Already 13 days since my last article! Last time, I struggled to deal with the side effects of the many medications I have to take since the transplant. I was starting to get better after a psychologically difficult week.
Since then, a lot has happened. I made some publications on instagram and facebook to give news. I still have a lot of side effects of the medication (tremors, hyperglycemia, problems falling asleep…). I also still feel very tired, which is normal after the operation. I was told last week that I could expect three months of fatigue before I started to feel normal.
I rested a lot, and now I can make dinner and do small projects. My wound is healing well, and I’ve even had two days lately where I didn’t need any painkillers at all!
My mood depends on the day, but in general I’m fine. I especially struggled when I wanted to do a project and I didn’t have the energy to do it. At Christmas, Thierry and I had simply planned to make cookies. I was unable to do them, too tired. Today, I can have sympathy for myself and understand that I just had to rest, that a non-festive Christmas was not the end of the world. But honestly, I found it really hard and my mood was pretty bleak.
I have a lot of letting go to do. I’m looking forward to getting better. I guess it will make me grow 😉 In the meantime, I am learning to rest quietly and appreciate the time that passes without glorious adventure to fill it!
Media week to raise awareness about organ donation
This year, I shared my story with several media outlets in hopes of finding myself a kidney. Each time, I took advantage of my visibility to promote organ donation. Following my transplant and the approach of the holidays, I knew that my story was even more promising than ever to continue to talk about transplantation and organ donation in Quebec.
After two and a half weeks of recovery, I felt ready to face the world and tell my story. I was a little worried about getting too tired, or having a bad day and starting to cry in an interview 😉 Who knows, with all the unexpected emotions I’ve been going through lately, I wasn’t sure what to expect.
In the end, it went really well 🙂 It tired me a bit, but it was worth it! If you’re interested, you can find some of the interviews I’ve done here.
I wanted to talk about living donation, and how important it is to talk to your family about your wishes related to organ donation in the event of death. Indeed, 26% of the time, the families of the deceased refuse to proceed with an organ donation because they have to make the decision quickly in a tragic context. Talking about it in advance makes the decision easy and obvious for the family, and it saves lives!
And I was able to start talking about the documentary that will be released in 2023 made by Radio-Canada on my story and that of the donor. They have been following us in our efforts since October, and were even able to be present during our operations!
The holiday season begins!
Given my very low immune system, my boyfriend’s daughter had to stay for a month and a half with her mother to respect the isolation that was necessary so that I would not catch any virus. She arrives home tonight until she returns to school. We can’t wait! For us, the holiday season begins; we even waited for her to decorate the house!
Again, I have to be patient with myself and accept that I won’t be able to do as much with her as I would like. It’s normal, I just had surgery. A transplant is a big thing! But part of me regrets making her go through this. Bah, it will be a quiet and relaxing holiday season, that’s all! And this is only part postponed; We will have several more holiday seasons together thanks to my new kidney!
See you soon and happy holidays,
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