My Kidney Journey: Surgery

Okay, so we've discussed so much about the events leading up to surgery and even my hubby's brush with the law, so now let's talk about the actual surgery. 

The procedure involving the removal of a kidney is called a nephrectomy. There are basically three different types of nephrectomy. The first, and most desirable, is the "laparoscopic nephrectomy". This entire surgery is done through several small incisions. The lap procedure is the least invasive and has the shortest recovery time. The second is "hand-assisted laparoscopy". In this procedure there are the small incisions, as before, for the lap instruments, but a small incision is made near the bellybutton so that the surgeon may insert his hand to assist in the work. They generally will remove the kidney through this incision as well. Finally, the last type of procedure is called and "open nephrectomy". In this procedure, they make a large incision somewhere in order to do the surgery completely open. For kidney donation purposes, this is usually on the left side, just below the rib cage, about a foot long and involves the removal of the last rib. This is the most painful, most invasive procedure and takes the longest to recover from. 

I had the "hand assisted" procedure but they used my existing c-section scar instead of the bellybutton incision. The entire procedure lasted roughly 6 hours from leaving pre-op to waking up in my room. Due to using the previous incision scar, there was scar tissue to deal with as well as a little more bleeding than they had counted on. All-in-all, everything went well. 

My recipient, having PKD, had a full nephrectomy as well. His native kidneys were so cystic, that they thought it best to remove them completely. He had a previous midline incision on his belly that they used. They cut him down the middle of his belly from about the nipples to below the bellybutton and removed - wait for it - TWO SIX POUND KIDNEYS!!! My sisters twins didn't weigh that much!! That man gave birth to twins!!! All joking aside, can you imagine, the pressure in his belly? If you've ever been pregnant, you know what I'm talking about. The pressure, the breathing restriction, the indigestion and everything else. This man dealt with all of this his entire life!!

My little kidney was so tiny compared to his, but it started working right away and everything was great! Here we are, three weeks later and he is doing awesome!

Next post: recovery in the hospital and at home.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

My Kidney Journey: What was I saying?

Disclaimer: I am writing this post while under the influence of pain meds. There is no guarantee whether or not it will make any sense at all. ;)

Okay, so like two days ago, I promised you a post tomorrow. Sorry. When recuperating, you never know what to expect. Good days and bad days are all meshed together in a swarm of wakes and sleeps within a haze of narcotic unknowing. 

Not wanting to be dependent on meds, I tried to be brave yesterday and not take pain meds. This was great for my intestinal track, as I spent the afternoon in the restroom, voiding my bowels of everything from the past week...but it was bad for today. Pain like I can't describe. Word of advice to future donors: DON'T. Just don't. Take your pain meds regularly. When you think you're better, stretch out the time between meds, don't just quit taking them. Getting pain BACK under control is so much harder then keeping it there. 

So, I was going to tell you about my hubby getting arrested, right? Oh. My. Gosh. What a crazy story. So, the morning was awful. The mag citrate they gave me to clean out my bowels the night before, well, it took a nap overnight and decided to start working in pre-op. So I'm back and forth to the bathroom with butt-vomit. I already have a migraine from not sleeping well, and nausea from it and the mag-citrate, so I'm puking my guts out too. All the while, the nice anesthesiologist, Dr. P, is trying to tell me everything that he legally has to tell me before knocking my butt out. He keeps telling me to just hold on and he can give me something to help me relax, but in between the butt-vomit and the real vomit, I can barely hold it together long enough to sign the consent for whatever the crap he was talking about.  So he finally rushes through it all, I scribble what may or may not have been my name on his paper and he says he's going to give me some Pepcid and Reglan. He pulls out a vial, whispers to the nurse that they might go ahead and get the blah-blah-whatever and sticks a needle into my IV. That's the last dang thing I remember before waking back up in my room. Vioila, no chance, no time, no getting scared about surgery, I pulled that off like a champ!!

Meanwhile, Dr. P gives me the blah-blah-whatever and they roll me off to surgery. My hubby, finally glad to be rid of his double vomiting wife for a while (not really, he was super nervous), heads to the hospital Starbucks for a shot of wake-me-up. He grabs a triple-shot-ginormous-mocha-something and turns around to find himself surrounded by Johnny Law. These guys are huge and demanding that he go with them. No explanation, just come with us. 

These nice officers cart my beloved off to the hospital pokey and order him to cough up his i.d. Him, being just  little upset by their lack of communication skills, decides that they need to tell him what is up before he gives them anything. The punk kid handcuffed in the seat next to him all the while spewing racial slurs and expletives about the porcine nature of the gentlemen holding them captive. Finally, a woman comes in and explains to my love that he fits the description of a man on another floor begging for money. They confirm his identity, confirm his recent whereabouts, and send him on his way, kindly reminding him to stay "where he is supposed to be."  That seemed to be a recurring theme throughout the rest of my 5 hour surgery, but that is another story altogether!

So, begging for money in the hospital is not okay and butt-vomit is not fun! That's the moral of today's story. Have a great 4th, friends. God bless America and a sincere thanks to all of those who serve and their families serving at home. 

My Kidney Journey: Checking In

Now that everyone is home and doing well, I am ready to share our in-house experience. After 3 days of extensive testing, 12 weeks of TB treatment, and postponed surgery dates we finally made it to surgery. Our transplant was at Memorial Hermann Transplant Center in Houston. This facility is awesome and the people are great!

 

Many transplant centers will give you the fun stuff to drink, tell you what to do at home and have you check into the hospital at 5am. Hermann, however; admits you the day before and helps you to get through the day before surgery. We checked in at 11am the day before surgery and everything started. We walked in, my husband, myself, my recipient and his large family. We went quickly to the transplant center for our first round of labs. The excitement was palpable. The entire transplant center was just buzzing, everyone smiling, lots of hugs and just so much anticipation.

 

After the center, we were off to admissions, where we were surprised to be parted. We

misunderstood, my fault, and thought we were going to the transplant floor together. While I waited in admissions for orders, My recipient was whisked off to ICU, his new home until at least the day after surgery.

 

We both quickly tired. We had more labs drawn, two IV's started a piece, and were walked through the expected procedures for the following day. Michael was allowed to eat whatever he chose, while I was surprised to be told liquid diet for dinner and nothing by mouth after midnight. The picture above was taken late Monday night when we finally had time to say one last prayer before surgery, just before visiting hours were over.

 

I returned to my room just in time to find my cousin and a bottle of mag citrate waiting. All the real fun comes tomorrow including: how long DOES mag citrate take to work, what does the police department in surgery look like, and he gave birth to twins!???

My Kidney Journey: To Surgery and Beyond

So last week we had surgery. Tomorrow I go back for my first follow-up and my recipient gets out of the hospital. 

Sooo, much happened! I have so very much to tell you about: Mag Citrate doesn't always work like you think it will, I puked all the way through pre-op, my recipient gave birth to twins, hubby got arrested and even more!!! I am going to break this next part into a few sections so stay tuned. All this is coming this week!! 

We are both doing well and the kidney is doing great!!

My Kidney Journey: The Waiting Game

So, we have a really great surgeon. I have to say that up front. We were supposed to go to the hospital last Thursday and have surgery Friday, but that didn't happen. 

On Wednesday, the phone rang and it was our head surgeon. Evidently there was some kind of MAJOR screw up in the ICU and he wasn't going to take any chances. So...our surgery was postponed. 

It wasn't fun, family was already in town, hotel rooms reserved, and plans made. But we made due. We changed plans, had a good visit and did the best we could to wait out the weekend and anticipate Monday's phone call with our new date. 

So, here we are, back at the one week mark and preparing for surgery next week. 

We trust in God and His plans for our surgery. This is so exciting!  I will keep you posted. 

My Kidney Journey: Here we are

Here we are, just a few days away. A journey started over 7 months ago for me, 40+ years ago for my recipient. In a few short days, we will check into the hospital to begin the preparation for surgery. I am so blessed to be able to be a small part of this journey.

My Kidney Journey: Back on Track

In February, I told you about my Latent TB Bacteria and what I would have to go through in order to be able to donate my kidney to my new friend.  (If you didn't read that, you can find it here. Or if you missed my initial post on how I gave my kidney away while getting my oil changed and eating lunch with a friend, you can click here.  To read all of my kidney related posts, click here.) So, I've spent the last 12 weeks taking medication just to make sure my kidney is safe for my recipient.

That picture there to the right is all of the pills I had to take once a week. The awesome warnings are enough to scare you, but it really wasn't so awful. The hardest part was the exhaustion and having to go to the doctor's office once a week to take the meds.

So here we are, some 12 weeks and 120 pills later. We have been released by the Medical Review Board and have a surgery date. I am not going public with either the date of the surgery or the name of the hospital, simply for safety and privacy reasons, so please don't ask. I will, of course post my experiences after the surgery to help others to know what to expect when considering giving a gift like this.

I spoke to a group of 5th graders the other day and was touched by their curiosity and their heart for other human beings. A young man named Austin came up to me at the end of the presentation and asked, " When we die, we don't need our organs anymore. You said that we could save up to 12 lives and help 50 more?"

"Yes, that's right," I answered.

"So, if they have to take them out anyway, why wouldn't everyone want to donate them to help other people," he continued to ask.

That, my friends, is the question. My only answer was that most people just don't know.  There are hundreds of thousands of people waiting for organs right now. Organs that can be saved so easily.  Please, take the time, visit  https://www.donatelifetexas.org/  to learn more and/or to sign up to be a donor. Maybe you can't be a living donor, like me, but there's so much you can do when your time here is done.

I promise to get back to the topic of this blog soon, I just have to share what's on my heart right now. I know many people who would love to head to the range this weekend and can't because they're sick and waiting, praying, hoping for a kidney, liver, lung or heart transplant.

Thank you for taking the time today to be a part of this amazing journey. I am blessed to have this opportunity.

My Kidney Journey: Where Are You?

I got an email today from a reader asking where my recipient and I are at in our kidney journey.  So I thought it would be a great time for an update.

Remember this guy?? ------------------>>>

This guy is Val Kilmer, but in the picture he was portraying Doc Holiday, who was known for many things, one being the famous gunslinger who died from TB.

I'm not dying from TB, but this fellow firearm fanatic and I have the Tuberculosis bacteria in common. I tested positive once again for a Latent TB Infection, which means that I have an inactive strain in my system that is not spreadable and I am not sick. If I were to give my kidney to my friend, however, the infection could become active in his system due to the high immunosuppresants that he will be taking. So we can't take that chance.

For the next twelve weeks, I will be taking a fun cocktail of Rifapentine and Isoniazid with some B6 to battle this invisible foe so it doesn't affect the transplant. Once the treatment is over, we will then be scheduled for transplant.

So we're looking at June for surgery!! And we can't wait to see him feeling better!!


If you have questions about being an organ donor, about LTBI, about, any of this at all, I would be glad to answer them, so please don't hesitate to ask!!

There are so many people out there who may die waiting for a kidney, please consider sharing your spare?? Please spread the word for organ donor awareness?? And one more thing, while you're at it, check out this page http://www.facebook.com/AMillionLikesForAKidneyForMatthew. Matthew is a 7 year old and needs a kidney ASAP. Please "Like" and "Share" his page. One million likes may not get him a kidney, but his chances would sure go up if a million people see his cause. Thanks so much!!!

My Kidney Journey: Get to the Point

One of my newest friends tells the story of how Social Media (Twitter) Stole Her Kidney, well, I gave mine away at the Quick Lube.

Sitting at lunch one day with my girlfriend, I learned of a friend of hers needed a kidney. This man, this single father of a ten and twelve year old, this fellow Pathwanian, this HUMAN BEING was dying. He had 15% kidney function and PKD was taking his life, his children's father, his future from him. I had to ask twice, "I am O+, what do I do," before she even heard me. She couldn't even fathom that I would make such an offer for a complete stranger. My husband, children and friends are all super supportive and behind my donation 100%.

The next day, the process began. First, the application full of personal questions like medical history, legal history, mental history and body fat percentage.

Then, depending on your transplant center, there are a few days of testing. The first day, for me was the hardest. We left Dallas at 3am to be in Houston at 7. Nothing to eat or drink after midnight, and I was a little nervous so not much sleep that night anyway. 

After fighting Houston traffic, finding the hospital, and parking the car, the wonderful folks in the transplant center sent me to a vampire who promptly drew 25 or so vials of blood, ow what a sharp point, there. (And I thought the obstetrician's office was bad...) Then you get vitals checked and meet, one by one, the transplant team. The donor advocate, the psychiatrist, the transplant coordinator, the dietician, the nephrologist and the nurses. I tell you what, friends, I have never met nicer people in my life. I really love these guys. With the no food, no sleep, and anxiety, by the end of the day I had a serious puking migraine and nobody cared. They were all so very kind. 

Day one went well and all my tests were good. We found out that my kidney function is awesome, my cholesterol is good, and I am generally a pretty healthy person. Right before Day two we received the amazing news that my recipient and I are a perfect antigen match and that I can donate directly to him. On Day Two, we had a chest X-ray, EKG, and a GFR test where they inject radioactive dye into your blood and run a test to check your kidney function. (Can you say incredible hulk, well, not really but it WAS radioactive, hehehe.) Day three, well that was fun back to the obstetrician again, with the Glucose Tolerance test...ewwwwww. I now have medical documentation that says I am extra sweet. We also did a CT and met with the surgeons to decide which kidney they're going to use. 

With all the testing done, we know now that I will be donating my left kidney. We had a surgery date but it is put on hold, pending a visit to the infectious disease doctor. It seems that at some point in my life I have been exposed to TB. I may or may not have the bacteria in my system inactively (Latent TB, am not sick and cannot spread the bacteria), but we need to find out before we have the transplant. If I do have Latent TB, I will have to undergo up to three months of medication before we can continue and have the surgery.

My recipient and I are excited to proceed. I cannot wait to see him healthy and interacting with his children. I hope to have a positive update for you very soon!! If you pray, please pray that this test will go well and that we can continue in the next couple of weeks.

The point?  Well, with almost 200,000 people waiting for a kidney today, won't you consider sharing the gift of Life???