work to say hello to my manager and my team members.
Was pleasantly surprised to see a wall poster and a cute card on my desk welcoming me.
I'm not quite ready yet to get back to full time work, but I am certainly looking forward to it.

Thanks team. I'm touched :) (again)

A doctor that inspires :)

Although (unfortunately) the reasons for meeting my Nephrologist - Dr Vishwanath at Manipal Hospital, are not always positive, the experience is always nice.

Now that he believes things are stabilizing for me, he told me about the World Transplant Olympics that happens - suggesting I should try and participate in it.
How inspiring is that :) ?

My curiosity couldn't be sustained so I did look it up. The one sport that I could consider is Badminton. I am quite sure I am highly underestimating the competence of the contestants in such an event by thinking I could participate, but hey there's no harm in scratching the surface, learning more and trying eh??

The added incentive is, the 2015 event is in Argentina :D

Thank you Doctor for putting this thought and potentially a goal in front of me.

Disturbing awareness levels

Last week on two separate occasions I was disturbed at the awareness levels among generally, well educated people about Kidney related disease - especially, transplant scenarios.
I met a seemingly progressive young woman, who asked me why I was wearing a mask...after my story in a nutshell, she asked, "really? your mom had to donate a kidney? A well reputed, big hospital can't get you a kidney if you told them you need one?"
*Sigh! where does one begin explaining?

What's worse, at the transplant centre, I learnt that both parents of a 13 year old needing a transplant, having the same blood group were refusing to donate their kidney. Putting this 13 year old at risk and pain...'cos somewhere they feel there might be some other option to get a kidney.
:( - I felt incredibly grateful to my mom at that point.

Shockingly, this awareness levels among the urban, educated class is after a series of recent loud Organ donation campaigns in leading news papers across the country.
 

Read that fine print!!

Most of us take Life Insurance policies and other such covers when we are younger, healthier...and then on just pay the premiums and keep them alive.
Given the expenses we had to incur without health insurance coverage, we were forced to take a closer look at all these policies I had.

By accident V found that one of my Life Insurance policies had a rider/add on of critical illness and Kidney Disease was one of the listed illnesses. The only catch was, he read this after the transplant was done. We checked with the provider if we could still claim this and the answer was "yes."

Given how stingy insurance companies are with claims, we were quite sceptical and were fully prepared for our claim to be rejected. With a request of one additional document from the hospital and all my medical reports, to our surprise - lo and behold, they actually approved it and we got the due money. Given it was just a rider, the amount isn't a whole lot. Its just a fraction of the cost, but is better than nothing.

Talk of counting blessings eh?

Lesson learnt: Find some means to remember what each of your policies entitle.

I can MEET my friends and family members again - face to face :)

Having completed 3 months of my transplant, I am now officially allowed to have visitors over and also go out and meet people - as long as I am not out at the time when places are too crowded; as long as its a clean place; as long as I stick to eating, drinking hot, cooked stuff...most of the time I did keep my mask on even though I am now allowed to be without it. Enjoying the new found freedom.

With Deepak and Sandy at Labs, Bangalore...so many years hence, nice to still retain that bond.

Exploring the quaint coffee shops of Indiranagar (those that allow for some fresh air, outside seating) with Rana and Kusum is always fun. Its a new place each time but each time, the time is never enough. This time Sid decided to join us too :)

Muktha, Mrudula and I braved the crazy Bangalore traffic and rain to catch up and bond over gossip and our lives in general :)

 

If 'situations' were different, WE would have all made that trip to Ladakh. Indeed!! Lets hope we can make it some day.
With, Deppe, Manjari. Watching the antics of Sid can be such an endless entertainment :D

Finally, we managed to synch our dates and  times to see Ankura and Abhi's cute apartment.
We had so much to chat about that I forgot to take a pic of all of us together in their house.
"See you in Germany," said she. We'll certainly look forward to that. Thanks for deck of movie CDs :D

With some friends you can just pick up right where you left - even if that was a couple of years ago...

Was awesome catching up with Radhika, one of my first friends in Bangalore. It's great to have you in my life :)  



I so dislike this steroids fed puffed up face of mine :(



 

After several years, my uncle came visiting us today to check on my mom and my health. He had been checking on us regularly over the phone. Given his own age, he took the trouble to come over...it was nice to have him over. Glad to have the blessings of elders...to get us all through this phase.

Spent a lovely afternoon over coffee with Jaishree, in Bangalore. Thanks for coming over from Delhi Jai - even though it was a brief meeting, had a wonderful time. Feel blessed to have friends like you in my life.

Gratifications

It's been a challenge to keep up my positive spirit off late. Every day has been a new day with new challenges...it's been hard to focus on the smaller things and find joy...
After a lot of practicing, I'm slowly able to appreciate the reasons I am able to smile even on the toughest days...
Seemingly insignificant people come forward to help in their own small ways, others who cannot do much more simply make the effort to come over, speak encouraging words...

In a time when we can do with help in many more ways, I find it incredibly humbling to have help coming in from unexpected sources and forms. It really helps discarding a cynical world view and believe that there is still a lot of humanity left among ordinary people.

Through this whole experience my belief in spirituality is certainly deepening, as is my belief in karma. Just have a genuine heart, do the right things without expectations from others...

Thanks for all the people across the globe who are thinking about me and my mom, are praying for us and helping in more ways...I am grateful and blessed to have you in my life.

Appreciating small things

• Getting the catheter removed and gaining back my freedom to use the bathroom at my own will was such a delight.
• Getting the chance to get a quick bath (at 6:00 am) and feel clean was something I looked forward to though I was mostly still half asleep.
• 24th May, the blood drain pipe was also removed and I was told I could go home the next day.  YAY!!
• 25th May, I got discharged from the hospital. Sad that my mom was still there and was to undergo her arteries surgery :(
• After being in isolation for so many days, being out in the open, seeing people, the traffic on the potholed roads of Bangalore on the way home all felt amazing. I was still in pain but felt energetic and enthusiastic.

BUT! I had already developed a Urinary Tract Infection :( - Apparently, long use of catheter often results in such infections. This meant I needed to be back in the hospital everyday for the next 7 days to get antibiotics. BLAH!!

But hey, for NOW, I was going home.

Mom has a stroke

I recall, I could not get my mom out of my head on 22nd morning. I could not stop crying....I really wanted to meet my mom and know how she was doing and why she had not been discharged yet. Something was not feeling right.

Seeing me in this state, the head nurse allowed V to come in and talk to me.

My poor mom had suffered a mild stroke due to blockage in her arteries that supplied blood to the brain. It was a blessing in disguise that this happened while she was in the hospital - they could immediately act on it and do what it takes to control it.

As disturbing as it sounds, I felt relieved to know that prompt action had been taken - that she was in good hands. I also somehow believed this was going to help her in the long run.

I prayed every night that God gives her the strength to get past this. After having done such a humanitarian act of donating her organ to me, she had to be dealt with the right way...no wrong should happen to her for her selfless act.

Suddenly I felt strong again to pull myself together, get better sooner so I could help her get better.