My longest hospital stay (6/14/22)

I’ve never been in a hospital for this long. I’ve officially hit more than 1 week only leaving my room for surgeries, dialysis and medical procedures.

There’s a 50% chance when I leave the room I will be rendered unconscious.

And in the moments that I am alert, I am either surrounded by senior citizens battling end-of-life diseases or young people (like myself) who were dealt an unfortunate hand.

What makes all of this even crueler is that I feel good enough to leave the hospital and hit the gym. I feel great. I felt great before I even stepped in here. Obviously I was not actually great because my left foot was swollen, discolored, dry and in immense pain (it’s called “renal foot” and it’s what happens when your kidneys are failing) but now that that symptom has been healed, it’s very easy to convince myself that I am OK.

I need to think about the long game here of course. I need to make sure my dialysis treatments are set up. I need to think about switching from hemodialysis to peritoneal dialysis (which provides a bit more freedom but also more responsibility). I need to think about a kidney transplant and the risks that come with it such as taking immunosuppressants to make sure my body doesn’t resist my new kidneys but also increasing my risk for cancer. I need to think about my new lifestyle.

I’ve literally been living the freest lifestyle I know of, picking up and traveling the world at will. That has come to an unexpected, sudden, immediate and abrupt end.

The only reason I’m staying somewhat sane about the whole situation is because I have forced my brain to take it one day at a time. That’s the only thing I can do right now to stop myself from mentally breaking and falling into a pit of darkness.

All while the markets crash, my net worth evaporates, and gas prices hit a new record daily.

Good times! I will own nothing (not even kidneys) and be happy.