It's October!!!! Health and other updates.

So September just flew past!!! And October promises to be even more busy! Some random updates and stuff that happened in Sept below...

I joined a squash club. In order to re-qualify for the World Transplant Games next year, I have to be scored on certain criteria by a qualified person, as well as join a club. So I'm busy working on that. I'm playing a game tomorrow morning against a coach who will assess my level of playing. Quite nervous! And before that I'm off to the dentist for a tooth that I hurt by biting on a hard sweet... I think I messed up an old filling.

Spring is here (and in Joburg that basically means summer is here... we don't have much of spring. It's winter and then summer.), so I've re-potted some of my pot-plants. I'm not done yet, but the plants are a bit more organised now. I have a very clear pot-pant addiction!

Chris has a work function with a 1920's Gatsby theme, so that was fun to dress up for:

I attended another fancy event, at the same venue actually! My good friend-since-forever Andrew was a finalist in the "Top 35 under 35" Chartered Accountant awards. It was such an uplifting function to attend (while at the same time making you feel like SUCH an under-achiever!!!). Very proud of him!

I've also been able to spend some quality time with my nephew this past weekend... love him SO MUCH!!!!

Then LASTLY, two days ago was basically my 11 month lungaversary! (Sept doesn't have 31 days...). Despite having a cold two weekends ago, I'm doing SO WELL! Had a Dr's check up yesterday. In summary:

• kidneys are the best they've been since re-transplant. Creatinine was 116, the lowest it's been in almost a year. Thanks to stopping the Advagraf and switching to Neoral and Certican, whoop whoop! (normal levels are under 90 for women and under 110 for men, according to Dr Google, so my kidneys are ALMOST like those of a normal man!)
• liver numbers and heamoglobin was normal... previously these were issues. Dr commented that I'm doing something right.
• FEV1 was up! (at first the machine said it was down, but then Dr realised the predicted values had changed incorrectly - the machine was moved and re-calibrated- so I don't know what the % value is but it doesn't really matter.
• long-acting insulin has been switched to night-time, as I've been having some low blood sugars in the mornings... this might help.
• Dr said "You have big lungs"... as someone who is on lung 5 and 6 in my lifetime, this feels like a compliment. I LOVE big lungs... filled with AIR (that is not trapped, LOL)!
• x-ray looked great.

Needless to say I'm super happy and blessed. I will never take a single second of this good health for granted. I can safely say "you REALLY appreciate the value of easy breathing when you've lost it twice!".