Here are two photos. One, taken in 2013 when I was in a wheelchair being pushed around the US Capitol, obese, ready to get off the exit on the Highway of Life. The other is 2016, lost 100lbs, able to walk with a cane, again at the Capitol, taking back my life from the terrible place I let it go to.
Can you see a difference?
So, although i haven’t posted in a while, I have been busy. More later. Exciting stuff.
About DevonTexas
I am a person with ESRD (End Stage Renal Disease) which means my kidneys don't work. Forty or so years ago that would have been a death sentence but today there is Dialysis which means I could be hooked up to a machine that would clean my blood as the kidneys should. Three days a week, I went to a dialysis center and had too very large needles stuck in my arm to remove and replace my blood as it passed through a process where it was cleaned and the fluid was removed, a process taking a little over four hours each time.
In November 2017, I received a kidney transplant from a deceased donor. My life went into overdrive. With a "new" functioning kidney, I no longer had to go to a dialysis center and my days were not open to be lived rather than recovering from dialysis which meant dialyzing for three days and resting for 4 days a week. I work full-time and often 50 hours per week. It is something I never imagined. I highly recommend it! HeeHee
I want to advance knowledge about dialysis and transplant so that others can learn from my experience and mistakes. We shouldn't have to reinvent the wheel, eh? There is so much to be learned and experienced about our predicament. There are vast resources available to support us and enrich our lives but many patients don't know about them. There are also many issues that we have to deal with whether we want to or not. So I blog about them in www.DevonTexas.com
All comments are confidential until I approve them. If you don't want your comment public, let me know and I will respect that. So, feel free to leave a comment.
I also blog in LegacyTales in WordPress if you are interested in the ramblings of a Old Man. Give a peek and let me know what you think. https://legacytales.wordpress.com/
Enjoy.
DevonTexas 
Awesome!
You look phenomenal! Congratulations.
Oh yea, I can see the difference. 🙂 This is a great achievement! How did you manage to lose 100lbs? And how are you doing now in 2019?
Well, it started in 2014 when I was 318 lbs and finally was ready to take control of my weight. I tried previously in 2007 but my insurance wouldn’t cover Bariatric surgery for a Lapband®.
In 2010 I changed insurance companies but my kidneys failed so I was in dialysis at the time and wasn’t in shape to take it on. So, finally four years later I took the step.
It took 2 years to lose the first 100 lbs. Another year and I was down 15 or so pounds (The first hundred are the easiest. Heehee). Thenin 2017 I got a kidney transplant and that slowed things a bit due to all the medications including the weight gain from Prednisone. I’m proud to say I didn’t gain any at least.
In this year I have returned to a fitness center to work on stamina and strength (putting the Prednisone to good use!). I’m down 20 more pounds this year for a total of 137.
I view it two ways: one, is the obvious better health I’m in and want to make sure my kidney remains healthy for many years to come. The other is that I owe a debt of gratitude to the donor family who made such a difficult decision to share their loved-one’s organs and I owe it to them to be the best recipient I can be.
Who knows? I could live into my 80s and 90s! I’m not going to spend the next few decades dying from obesity.
I plan to lose a total of 168 pounds… one pound at a time, however.
Thanks for asking.
Thanks for answering! I am glad you were able to get the kidney transplant and that you are so successful in gaining control over your weight and able to enjoy life. Wishing you all the best. Cheerio, ‘Aunty’ Uta 🙂
It causes me to think, “Grüss Gott!” every morning! 😁