Keeping It Renal

It's amazing the difference a couple of hours can make. 🤮

Another rough Monday done. Tomorrow is gonna be a better day!

Just keep swimming (or spooning your emotional support penguin)
Zoe

Promoted or demoted, you decide.

Due to a machine fault I have been moved out of my cosy wee room onto the dialysis bay! How exciting! There is so much going on, so much to watch! I'm never going to get this essay finished 🤣🤣.

I've got yet another busy week full of amazing opportunities just waiting for me to launch myself into them!

Have a good Monday everyone.

Just keep swimming (or being discreetly nosey, while pretending to write an essay that is slowly damaging you from the inside out)

🥸

Today is a very special day. 14 years ago today, my beautiful mum gave me life... For the second time. That's right. 14 whole years since my life saving transplant. Since then I have achieved so much and there are not enough words in the English dictionary to say how truly grateful I am to my mum for being my superhero.

Sadly as you know I'm back in dialysis awaiting another hero to save the day so hopefully I can get back to my winning way and swimming to more British, European and world titles.

Just keep swimming (or holding out for a hero - queue bonnie tyler🎶)

Zoe

Only a single needle session today as I had a small blow at the top of my fistula.

Not fun. Also feeling incredibly queasy today.

Looking forward to the weekend away from the Machine to reset.

Zoe

https://www.twitch.tv/keepingitrenal

I'm now on twitch!
Playing my favourite game Dead by daylight - Not for the faint hearted.

If you are a gamer, pop in and say hi :)

keepingitrenal - Twitch Dead by daylight pro✌️🔥✨

Happy Wednesday.

Yet another day at dialysis, pulling my hair out over an essay question that I don't understand. But it will be fine. Just gotta keep swimming....🤣

I'm very proud to be a student at the open university but sometimes I wish I had stuck to the sweary colouring books🤣🤣.

I've spotted the dietician wandering about the unit so I'm looking forward to hearing from her about more things that are probably not great for me. The renal diet is definitely not for the faint hearted! ❌🥔🧀🍕😱

Just keep swimming. (Or staring blankly at the laptop hoping that the magic essay fairy might pay a visit🤞)
Zoe

Amazing news!

We’re delighted to share the news that adults renewing their passports online will now be asked to confirm their support for organ donation by joining the NHS Organ Donor Register.

With nearly 4 million adults renewing their passport online each year this will give more people the chance to confirm their organ donation decision and we hope will help save even more lives. ❤️

This is part of a partnership with the Home Office and Department of Health and Social Care - DHSC and will be in place from Wednesday 20 March.

Read more: https://orlo.uk/5tLMt

"Happy" Monday.

What a shift I put in last night 🤮... Along with all the standard symptoms of a rubbish Sunday... I've started with what I think is a pretty tasty chest infection.

Hooooray! 🙄🙄. On the bright side.. all this coughing is helping me develop my six pack for my summer beach bod. 😜

Hope everyone has a better day than I'm having so far! Just keep swimming. (Or coughing, sneezing and spewing)

Zoe

Having a rough day today. And not just my hair doo..

Down days happen. It is what it is. Today is a day for staying in my PJs and watching the 6nations super Saturday 🥰

Many thanks to my fluffy pillow for looking after me. Yet again.
Have a good weekend everyone.
Just keep swimming
Zoe

Very busy shift for the prem cup final. Going in the second half 6-3 down. Come on Glawster!

I love my wee job. 🍒

Heyooo,

Please can you go like the new GKPA page.

thanks (Y)

Yesterday was World Kidney Day!

We had an information day at Oxstalls Tennis Centre.

The information day was very well attended by,
- Kidney Patients,
- Nephrologists
-GKPA committee members
-Renal Psychologists
-Dieticians
-Dialysis Nurses
and many more!

Don't be sad you missed this amazing event, Follow us to find out when and where the next one is!

Below is some of our committee members here at the GKPA with Dr J. Moriarty.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.

Happy world kidney day!

I am more than happy to stand up in a circle like at a AA meeting and say "My name is Zoe and I am a Kidney Dialysis Patient for the second time."

I've got a really busy day today popping around the county saying thanks to those who help people like me with dialysis treatments.

Please light a candle in your window at 7pm for all those affected.
I'm lighting mine on behalf of one of my biggest inspirations who sadly passed away last year.

One of my best friends, Vicky Horan. 💜

Hope everyone has a good day everyone.

For those who knew me before will know how important this post is to me.

Retirement is officially over. Very very rusty with lots of WD40 required but I finally made it onto a badminton court.

Badminton was my first love and the court will always be my happy place.

This is huge. From having to use a wheelchair last year to hopping about a court.

One very happy Zoe tonight. I'm off for a well earned bubble bath!

Just keep swimming (or smashing)
Zoe

Wow! I've hit 500 followers on Facebook. Most people do some sort of give away when they hit milestones...buuuuut I don't actually have anything to give away. If we hit 1000 followers I'll do a give away of kidney research and kidney care merch so share away people!

Thank you to everyone who has shared my story and liked any content I've put up so far. I really appreciate all the questions and or support/advice I've been getting. 🥰

Today is a day off dialysis so I'm using the very little energy I have on a romantic date with my inspirational 86 year old table tennis coach and a robot. Take that as you will.

Just keep swimming! (Or hitting table tennis balls at inanimate objects that ping them back faster)

Zoe

So after loosing an argument with some black ice and a grit box I had to say goodbye to my little car last Monday as she was taken to the car heaven in the sky 💔

After a LONG few days of being trapped in the house and many hours spent waiting around for hospital transport.... I'm happy to report that I'm back on the road with this wee red devil!

So happy to be free and come and go as I please.

⭐Now I need your help! What should I call my little red car? All sensible suggestions will be taken for consideration. 👍

Happy Monday all.
Just keep swimming. (Or driving safely... away from black ice and grit boxes)
Zoe

Happy Mother's day to my superhero. My Mum.

Not only did she put me on this earth, she gave me my second chance by donating me a kidney nearly 14 years ago!
Without my mum I wouldn't even be half the person I am. I would never have achieved any of my goals in life and I most definitely wouldn't still be alive.

Everybody says Mum is special to them but mine is a literal superhero!

Just incase you were wondering, yes I am available to lend a hand with all photo shop work. As I am clearly a professional. *

* T&C's apply and the approximate rate is 4 million pounds per hour. Or 60 million per photoshop.

It's International Women's Day!

Thought it was only right that I post about the two most amazing women in my life.
My beautiful fiancé and my amazing mother.
Despite everything that is going on in their lives both of them never fail to answer a single phonecall (usually me moaning about something) and despite the distance (at first with Lucy and now with mum) not once have they ever failed to let me down.

I am so massively grateful to everyone in my support team but these two deserve so much more thanks than I will ever be able to express. Bloody legends ,the two of them. Thank you♥️

Don't just keep swimming, get yourself a pair of metaphorical armbands like these two.
Love you both.

Zoe

Not a good day today for me. Nobody panic. I am fine.

I chose to end my session about an hour early today because I was feeling absolutely horrible. I started sweating with massive waves of nausea and an overwhelming headache. I felt weak, a bit like how you feel after having a really big spew bug or the morning after a big session on tequila. (Not that I have ever done that....) 🤢🤮

After battling through it for a good 30 minutes I decided enough was enough. After being reinfused with all my blood i started to feel a bit better and I will continue to slowly recover throughout the afternoon. This happens to me possible once every few months.

I do not recommend ending your dialysis session early no matter how crap you feel. Today I gave up which is really unlike me but that's okay. Today the machine won the battle, but I will win the war!! We will go again on Friday and I will beat it!

Just keep swimming
(or if your day is going like mine, doggy paddle)
Zoe

I have some super massive news for you all!

Our amazing Auntie G and "little" cousin Alfie (on Lucy's side) are running the Cheltenham half marathon on the 1st of September in aid of Kidney Research UK and Cancer Research UK . Both are charities that are massively close to our hearts having personally affected us both.

This was not the aim for my page but if anyone has anything they would like to donate (or share the just giving page) we would be forever grateful.

Good luck with the training guys! I cannot wait to meet you at the finish line! So proud of you both and most of all. Thank you!

Please join me in wishing Team Lewis all the best of luck!

💜💜

Team Lewis Run Cheltenham! Help Georgina Lewis raise money to support Cancer Research UK

Lovely afternoon out at Tiger Turf watching Gloucester city ladies (development team) rip their opponents apart.

Thanks for the afternoon out the house Chaz.🫶
Thats another ground ticked off! Where to next?

How's your weekend been?

Just keep swimming
Zoe

Happy Friday peeps.

Today is the last dialysis session of the week (for me) and the first of another month!

HELLO MARCH! - where is this year disappearing too?

I've got a really busy weekend, sports filled as usual. Working at the rugby on Saturday then off for a charity sponsor day at the mighty Cinderford Town on Sunday! Hopefully, I might manage a nap at some point too 😋

I am massively blown away by all the positive messages, comments and questions. I'm so proud to be sharing my journey with so many amazing people. Thank you to every single person who has shared any posts to help get my messages out there.

Have a great weekend folks!

Just keep swimming 🥽
Over and out.
Zoe

💜

Today we went shopping for some bits for our new House.

Our landlord says no pets so let's hope he doesn't see that I've brought Darcy the Duck lamp home to live in our sitting room!

Isn't it just wonderful, Lucy definitely agrees....

just keep swimming. (Or quacking🦆)
Zoe

My kidney hero is my Mum, she donated me her kidney in march 2010 which has allowed me to achieve pretty much all my goals and dreams before needing to come back to the routine of dialysis. 💜


Who's your kidney hero?

World Kidney Day UK Raising awareness in the UK on World Kidney Day - takes place every year on the second Thursday in Ma