A Date with a Big Orange Jug

This month marks a big milestone - 5 years since my kidney transplant. October 30 is the official day... but I have to do some things leading up to it. Every other month I get routine bloodwork to make sure things are normal. Once a year in October I have to go through a battery of tests to confirm everything is still working fine. Tons of bloodwork, chest xray, EKG, and my personal favorite, the 24 hour urine test. Basically, you have to collect all your urine into a big orange jug over a 24 hour period. You also have to keep it in the fridge, so it always makes for a good joke or two in my house. I've probably done at least 10 over the past 7 years - a bunch as they were trying to diagnose my condition, and then once a year since the transplant. Aside from the obvious annoyance in having to literally pee in a jug, it confines me to the house all day. Unless I try to be daring and head out in between trips to the bathroom. But my mind always gets to me and 10 minutes after I leave the house my bladder starts playing tricks on me. One time it was so bad I didn't think I was going to make it. So now, I just suck it up for the day and stay inside for a long date with my jug.