Surviving A Kidney Transplant
To begin with, I am a kidney transplant survivor myself so I know what I am writing about.
In 1992 I was 42 years old. I was also diagnosed with a serious kidney disease.
It is called Polycystic Kidney Disease or PKD. By the time I was diagnosed my kidneys were too far gone to save.
I was told by my doctor that if I was going to have a kidney disease, PKD was the one to have.
I remember the creeping weakness that seemed to control me as my kidneys slowly began to shut down.
After one visit my doctor looked rather shocked and said that he had almost waited too long.
He put me on dialysis immediately. We eventually learned how to do the dialysis at home (my sweet wife being the home helper).
Not long after that I was referred to the medical center in Birmingham, Alabama for evaluation for a kidney transplant,
and was hoping to get on the national kidney transplant list.
The doctors there asked if I had anyone who could be a living donor.
Being an only child I had to say no. In an almost off hand way they asked if Susan (my wife) might
want to be tested to see if she could donate. She immediately agreed.
To make a long story short she matched almost perfectly. In 1992 we went into surgery and she
gave me one of her kidneys. The doctors said that it was a million to
one that she would match so closely! (She reminds me quite often that
she is “one in a million” and I counter with “I am just keeping her around for spare parts.” :^) )
The surgery was a complete success. I am on anti-rejection medicines
and several other medicines to counter side affects but Susan is very healthy
and God has blessed us beyond measure.
Let me give you a little of my history since the
transplant. I am the pastor of a small Baptist church and have been in the ministry for forty years.
Until my kidney problem I had enjoyed very good health. After I was diagnosed I went through
a period of semi-depression and was full of questions. I know God gave me grace to keep on going.
During that time my health was up and down. About two years ago I was very sick.
I had no strength and felt very complacent. I became so weak that I could hardly get up out of a chair without having
something to hold on to. I thought my time was almost up but it wasn’t my kidney problem at all. It was my frame of mind.
Did you know that wrong thinking can kill you?
I really don’t know exactly why I started but I decided to begin a light exercise program.
I started walking for twenty minutes almost every day and I began to see immediate improvement.
I found a used free weight set for sale and bought it. I began a workout with those weights every day
(it was very, very light weight I might add).
As time went on I became stronger and could tell a definite difference in the way I felt.
My body was responding to the work.
Before I began my workouts my blood chemistry was terrible. About 3 months
after I began my workouts the blood work began to look a little better. The last time I went to
my doctor my numbers had improved dramatically. I believe the reason is that
I have gotten in better shape generally which has contributed to the health of the donated kidney I now have.
There are other things that have helped also. I have been working diligently on what I put into my body.
There are all kinds of natural and nutritional supplements that can greatly benefit the way you feel. Because of the workouts,
my supplements, and a special diet I have been on, I have lost about 30 pounds and the kidney my
wife gave me is responding terrifically.
I will not kid you. There are still many problems. Because of one of the medicines
I have to take I have become diabetic. Arthritis is a constant companion. Both of these new
conditions respond well to the lifestyle I have adopted. It means I WILL exercise faithfully,
I WILL eat right and I WILL stay with the kinds of help I get at Mother Nature.com!
I simply refuse to be a victim.
Let me ask you dear transplant friend. Have you given up? Do you just sit around and
bemoan your condition? Your mind can actually contribute to your ill health.
But if you will be willing to take yourself in hand. You must find a light workout routine that will tone your body. You need to
take the nutritional supplements that will enhance your body’s overall health, and decide that you are going
to eat right. If you will do these things you too can be stronger than you ever dreamed. There is life after transplant. I am living proof.
My name is Michael Morrow and I am a Baptist pastor in Marion, Kentucky. I am 58 years old and am enjoying the journey God has given me. I am the husband to a most wonderful woman named Susan. When my kidneys failed in 1992 Susan gave me one of hers. I am alive today because of that sweet girl. I have 3 great kids. Benjamin is 26 and a preacher of the Gospel. He and Beth, his wife, had their first child (my second grandchild) in September. Melissa is 24 and the mother of my first grandchild, Jesse (2 years at this writing). She and David (her husband) just gave me my third grandson in April (2007). Tyler is strong and handsome. Jason is my third son. He is 20 and a sophomore at Murray State University.
I would love for you to visit my Bible study page found at http://www.The-Christian-Resource-Page.Com
Thanks for reading.
Tags: dialysis, exercise, kidney, nutrition, surviving, transplant, transplants
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