10/20/2012 - Sooo.....here I am 9 months out from my transplant. I am doing well by most recovery  standards. However my transplant has not been without some physical problems.

 As a result of the Prograf I take I have become diabetic.Of course having to take insulin is an inconvenience. It is not my biggest issue however. It is the numbness in my feet and hands. They both get cold easily and the numbness in my feet affects my gate. I miss being able to feel my wife's feet when we sleep. I can feel them but it is like I am wearing thick socks. I am now waiting for my doctor to complete the paper work necessary so that I can get a proper pair of shoes to wear. I can no longer comfortably wear any of my old shoes. 

 Due in part to my extreme loss in muscle mass before and the transplant itself I now have a torn rotator cuff which limits the use of my right arm. I am very hesitant to have corrective surgery at this point but I have doubts if it will heal by itself. 

 The fact is that as much as I would like to return to work it's not a realistic goal for the simple reason that I would have to earn $100K a year to compensate for the loss of Medicare and my disability and that certainly isn't a reasonable expectation. In the present economic climate jobs are pretty scarce anyway!

 It is very frightening to think that at 57 years old I may be relying on my government to live. The government giveth and the government can taketh away just as easily!

 For now I suppose I'll just have to have faith in my government until I can come up with plan B.

Until next post......be well and happy!