Weren't you just here?!?

Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name... Unfortunately for me, that would be the hospital. tehehee. The statistics are high for returning into the hospital after transplant, (20 - 70% of patients experience rejection, not to mention the risk of infection due to the anti-rejection meds and the possibility of bile leaks. I am actually doing pretty dang good so far, if I do say so myself. However, I still get my fair share of the hospital. I have "clinic" every Monday, and up until today, I had to (well Jason or Lee had to) make the drive to USC so I could have labs done on Thursdays too -- always resulting in me needing more magnesium. Not to mention the extra trip we made last weekend when I noticed some redness and oozing at my incision site, which in combination with a high white blood cell count (meaning possible infection) caused them to admit me for another night... of course, some more Magnesium and -- more tacos! The culprit of my magnesium continuously dropping below normal is the Prograf - one of the three anti-rejection medications I take. I start to notice I am pooped out, shakey and weak. The IV infusions do the trick, but only seem to last about 2 days and then I start to fade back into that ol' familiar feeling again...Which I was feeling early this morning, pre appointment.
I went in and got my normal hugs and hello's at the lab and then the tx clinic, but again I was sentenced to 2-4  hours of being tethered down to my pal flo. (yes, that's my I.V. machines name.) So I am also becoming known at the "Evaluation clinic", which is where I've been going twice a week to get my magnesium... they even ordered me lunch today  -- more tacos :) I also met a nurse who was at the Donate Life walk in May (Which is pretty impressive for her to remember... I still can't do that without my H.E.) but I digress... The real news is, I got my staples out today!! I am now foreign object freeeeeeee, well except for my new healthy liver, but I don't really consider Sally foreign anyways. They also lowered my Prednisone, which is another of my anti-rejection medication that is also a steroid, and YES, it gives me ROID-RAGE, so my family is happier today too! Yup, things are definitely looking up and after my infusions I feel better and more awake then I have in almost 10 years! Ahhh, to be what the lucky ones call "normal"!!