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It's time

Lord knows I've delayed this as long as I could. But it's time.

Time to get in shape and to lose weight.

Did you know that centers have weight/BMI limits as part of their transplant qualifications?

They do. 

In some instances, they'll require weight loss before they'll add you to the active transplant list.

And if you attempt to lose weight (or not) and don't, they may even recommend bariatric surgery.

That seems a bit extreme... to have an invasive surgery so you can have another invasive surgery.

Additionally, there's some controversy about how much weight to lose. Studies show that heavier dialysis patients have better transplant outcomes than dialysis patients with lower body weights.

So what's the happy medium? How do you satisfy the transplant centers while assuring that your transplant odds are as high as they can be?

Honestly, I think it's just using some common sense and making an honest effort.

My goal is to bring my weight into what I consider a healthy, maintainable range for me - this factors in my preferences, lifestyle and body type. Technically, the CDC will still classify me as 'Overweight' but I'm okay with that. Anything lower will give me that gaunt, "she's lost too much weight/is she sick?" look.

With an eGFR of the high 20's, I still have a while before my weight truly matters. So I'll thoughtfully be addressing my eating & exercise habits (or lack thereof) and focusing on developing my coping skills (so stress doesn't equal ice cream binge). No "lose it all in two weeks" mentality for me.

I'm confident I'll get there in time.



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