Ultrasounds, embarrassment, lunch, and shopping

My last blog entry had to do with the lesions that showed up on my kidney as per my CT Scan.  Well, shortly after that post, I got a call on my Easycall from the transplant secretary letting me know that my ultrasound date had been moved up to this Thursday. It ended up working out well as I planned to be at the hospital on Thursday anyways, as I was going to be at the hospital anyways visiting my friend Sadia so we could go out and have lunch after her own appointment. So, on Thursday morning, I went to the hospital to get my ultrasound done.

Sadia met me in the waiting room and we hung out for a bit. After they called me in, Sadia went off for her own appointment.

I gotta say, the gentleman who did my ultrasound was one of my favourites.  He was very vocal about what was going on, with encouraging "looks good" and "that looks great" throughout the ultrasound. I anxiously waited for him to get to my right native kidney region, sometimes asking him "did you see anything??" He chuckled and would say "we're saving that for last!"

When he did get to that area, he mentioned that he did see something that looked like a cyst to him on my right kidney.  I'm not sure what the implications are for a cyst are if it is in fact a cyst, but I'll wait to see what happens.  After he finished up, as usual, he told me that he was going to review the pictures with the doctor and perhaps be back.  After about 15 minutes, he did come back with a doctor who had a look of her own. She didn't say much to me directly, but from what I could hear her saying to him, there appeared to be at least a few cysts that she had seen.

After I completed my ultrasound, I went down to where Sadia was having her appointment done.  The dreaded stent removal..everyone's favourite.  After she was done, we went up so Sadia could pick up a prescription.  I was happy to go with her, so I could catch a glimpse of the gorgeous, spectacle wearing pharmacist who I have dubbed "Super Man". I'm sure he has an "S" on his chest under that perfectly pressed button down shirt of his. While waiting for Sadia's meds, we went to visit Julie, my former transplant coordinator.  I told her about "Super Man", so she made sure to go over to the pharmacy and embarrass the mess out of me, since she wasn't sure who "Super Man" was. Another pharmacist came a long and she caught wind of what was going on, so she joined in too along with the pharmacy technician who was behind the counter, laughing up a storm. I was so embarrassed that I had to run away and hide..!! But after I left, Sadia told me that the other pharmacist that came along thinks that Super Man just recently got engaged.  Ah well..I guess I'll have to find another superhero...! Haha

Next, it was time to go to Eatons Centre for lunch and shopping.

For lunch, Sadia got a delicious looking crepe filled with veggies, while I got a spicy rice dish with chicken and plenty of veggies.

As for shopping, I bought a pair of everyday/casual sandals/flip flops, a pair of capri pants for work, a pair of workout pants, a belt, and a few shirts. I definitely bought more than I thought I would! haha. Sadia bought some nice blouses.  By 2:30, we where both ready to go home in order to avoid the rush hour crowd.

It was a productive and good day. Hopefully the results of the ultrasound come soon and we can figure out how to proceed.

Kidney Lesions? :\

A few weeks ago, I did a colonoscopy as well as a CT scan in an attempt to figure out what was going on with my really bad stomach pain following several courses of antibiotics that didn't seem to be helping. Well, eventually I began to feel better and I was able to go back to work. One symptom, however, that seemed to linger on was this nagging lower back pain.  At times, it was so painful that I couldn't even begin to find a comfortable position to sit/lie down in! It was insane.

So, fast forward to a few weeks later.  I got a call on my easycall from my transplant coordinator. She said that the CT Scan showed that I had some "lesions" on my right kidney. Not my transplanted kidney, but my existing kidney.  I was out when I got this message, so of course, the first thing I did was go and research..but not TOO much. I read enough to learn that lesions on the kidney can cause lower back pain which is what I had/have. I also read a bunch of other terrible stuff when I had to remind myself to stop reading!

So anyhow, a few days later, I got a message from the transplant secretary letting me know that an ultrasound had been scheduled for the end of May to look at my kidney and see what the deal is. I have an existing appointment that day too. I'm hoping that it's either nothing..or something that can easily be remedied.  Last week Tuesday I went and got an hour long massage and it was GREAT.  It really helped with some neck pain I've been having and of course my lower back pain.

So, we'll see in a couple of weeks what exactly these kidney lesions are doing on my right kidney...

My birthday!

...was this past weekend! :)

On Friday I met up with my friend Mikey and went to eat at Jack Astors.  It was great catching up with Mikey.

I got a meal that consisted of steak, shrimp, and mashed potatoes.  It was delicious.  

I also got 2 mini brownies for dessert.

I realized that I didn't look overly thrilled in my dessert pic (even though I was haha) so I took another pic, making sure that I looked OVERLY thrilled.  Do you like my new glasses? I haven't had a chance to show them to you yet. They're RayBans.. and they're multi-focals.  Yup, 3 in one vision lenses.  *le sigh*

 This is Michael-clearly he's camera shy.

The next day, I met up with my friend Fatima, had dinner, and went out for drinks/dancing at a place called Parts and Labour.

We went to eat at a restaurant called Barque- delicious. I was glad to have been able to get in, as the last time I came here, my friends and I were unable to get a table due to the sheer volume of diners.

My cute-as-a-button server BOUGHT me my dessert! He was soooo nice!

Then it was off to Parts and Labour to party with my friend! Good times :)

My friend Fatima and I

All Clear

I got the results of both my colonoscopy and my CT scan today-I have nothing to worry about.  The very nice doctor who did my colonoscopy noted that he believed that my pain was probably related to some sort of post colitis inflammation.

I've been reintroducing things into my diet little by little.  I love smoothies and have been drinking/making them for about a year. It's been difficult not being able to drink them as often as I do due to my stomach pain.  This morning I made a green smoothie-complete with raw kale and spinach. It went well and I didn't experience too much stomach pain, so I'm pretty happy about that :)

I'll be going back to work and I look forward to that as well. I can only lie around for so long..!

Post Colonoscopy

I did my colonoscopy yesterday in an attempt to figure out what has been causing my severe stomach pain for the past month or so.

The actual colonoscopy was on a Thursday, but my prep began on Tuesday. So, for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning (my test was scheduled for 11:45am, it started at 12:15pm), no solid food. I drank tea, water, a can of pop, and beef flavoured water. Oh, and Jell-O too. As someone who is quite fond of solids, this was a very difficult process for me.  People kept asking me if I was SURE I was supposed to fast for two full days and not just one. Oh, I'm sure.  I read the prep sheet that was emailed to me about 10 times.

Taking prednisone with food is always recommended, especially since it can affect your tummy. Luckily I didn't have too much trouble with that. I did, however, experience bad hunger pains. I distracted myself doing various things..but these various things were often surrounded with food or the smells of food :(
Did I cheat?  I'm ashamed to say yes, I cheated.  On Tuesday, I ate about 5 Ritz crackers..and on Wednesday, I ate one single timbit.

Image borrowed from http://brunchenthusiast.wordpress.com/2012/06/26/my-timbit-review/

 Just one. It was the most delicious timbit I had ever eaten..and at the time..I regretted nothing!

It wasn't until I started drinking the dreaded colon cleansing prep drink.

Mmm..Colyte... :\

I drank about 250ml every 10 minutes, as directed. After about an hour and 20 minutes..it began.  As I scooted back and forth to the bathroom, I wondered if those ritz crackers and that timbit were worth it. What if, after all of..THIS, I get to the procedure room and they tell me that I'm not "clear" enough and I need to reschedule my colonoscopy!?? After all of that torture! Ugh..why oh why did I eat that stuff??

Luckily my mom was off on Thursday, so she was able to accompany me to my appointment.  I got to the hospital a bit early so I could visit my friend SB (Sadia, as discussed in my previous post) and see how she and her kidney are doing. I sat in on the conversation between herself and her doctors, as well as went to the hospital food court to get her some tasty bevys.  After that, it was time to head over and do my own test.

I was taken in immediately after arriving and checking in.  I got changed and was then brought over to a stretcher to lie down on. The nurse went over my history with me. I told her that I had had a bad reaction to fentanyl, but she didn't write it on my allergy band.  It's a good thing that the nurse who was looking after me during the colonoscopy (I think his name was Ian) double checked my chart and saw that..as fentanyl is one of the medications they would have administered!  Anyhow, another nice lady came and put an iv in my arm as soon as I finished speaking to the first nurse who asked me various questions about my background.

I was wheeled outside of the room where my colonoscopy would take place.  I stayed there for a good hour. The doctor who would perform the colonoscopy came to speak to me as well as Ian. I was wheeled into the procedure room and Ian administered my pain/relaxation meds.  In all of the colonoscopies I've had, this one was the LEAST uncomfortable.  I didn't believe Ian, but he told me that the most uncomfortable part would be when they pumped air into my stomach. I thought..um..yeah right.  But he was right.  I do remember groaning a bit, and I remember Ian putting his hand on my shoulder to comfort me, and me putting my hand on top of his. Aww it was romantic (yeah..no it wasn't).

I closed my eyes and was pretty out of it for the most part, but I do remember opening my eyes and looking at the monitor and seeing the instrument in my colon. I remember hearing the doctor saying "take a sample" or something similar, then watching the instrument open, like the teeth of a mini Tyrannosaurus Rex, taking small snippets at my colon to be sent for a biopsy later on. Before I knew it, it was over.

I was in the recovery room for about 30 minutes.  My blood pressure was low at first- 94/60.  But it went up to 110/70, which was much better.  I bet my pressure was low because of a lack of food :\
My mom soon came in and it was soon time to go.  The nurse told me not to eat anything like broccoli, spinach, etc until the following day.  Mmmm..spinach and broccoli...ok..I supposed I can wait one more day for that.
My dad was waiting in the waiting room.  My dad bought me some tea from Timmy's, and, oddly, chocolate timbits :\  This was to tide me over in the 25 minute car ride to Popeye's chicken. Hahaha.

In the report the doctor gave me, he said he didn't see anything immediately abnormal about my colonoscopy, but the samples taken would be sent off and tested just to make sure. So..I'll wait for those results.

Sooo Excited!

I woke up this morning after a very restful sleep. As is my usual routine, I reached over beside me and grabbed my iPhone.  I have an app on my phone called "Sleep Cycle". You turn it on before you go to bed, and you turn it off when you wake up, or, you set it to wake you up at a certain time. It analyzes your sleep based on your movements. It can somehow detect when you're in a deep sleep, awake, etc., then, it gives you a percentage of how good your sleep was. The percentage I woke up to was 74%.  Not bad at all, but it could have been higher. Must have been because I got up about 3 times to go pee.

That said, that is what this entry is about. A year ago, as I've said time and time again, my life was changed when I received my kidney transplant. And now, a year later, dialysis seems like a distant memory. Just the other day, when I went to the hospital for an appointment, I stopped by my home dialysis unit.  I greeted Meagan-the unit's secretary/admin assistant. Then I went to see my dear nurse Rose. I miss her. Hair hair is longer now-way past her shoulders. She's always had a short bob.

Anyhow..as I mentioned, I checked my phone. I saw a text message. It was from my friend SB. She has msg'd me to inform me that she got "the call". She was on her way to the hospital because a kidney was available for her. She just needed to go to the hospital and do all of the appropriate tests to make sure the kidney would be suitable for her.  I was elated when I saw this message. She's young like me, with only a couple of years separating us. We both discussed the frustration that is dialysis just a week or two ago. And now, here she was..rushing to the hospital to hopefully get a transplant.

Yes, I said hopefully. Just because you get the call, it doesn't mean it's 100% a "go". Maybe the kidney wouldn't be suitable for her. Maybe she has a cold and cannot go through with the surgery. Who knows. But what I did know is that today, on Good Friday, she got the call..and I prayed that it would be her time.

I texted her anxiously after the noon hour, craving more info. No updates yet. She was going to go to her hospital room and get some much needed rest-especially after flying out of bed early in the morning to go to the hospital.

Later on in the afternoon, SB called me. Everything was set-she was getting her appropriate pre-transplant medication via IV..and the surgery would happen in a couple of hours!! I couldn't be happier!

By the time I type this, SB is very much out of surgery, or close to it. I cannot wait to see her, and hug her, and kiss her, and probably cry too.  I'm just soo happy for her. She's been on dialysis for a long time..and it was definitely her turn.

I haven't forgotten that somebody else is not here..and because he or she is no longer here, SB has a chance at a more normal life.  Wherever the family is who lost their loved one...I'm thankful that in the end, they agreed to allow their loved one's organs to be donated...or even to the person him or herself who had lost their life...thankful that he or she made the decision to have their organs donated.

This is so powerful.  SB is my friend, and I'm thankful that she is getting a kidney. But there are plenty of other people who will be impacted by the person who passed away. Other organs will be donated to other people who have been waiting for the call.  It's just so powerful to me.

I've said it once, and I'll continue to say it. All the time.  Make your wishes known to your family, sign your donor cards, register online to be an organ donor at http://www.beadonor.ca

I can't wait to see and talk to my friend.

Sh*t Medical Professionals/Staff Say to patients..

I don't know about my readers from around the world..but what I do know is that it's not just me. Do you ever get asked questions or told things that you just stare blankly at the person talking to you like...what..? Now don't get it twisted. I love 95% of the medical professionals I come across. But the truth is..I've made none of this up. Please don't send me angry emails, medical professionals.

So..what medications are you on?

It doesn't matter if you're seeing 10 doctors in a single day-I promise you that each and every doctor will ask you this question.  Maybe even twice. The reality of it is, my medication list is right in front of you. It's on the first page of my chart.

So how much pain are you in on a scale of 1 to 10?

I'm sorry..what did you ask me? I couldn't hear you over my own screams and cries of pain.

So tell me about your history.

Man! My history is quite vast...maybe you can skim through my chart and I'll fill in any pertinent details if necessary??

So I'm going to tell you what I know about your history.

:|

I know your appointment was scheduled for 9:30am, and now it's 1:00pm. I apologize. The doctor is running behind.

:|

Do you have insurance?

Why? So you can put me on the more expensive insurance? Lol

And let us not forget about the magical person who appears out of nowhere when the words "we want to admit you to the hospital" are uttered by the doctor.

Hello, can you sign these forms? Do you have insurance for a Private or Semi-private room?

:|

Nurse:

8am: Here's your medication!

10am: Here's your medication!

12:pm: Here's your medication!

4pm: Here's your medication!

6pm: Here's your medication!

8pm: Here's your medication!

Is it just me, or do you feel like you're taking meds 20 times a day when you're in the hospital? I assure you, neither myself or any other human being takes their medication 4 times a day when they can just as easily be taken once in the morning and once at night. I asked my pharmacist.  He said it was ok. (This, of course, doesn't apply to all medication..read your labels and take as directed lol)

Doctor 1: You can go home today! 

Me: Yay! *gets ready to go home*

*30 minutes later*

Doctor 2: Oh, no no no. I don't know why that doctor told you that you can go home. No you have to stay at least a few more days.

Um, guys..can you all SPEAK to each other and make a collaborative decision and NOT get my hopes up like that??

On the flip side..

Me: *writhing in pain*

Doctor: Ok! So you can go home now!

Um...no, actually.  I cannot. But thank you.

Nurse: *jams iv needle into your hand, blowing your tiny vein 8 ways from sunday*

Me: OWWWWW!

Nurse: Oh..I'm sorry that happened to you.

Haha I love this one. Not "I'm sorry I blew your vein!" It's "I'm sorry that happened to you".  Always remain neutral...and if blame must be shifted..my vein blew because I flinched.

What "not-so-funny then, but I can look back and laugh at it now" situations have you been in?

The never ending tummy troubles saga

I went to see the specialist on Wednesday.  Now they're not so sure that I'm still suffering from C. diff...now they think it might be gastritis. So, in addition to the CT scan I have scheduled, I have a colonoscopy scheduled as well. Man oh man do I have a fun filled couple of weeks ahead of me!

In the meantime, my pantoprazole has been d/c and replaced with lansoprazole. I mentioned that I'm a fan of the lansoprazole simply because it just looks so...fashionable!

But alas, I've been taking these since Thursday morning and I haven't noticed any miraculous change in my stomach pain. It's just so..unpredictable. At least if I could pinpoint a certain food or something that was causing the pain, I could avoid such foods until this issue is resolved, and at least be able to go back to work..! Ugh.

To be continued....

Instagram!

I forgot to mention that I'm on instagram!

Click on this link to check out my instagram.
And, as always, you can click on this sentence to check me out on twitter.

Warning, I post silly stuff on both my instagram and on my twitter which are not always lupus related..lol..but again, I've always been about the LIFE of a 20 (now 30) something with lupus, right?

:)

Ok..seriously? Leave me alone.

It has been weeks since I've been to work.

My Vancocin has been increased since I last saw the doctor 3 weeks ago. I saw them again last week.  I can't really eat anything without suffering from moderate to severe stomach pain and lower back pain right afterwards. It wasn't this way during my trip (thankfully). When I was on the flagyl, this never happened.  Heck, before I was treated with anything, this didn't happen-it was the almost sudden onset of severe stomach pain that caused me to go to emerg and therefore discover I had this bug.

I called my transplant coordinator- she's away but there was a stand-in.  I asked what to do about the bad stomach pain, and he didn't have a definite answer for me except to avoid spicy foods, try and eat whatever works for me, and just go from there.  I cannot blame him..how would he know what to say? My transplant coordinator is returning later this week and he said he would pass my message on to her for her advice.  I'm back to the ID doctors next week.

I don't know what to do. I hate missing so much work.  I know in some of the previous comments I've received I've heard of the horror stories.  I felt a bit lucky that I wasn't going through such things..but surprise! Here they are.  The doctor is also going to order an ultrasound of my stomach to make sure there isn't anything else going on down there.

Readers who had C-Diff-- did you experience severe pain after meals? What did you do??

Frustration mounts

I can't even begin to describe how annoyed I am right now.

The year 2013 hasn't exactly started on a high note for me.  I rang the new year in in bed after having just come home from the hospital. Now, it's almost March and this stupid C. Diff bug doesn't seem to be anywhere near done with me. Again, I'm thankful for the feedback I received with regards to this bug's stubbornness.

I'm going to see the ID doctors tomorrow morning. As I sit here typing, I'm slightly hunched over in pain, with a hot water bottle tucked close to my tummy.  I have been taking this vancocin for the prescribed 2 weeks, 1 pill, 4 times a day. It doesn't appear to be doing much for this stomach pain. I'm glad to be without the awful taste in my mouth that flagyl gave me, but when I was taking flagyl, I actually felt "better" for the most part.

What makes it worse? I picked up a flu bug a couple of weeks back. For that reason, coupled with intermittent stomach pain, I have missed 2 and a half shifts of work.  I say half because I tried to go to work last week Wednesday...but I could only make it through half of the day.

The flu-like symptoms seem to be subsiding which is good.  But now my stomach is killing me.  I'm almost afraid to eat for fear that it will make it worse.  Last night, I ate some Greek yogurt with blueberries...I was in PAIN.  Maybe i'll lay off the dairy for a bit while my stomach simmers down.  I just wanted to eat some yogurt as it is supposed to be good to have, especially while you're on antibiotics.

I'm so uncomfortable right now that I did the unthinkable- I turned my phone off.  Whenever it's on, I'm always "checking" it. Games, emails, text messages, etc. I turned it off. I don't want anyone "bugging me" right now.

TMI ALERT: I feel like I could projectile vomit a la The exorcist any minute now.

Ugh...help meeee.

C. Diff Update

As I mentioned in a previous post, after this long battle with C. Diff, I was referred to the ID doctors.  That was on Wednesday.  

After seeing the fellow and then speaking to the main doctor about my symptoms, the doctor decided that I should be on vancocin, or vancomycin.  

The upside to this medication is that it doesn't leave that awful, weird, metallic aftertaste in my mouth like the flagyl did.  The downside is the fact that I had to take flagyl 3 times a day, whereas I have to take vancocin 4 times a day.  It's difficult to remember.  I'm going to have to develop some sort of system to help me remember to take my medication 4 times a day for the next 10 days or so.  I will return to see the specialist on the Wednesday after next, as that will be two weeks since I've been on this new medication.  Gosh I hope it works.

Yesterday, my family and I went to The Keg for my mom's birthday dinner.  When my meal arrived, I ate 2 bites...and felt sick to my stomach. I seriously cannot wait for my body to be rid of this stupid bug!

Earphones Earphones Everywhere

Back in August of last year, I bought a pair of pink diddy beats. I bought them through teambuy.  I really liked these earphones-they're small, they're pink, and they allow me to take calls/skip through songs on my iPhone.

In December when I was in the hospital, much to my chagrin, my earphones stopped working. Realizing that my earphones should still be under warranty, I contact Beats By Dre, who emailed me an RMA. Just prior to my trip to Rotterdam, I sent the earphones back in the mail for repair/replacement.  While I was on vacation, I got an email informing me that the earphones had been verified as being authentic (there are a lot of fakes out there) and that they would email me again when my repaired/replaced earphones were mailed out.

After returning from my trip and returning from a day at work, I got home to find a box on my doorstep. It said BBD as the sender, so I knew my new earphones had arrived!

I opened the box and was surprised at what I saw. These were not my small, pink earphones that I paid about 80 bucks for.  These were bigger, much more expensive earphones! Is it possible that they sent me these $350 headphones to replace my pink ones??!

I left the earphones unopened, as I had a feeling that Beats By Dre would call me any day to let me know they had made a mistake.

Sure enough, the following day while I was at work, my sister called me and said that FedEx was at the door, saying they had a package to pick up. I knew it had to be the headphones.  But the problem was..FedEx never told me that they were coming for the package, and nor did BBD. I wasn't going to have my sister sit there and re-box the headphones. So, the Fedex delivery/pick up person left.  I called BBD that evening, and I was told that a manager would get back to me within 48 hours.  That was on a Friday.

So on Monday morning while I was at work, once again my sister contacted me to let me know that FedEx was here again to pick up a package as well as drop off another one. Again, since I was waiting to hear back from BBD, I didn't re-box the headphones. So, Fedex left the second package.  When I got home, I found a box which contained a brand new pair of the actual earphones I had. Wow.

48 hours had already passed, so I decided to call BBD back. I spoke to a CSR who put me through to a manager. I explained the situation to the manager who then put me on hold for a brief time. Guess what he said? He said that he had spoken to the repair department and they said that I could just go ahead and keep BOTH pairs! WHAAAA??? I sincerely thanked the manager, as this was totally NOT what I was expecting!!

I posted updates on my facebook page as they occurred. My friends were happy as well as outraged haha! Seems everyone wanted to buy a pair off of me!  So I decided to have some fun.

First, I took the old box from my broken earphones and put them together and took a picture, leading my friends to believe that I had received yet another pair!

I also bought a pair of red headphones that were on sale at Best Buy-I needed something for my trip and earphones that were bring repaired would not be ready in time. On top of that, I wanted a pair of headphones to use while at the gym. It would just be more convenient than earphones that constantly fall out of my ears while I'm on the treadmill. Man oh man did I ever get a lot of offers/bids in my inbox after posting this pic! Hahaha I'm so wrong for doing that! :)

So I sold the red pair to a friend, and I've kept the purple and pink pair.  Lucky me, huh? Oh, and AMAZING customer service, Beats by Dre! I'm a happy camper!

Fundraiser

A couple of weeks ago, my parents, brother and I attended a fund raiser for a gentleman named Anthony-not much younger than myself.  He is waiting for a suitable kidney donor.

At this fundraiser, a kidney transplant recipient, a kidney transplant donor, and a liver donor all spoke. I didn't speak, but my brother did. Man, I was unprepared.

He spoke so eloquently as he recounted my struggles from the age of 14 until now.  From hip replacements, to seizures, to a perforated colon.  I think what made his speech even scarier..is that he didn't even touch on half of the things I went through. He wasn't even 3 sentences is when I thought..oh sh*t..I'm gonna cry...

He shared the fact that he donated a kidney to me on a Thursday, was home by Sunday, back to work two weeks after that, and back to the gym two weeks after that. He encouraged people to consider donating, as such a small sacrifice could mean the world to someone else.

I am so thankful for my brother and what he did for me. It's hard to believe that we are mere weeks away from the one year anniversary of my transplant! Time sure flies when you're living life the way you want to...

Me acting silly because I was hungry and had to distract myself somehow.

Now this is me acting silly and taking pictures of myself in the bathroom mirror in the banquet hall

My brother, Pre-speech

My brother during his speech. Luckily I took this pic as soon as he got up there because I was a complete mess mere seconds after this photo was taken.

 xo

Go away, C,Diff!

I'm really thankful for my blog. I'm thankful that people reached out to me about this whole C.Diff thing. If I didn't get some of the feedback that I have gotten, I'd be severely frustrated right now.

Just as I suspected after reading the feedback from others, the c.diff is far from gone. I am currently on another round of Flagyl, and am seeing the specialist tomorrow. I hope they can do something to make this go away...because this is getting annoying! Some days are just fine, while others are more difficult.  I've had to call in sick once or twice since being discharged from the hospital, and I hate calling in sick to work!

I look forward to seeing what the specialists have to say, and I'll be sure to report back.

Trip to Holland!

Yes, I know, I know-I've been really bad about blogging lately.  For whatever reason, the mood just didn't...hit me.  But an update was WAY overdue..so here I am!

The biggest update within the last month would have to be my trip to Rotterdam to visit my friend Carm! She and I used to work together, but she moved to Rotterdam, has a great job, and is doing great.  I really needed to get away, so I took 10 days of vacation to spend with Carm. I did make sure to have all of my medication in place and also to get a letter from the transplant unit to take a long with me.

I will admit-most of my pictures are food related! The cold, humid weather in Rotterdam was really hard on my joints, namely my right knee.  For that reason, we didn't get to go and venture out the way I would have liked.

Anyhow, my flight went well.  I watched the movie End of Watch and most of the movie Taken 2. I spent some time chatting with a nice gentleman who also used to live Canada but moved to Europe. This was my meal on my flight with KLM. Now this is what airplane food should be-it was delicious!

When I arrived at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam, I could see Carmela waiting for me behind the security glass.  Luckily my luggage came quickly, so I was able to meet with Carmela and get the trip started.  First order of business-Caramel macchiatos :)

With my flight leaving at 6pm, and the time change, I arrived in Amsterdam at 7am local time (or 1am for me!) So this day consisted of a few naps and time outs at Carm's place.  In the afternoon, I met some of Carm's friends as we all went out for drinks and snacks.  Later on in the night, we went to one of Carm's friend's bday parties.

Let me just say this-we ate a LOT. So, here are some pics of all the food we ate :S

This is a picture from a delicious Chinese food place we visited.

 Yummy Onion Soup for me with a scrumptious crouton and bread, and tasty tomato soup for Carm. 

Yum..Korean food! I really enjoyed the beef as well as the dumplings.  Mmm..

Pannekoeken! Delicious HUGE pancake.  Don't worry-it's pretty thin-like a crepe.  I'm not THAT much of a glutton! ;) Icing sugar and chocolate for me, icing sugar and butter for Carm.

Steak place! Carm got a salad with steak strips and baked potato, while I got a the behemoth pictured along with my own baked potato.  And yes, I finished everything :)

 Surprisingly delicious tacos from Taco Mundo. The best part? They deliver! hehe

 Croissants for breakfast! I had a cappuccino while Carm had a delicious mint tea 

Wagamama! I should have known that my meal would be super spicy when it said "firecracker chicken" :( In spite of my best efforts, I couldn't finish it because of the heat.

Chocolate cake for me, Cheese cake for Carm at Wagamama in Amsterdam

Yes, we had pannekoeken more than once :))) And I was sure to rep my city ;-)

No, we didn't eat out/order in ALL the time. See look-we made bacon! :-\

 Carm made some homemade meatballs and sauce, and I made the rice. I know, she did way more work than I did..but I made the rice without a rice cooker. I've actually never used a rice cooker.  So give me some credit here!

Here's the hideous but delicious chocolate cake we made! hahaha

..but slap a little more icing on top and it looks oh so sexy.

 More fancy caramel macchiatos

 Let's not forget my other roommates during my trip! Meet Angus (left) and James (right)

Angus was the mini security dog. Here he is making sure I didn't forget anything while packing after my trip was drawing to a close.

James loved snuggling up close to me whenever I was seated on the couch.

Carm works for Calvin Klein and we visited her place of work. I decided to get acquainted with some of the people I met at her office.

Carm took a couple of nice pictures of me while we were in Rotterdam

 This is a picture I took on my iPhone in Amsterdam of all the tulips. 

Here I am sitting on a fancy looking chair outside.  It was FREEZING! We were on our way to the theatre to meet some of Carm's friends to watch the movie Django. It was good! :) I didn't have a hat, so my scarf wrapped around my head had to do.

But alas, all good things must come to an end. After a wonderful 9 days, it was time to go home. Ice cream on the plane eased my pain.

I took this photo with my iPhone about 20 minutes before landing back in Toronto. I think it's pretty awesome. Thanks for making my photos look amazing, instagram! ;-)

So that's it! I had a great time. This trip was so major for me, especially since I was able to travel without having to worry about dialysis and stuff. I felt (and feel) so independent-so liberated! I can't wait to plan the next trip! :)