When I arrived at the hospital yesterday morning Jim's heart had kicked itself back into a normal rhythm. The medicine he was on did the trick!! His heart rate was reading between 70 and 80. Dr. Stokes the cardiologist came in and said again all his labs looked good, could not find any cause for this. He said it may never happen again. He sent him home with a prescription for toprol (to keep his heart rate down) to take for the next couple months. If nothing further happens, he can stop taking it. He wanted him to stay the rest of the morning, walk around and see how things were then he could go home in the afternoon. By 1:00 I asked the nurse what time he could leave and she said they were waiting for the house doctor to come by to release him. Finally at 3:00 he came and we were out of there in no time.
So far Jim still not has had a cigarette. Again....I'm hoping this scared him enough to stop for good. Keep your fingers crossed.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Racing Heart
Yesterday Jim called me about 2:00 pm to come pick him up from work. He was outside of his work having a cup of coffee and smoking a cigarette (ugh) before his shift and got real light headed and dizzy. His co-workers said he turned really white and was in-coherent for about 5-6 minutes. On my way to pick him up, his work called and said they called 911 and was taking him to St. John's Hospital. I met them at the hospital. By then, Jim said he was feeling fine. When he arrived at the ER his heart rate was 180 (normal is 80-90). The ER docs diagnosed him with atrial fibrillation. They said it could be caused from stress, too much caffeine, nicotine, too much exercise (we all know that's not the case) or electrolyte imbalance or possibly an underlying cause from his kidneys.
All his lab work came back fine. A cardiologist (Dr. Stokes - I worked with his father for over 20 years at MOMEDICO....small world) and said sometime they never determine the cause. They have to watch that blood clots do not form so they will put him on a small dose of heparin. They started him on a drip of diltiazem in hopes of lowering his heart rate. It started dropping to between 130-140 while in the ER. If this doesn't work, they will attempt to "shock" him and get his heart rate regular. Since this is the first time this has happened, they're hoping the medication will do the trick.
His blood pressure had to be watched so it wouldn't go to low. If so, then they gave him fluids but had to be sure not too much fluids which could affect his kidneys. This brought back so many memories of Lorraine in the hospital. They could never get one thing regulated without causing problems elsewhere because of her kidney function and hypertension.
Finally around 6:30 they put him in a room. By the way, kudos to the ER staff at St. John's. Very well organized and nice docs and nurses. Jim's nurse, Ryan, was just super. He talked with us and always kept us up-to-date what was happening. He's in room 5072 in the heart section at St. John's. Of course, he was starving. Since he's on the heart floor, he has to have a heart healthy meal, so no cheeseburger or fries for him. I went to the cafeteria and got him a grilled chicken breast and a salad. No eating after midnight, just in case they have to do the "shock" procedure in the a.m.
I left him about 8:30 pm and at the time his heart rate was down to 99. I'm thinking that's a good sign. And oh yea....he said he's done smoking. Maybe this is the answer to my prayers.
My thoughts: I think the stress of the whole kidney transplant, stress from his work, caffeine and smoking could have been the cause of his racing heart. Jim tends to keep alot of things in which is probably not good. I definitely think this was a wake up call for him.
All his lab work came back fine. A cardiologist (Dr. Stokes - I worked with his father for over 20 years at MOMEDICO....small world) and said sometime they never determine the cause. They have to watch that blood clots do not form so they will put him on a small dose of heparin. They started him on a drip of diltiazem in hopes of lowering his heart rate. It started dropping to between 130-140 while in the ER. If this doesn't work, they will attempt to "shock" him and get his heart rate regular. Since this is the first time this has happened, they're hoping the medication will do the trick.
His blood pressure had to be watched so it wouldn't go to low. If so, then they gave him fluids but had to be sure not too much fluids which could affect his kidneys. This brought back so many memories of Lorraine in the hospital. They could never get one thing regulated without causing problems elsewhere because of her kidney function and hypertension.
Finally around 6:30 they put him in a room. By the way, kudos to the ER staff at St. John's. Very well organized and nice docs and nurses. Jim's nurse, Ryan, was just super. He talked with us and always kept us up-to-date what was happening. He's in room 5072 in the heart section at St. John's. Of course, he was starving. Since he's on the heart floor, he has to have a heart healthy meal, so no cheeseburger or fries for him. I went to the cafeteria and got him a grilled chicken breast and a salad. No eating after midnight, just in case they have to do the "shock" procedure in the a.m.
I left him about 8:30 pm and at the time his heart rate was down to 99. I'm thinking that's a good sign. And oh yea....he said he's done smoking. Maybe this is the answer to my prayers.
My thoughts: I think the stress of the whole kidney transplant, stress from his work, caffeine and smoking could have been the cause of his racing heart. Jim tends to keep alot of things in which is probably not good. I definitely think this was a wake up call for him.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Good Report and Good Heart
Today Jim had his 6 month appointment with his nephrologist. All the testing he did on August 23rd had good results. Healthy heart, good lungs. The only thing left to do is a stress test. His transplant coordinator said he could wait to do the stress test until the time for a transplant was closer. If he does it now, he may end up having to do another one as time gets closer. Has to be done within a year of the transplant.
His iron level is low. This is common with PKD. As his kidney function decreases, he is not producing the red blood cells needed which causes anemia (low iron). Since medication (iron pills) or food (liver!) won't help much or work fast enough, he may at some point go in for a 4-hour iron fusion.
Before we left, I mentioned to the doctor that Jim was still smoking. I figured Jim had to hear it from the doctor instead of me. He said he would not be able to go on the transplant list if he continues to smoke. Risks are, of course, much higher for smokers.
Jim also asked if he would still be put on the transplant list if he had a living donor. The doctor said that it is still good to go on the list just in case a better match (6 antigen match) became available. I am currently a 1 antigen match, so you can see that a 6 would be a much better match.
Jim has to go now every 4 months for blood work. This is how the keep track of the kidney function. He will continue to see his nephologist every 6 months. The doctor did say today that Jim is healthy enough to perhaps wait until his creatinine clearance level is at 5 (not at 15 which is typical) before he would have to have the transplant. This was encouraging as it gives him more time.
My thoughts. All in all good report. We'll continue to watch Jim's levels and hope they don't deteriorate as the doctor thinks. My goal now is to help him quit smoking. It will help him so much if he does....now if he only realizes that.
His iron level is low. This is common with PKD. As his kidney function decreases, he is not producing the red blood cells needed which causes anemia (low iron). Since medication (iron pills) or food (liver!) won't help much or work fast enough, he may at some point go in for a 4-hour iron fusion.
Before we left, I mentioned to the doctor that Jim was still smoking. I figured Jim had to hear it from the doctor instead of me. He said he would not be able to go on the transplant list if he continues to smoke. Risks are, of course, much higher for smokers.
Jim also asked if he would still be put on the transplant list if he had a living donor. The doctor said that it is still good to go on the list just in case a better match (6 antigen match) became available. I am currently a 1 antigen match, so you can see that a 6 would be a much better match.
Jim has to go now every 4 months for blood work. This is how the keep track of the kidney function. He will continue to see his nephologist every 6 months. The doctor did say today that Jim is healthy enough to perhaps wait until his creatinine clearance level is at 5 (not at 15 which is typical) before he would have to have the transplant. This was encouraging as it gives him more time.
My thoughts. All in all good report. We'll continue to watch Jim's levels and hope they don't deteriorate as the doctor thinks. My goal now is to help him quit smoking. It will help him so much if he does....now if he only realizes that.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
The More the Merrier
Susan Martin, Jim's transplant coordinator called last week with Lindsay's test results. She too is a match to be Jim's kidney donor. However, they would need to do more extensive blood work and testing before she could be the donor to see if she is a carrier of PKD. She said that typically if you do not show any signs of cysts on your kidneys by the age of 30, you most likely are not a carrier. Since Lindsay is only 25, she could still develop PKD showing signs within the next few years.
Having said that....I would prefer to be the donor since we know that I am a match. She also said if anyone else still wants to be tested to do so. "The more the merrier" were her exact words. Alot could happen within the next year, so having multiple donors already worked up is a good thing.
My thoughts. As a mom, I would prefer to have Lindsay keep all her body parts "in tact". I'm very proud of her for stepping up to want to help her dad. Hopefully I will be able to be the donor and Lindsay will be the one to take of the both of us!!!
Having said that....I would prefer to be the donor since we know that I am a match. She also said if anyone else still wants to be tested to do so. "The more the merrier" were her exact words. Alot could happen within the next year, so having multiple donors already worked up is a good thing.
My thoughts. As a mom, I would prefer to have Lindsay keep all her body parts "in tact". I'm very proud of her for stepping up to want to help her dad. Hopefully I will be able to be the donor and Lindsay will be the one to take of the both of us!!!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
A Perfect Match
Today I heard from Susan Martin, Jim’s transplant coordinator, that he and I are a perfect match (duh… I already knew that).
- Jim and I have the same blood type (O positive).
- Tissue typing - a process of identifying genetic markers (antigens) on white blood cells, we have 1 antigen that matches. She stated that years ago, it was necessary to have at least a 6 antigen match for a successful kidney transplant. Now with medication, this is no longer necessary, so 1 is good.
- Crossmatch - Your body makes substances called antibodies, which are produced by the immune system to attack foreign substances, such as bacteria and viruses. To ensure that you don't already have antibodies to the donor, a test called a crossmatch is done. If the crossmatch is negative, you don't have antibodies to the donor and you're eligible to receive this kidney. I have no preformed antibodies!!!
- My hepatitis test was negative. Testing is conducted for potentially transmissible diseases.
- My hemoglobin is good - higher than normal levels may be caused by heart disease.
Since I currently take 2 blood pressure medications, I need to talk to my primary physician about getting off of one. They typically want the donor to be on only 1 blood pressure medication. I will talk to her in December and see if I can start to wean myself off of one of them.
Lindsay's test results should be available next week. We'll see what her tests show. Since we know I'm a match, I would prefer to be the donor.
Lindsay's test results should be available next week. We'll see what her tests show. Since we know I'm a match, I would prefer to be the donor.
My thoughts: It’s a relief just to know that I may be able to help Jim. Again, it may be another year or two before he would be at end-stage renal disease…at least I know I can help him before he would have to go on dialysis.
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