Back from Austin. Still a teeny bit jetlagged but I'll get over it soon enough, I'm sure. Was a good work trip, got lots done and was nice to see people over there. 

Very very very cold in London this week!! Glad we got our heating working (yay for friends who are electricians!), it would seem it was just in time!

Ten Gallon Hats ahoy

I'm in Dallas. On my way to Austin for work things. Hoping to keep myself occupied with work things til my possible tx date comes up.

Why is it so impossible to say no to free champagne? I had three glasses on the plane and felt quite hammered. But you just can't say no to it... I tried to form the syllable in my mouth but it just wouldn't come *lol* And it was rather nice champagne, too. Bit hungover now, and in the lounge waiting for my connection to Austin.... with a very large vodka. 

\Doh. 

:)

... or not!

Heh - knew that was too soon to put up!

J's had another call saying they're still not sure if she can donate after her biopsy, so while we're still aiming for December, she's got to have yet more tests involving flecks in her eyes and checks in her ears?! Sounds very odd to me.

And just when I'd got my head round it being the right thing to do, too. Serves me right for getting my hopes up. *sigh*

I can't help feeling this is gonna be a no, now. The longer it drags out the less like it is, surely? And if it is, does that mean it's another 8-9 months of this with someone else, and no guarantee it'll even work? Perhaps I am gonna end up on dialysis after all. Wow, this not knowing is getting very dull indeed.

In other news, I have booked loads of work travel - off to Texas next week, Paris at the start of November and then possibly Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo in the middle of November. Tx co-ordinator said I'm fine to travel, shouldn't need to be around for any tests. Hope they're right. 

They've given us a date!

Still pending J's biopsy result, but assuming all goes well it could be happening on December 5th.

Blimey. 8 weeks today. 

*aaaaargh*

Can't think of a clever title :)

So I've had yet another set of tests - everything's ok with calcium and phosphates and all that, which is good, so no dietary restrictions still. EPO and iron infusions have fixed my anaemia and on a day to day basis I actually feel better than I have for ages. Which makes it all the more ironic that we may now have a date for a potential tx. Cret is 339 and eGFR is 14, which is as bad as it has ever been, but no worse really than before I had the liver surgery. I'm SO grateful I forced that through, I was feeling so much worse for the enormous lump in my side. Life has been way more pleasant since then!

J is still waiting on her biopsy result! *sigh* Poor thing, must be agonising to wait for such things when you know there's nothing wrong with you! She's such a star. I can't imagine going through all this shit when I've no need to, I resent it enough as it is! If she can donate, she understandably wants to do it before Christmas so she can recover before her final term at Uni - and that means we're being pencilled in for the first couple of weeks of December!

Only I'm now also being asked if I want to go to Asia on a work trip, which I'd really like to do, but it'll be in November and I don't know if I can be away that close to the surgery - aaaargh. Must call Madeleine and find out what the coup is with that. Heh. At least i'm not letting it stop me living my life, eh?! 

Had a bit of a meltdown about the actual tx and what happens after that, but I think I'm over it - or at least I'm more prepared for it now. Will go see people at the clinic for more info I reckon. Interesting discussion recently at clinic about the fact that pre-emptive transplant patients don't have the same appreciation of the transplant as dialysis patients, as they don't feel the more obvious benefit and aren't used to the more stringent drug regimens, etc. Wonder if anyone has studied this element?

Thought of a new way to explain my situation when people ask me how I'm doing -  I call it the Spinal Tap analogy (only works if you've seen the film, obviously).

You know how they turn it up to 11?

Mostly I feel like I've been turned down to about a 5....