This year has to be better than last, right?
I did have my left kidney removed in November and have recovered quite nicely, thank you very much!
The doc went in via the two small incisions, around to my back and separated my kidney from the rest of me, pulled it around to the front and then stuck his hand in via the big cut by my bellybutton to pull it out. He took a picture of it at my request before sending it off to Pathology to be sliced/diced and analyzed: All the margins were clean and free of cancer. Success! It took me over three days to get my digestive system operating again (had to clean it all out for the surgery, lost four pounds.) The abdominal pain was quite intense for a week or so. You never realize how much you have to use those muscles until something like this happens to you. At least the hair they shaved off my belly has grown back enough now so anything touching it no longer feels like sandpaper.
So, now I'm down to dealing with my double vision and type 1 diabetes. I saw an ophthalmologist about my left eye, Third eye nerve palsy he called it and ordered a CT scan to make sure there wasn't a tumor or aneurysm putting pressure on the nerve, making my eye act this way. The scan came back clean. I have another appointment with him in several weeks to figure out what's next.
I'm suppose to have another PET scan to check for any stray melanoma that might still be hanging around. A radioactive glucose solution gets injected for the scan. As I am diabetic my blood glucose number has to be below 200 for the scan to run properly. Three times now I started out the day below that but despite no food and only clear liquids 6 hours before hand, I have been over that by scam time. Frustrating. I'm in contact with the Diabetes Management Team for help in how to prepare. Less carbohydrates, more protein before hand.
Diabetes is not for sissies! Anything that goes into my mouth needs to be evaluated for its impact on blood glucose. It's amazing how much of our diet contains or consists of carbohydrates. My body doesn't produce any insulin anymore. I have to inject some before every meal, no matter how small, along with a daily shot of long term insulin. Even a snack while watching tv in the evening requires a shot unless it doesn't have carbohydrates or sugar like celery. That's four to five needle sticks a day. That doesn't count the blood glucose checking finger sticks either. My body is a regular pin cushion these days.
So, that's the story so far. Discipline, optimism and persistence required to face the future.
