If you are vaccinated, wear a mask, and maintain social distance to protect others from Covid-19, I’m one of those people you’re protecting. Thank you!
Decades of a degenerative autoimmune disorder eventually caused my kidneys to fail.
But all was not lost.
About a year ago, after nine months of peritoneal dialysis, my daughter turned out to be an acceptable tissue match and I received her kidney. At that time I mounted on the spring tide of the stars of luck. That it happened in the middle of a pandemic is yet another facet of the luck-jewel that landed in my hip pocket. Please note that I did not say that my life is perfect but it it is pretty damn good.
To keep my new kidney, I will have to take medications that suppress my immune system for the rest of my life. Without those drugs, my body would reject it. The medic alert bracelet on my left wrist says “TRANSPLANT RECIPIENT / IMMUNOSUPPRESSED. Vaccinations don’t work as well on a suppressed immune system, hence the CDC’s recent recommendation about Covid-19 booster shots for folks like me. I got a third Moderna shot as soon as the CDC announcement came out.
Simple, right? Well, . .there’s this other virus, Polyomavirus hominis1. It was first isolated in 1971 in the urine specimen of a patient whose initials were B. K. It has forever after been known as the BK Virus. It is a usually harmless bug that almost every human being has laying around in their body. A healthy, functioning, immune system keeps it contained. You probably have this common virus and it will never cause you any harm. On the other hand, if you have had an organ transplant and take medications to suppress your immune system, things get complicated. Uncontained, BK likes to attack a particular organ. Take three guesses as to what that organ is. They all start with “K”.
Having been through kidney failure once, I do not recommend it. I have blood samples taken every two weeks. One of the things they are checking for is the level of BK virus in my body. It is too high. This is not good. If we cut back on the suppression drugs, my immune system beats down the BK virus. If we cut the drugs down too much, my immune system will itself attack the new kidney and cause it to fail. If the BK virus were not contained, it would eventually attack my single, shiny new kidney and, again, cause it to fail. If you’re confused, take heart in the fact that my immune system is way more confused than you are.
My kidney, my immune system, and the BK Virus are playing tag with the medications for a referee. We are continually testing and adjusting the dosages. I’ve had to stop taking one of the drugs altogether. The other two are at a bare minimum dosage. For the present, the kidney is working very well and I feel about as good as a 62 year old man can expect to feel. I am fortunate to be here with Mrs ruleoflaw, my kids, my grandchildren, and Lucky Angus MacPup.
My recovery has progressed so well that I’ve been back at work for the last nine months. The company supplies original factory parts for vehicles and machines that are no longer under warranty. The pay is just okay. The job isn’t especially fulfilling, but it provides health insurance that pays for the medical marvels I’ve been favored with. The activity level is just right for a person of my age and health. It provides plenty of moderate exercise standing, walking, lifting, and climbing. When I’m alone out in the warehouse I don’t need to wear the mask, but it keeps the dust and dirt out of my nose, so I wear it anyway.
This activity is interspersed with three or four 40 minute drives in a small van. It’s a major summertime perk to retreat into an air-conditioned vehicle with Thom Hartmann, Stephanie Miller, or just some music. On the downside, Wisconsin winter driving can give one white knuckles. I’ve worked here for ten years and in that time, we’ve closed for a “snow day” only twice. Fortunately, most drivers in the Upper Midwest know how to drive on snow and ice. Yes, there are some fools and jerks out there on the road but these people are a mercifully small minority of the drivers I encounter. We send merchandise through UPS, Fed-Ex, DHL, and the USPS, as well as various freight haulers for the heavy stuff. If they are out on the road, we are filling their trucks with stuff.
The outfit I work for is not an Amazon-style machine that burns workers for fuel. The company treats it’s employees pretty well. An employee with the kind of health problems I’ve had would be a hot potato at a lot of companies. My employers however, were unfailingly supportive through all of my problems. They just wanted me to get well and return to work. A boy could do worse.
My boss is aware of this and I have the option of opting out of any situation where I don’t feel safe. I haven’t had to play that card; not yet. I go through a lot of hand sanitizer, keep a safe distance, and always wear a mask (don’t I wish everybody did).
In addition to my paycheck, I collect a modest pension from 30 years of government work. I am alive with a wonderful family, some very good friends, a pretty good job and the best little doggie in the world. I truly am mounted on the spring tide of the stars of luck. (*)
* — (That splendid expression is taken from The Playboy of the Western World by John Millington Synge.)