Returning to the blog-o-sphere, and to work, has definitely given me a new routine in life.  Thanks for returning to my blog...

Even though the catheter was removed three weeks ago, here's the entry about the procedure and what I went through.  Think of this as a companion piece to the entry about the stent removal.

It's been two weeks, but I'm still alive and well!  Here's a brief snippet of what's been going on.  There are several more entries coming, with far more detail than this entry...  Stay tuned!

Hard to believe, but it's been four weeks since the transplant and I'm still doing great!

The stent in my new ureter was removed last Thursday.  It was just as bad as I thought it would be, but it was also much better at the same time.  Only one more tube left to remove - the catheter!

Seeing blood in your urine is never a good sign.  Fortunately (or unfortunately?), I've had it many times before so I know when it's time to freak out, or when it's time to just play it cool.

It turns out that one of the best things I did to stay positive all summer long was to practice my own form of a gratitude journal.  Saying thank you, even if only in my own mind, to all of the people who have expressed their love and support of me and my family during this time has made such a tremendous difference in my outlook on life.

I've avoided feeling a lot of the pain from the transplant surgery because most of the nerves around that area were severed during the procedure.  Well now they're coming back to life and I'm starting to feel it.

I don't think I ever fully explained why I rented an apartment and decided to live away from my wife and kids for the first 6 weeks after the surgery.  Here's a brief summary of all the reasons why I chose to be isolated from everyone.

My exercise options are very few since I'm still recovering, but I've fallen back in love with the long walk.  I'm up to 40 minutes at a time and every day I feel stronger and better because of it.

I did end up going trick-or-treating on Halloween last week and I had a great time!  So wonderful to see our kids again.

Even though today is 3 weeks since transplant and I'm still doing well, I've still got two tubes left in me, both of which are scheduled to be removed in the next two weeks.  I can't wait to be done with them, but I'm also freaking out about the removal process.

Going to Clinic twice a week is part of the recovery program with Cedars, but it happens to be the biggest waste of everyone's time that I've ever seen.

Finally, my post about my recent ER visit on day 7 post-transplant.  So far it's the only bad day I've had since the surgery - I hope to keep it that way.

In my new skinny form, I'm looking so incredibly thin.  But if you happened to see underneath my pants, you'd notice the new kidney, nice and bulging along the flatness of my abdomen.

Today is Halloween (and day 14 since the transplant).  The question is, should I take a risk and go home to take the kids trick-or-treating?  I definitely want to.

Today's my birthday and I'm looking forward to the coming year and many more great years to come!

Day 10 after the surgery and I'm feeling really good.  Most of the pain is gone, more soreness than anything.  And my first clinic visit went really well.

So here it is, the gory details of what exactly happened to me while in the hospital for four days after the surgery (well, not really gory, but definitely more information than you're used to from me).  Be warned!  This blog entry is LONG and I mention my penis several times (no pictures though, then it wouldn't be safe for work!)

The surgery finally happened and it's been a tremendous success!