My Turn

Today was my turn for testing.  It went fairly quick. I had 9 vials of blood drawn, a chest x-ray, urine test and an EKG done. Once everything comes back ok (as I’m sure it will)…..we can proceed to the next step.  A CT angiogram of my kidneys.

Let’s keep this moving…..

Sometimes it doesn't pay to get out of bed....

That’s what Jim said today when he called me at 9:30 am from the Emergency Room. My initial vision was of him with the new “fistula” in his arm rupturing. Thank goodness, but……

I can usually tell from the tone of his voice if something is wrong and I felt that tone. Today was his first day back to work since the surgery he had in his left arm. While he usually works the night shift, today he was on the day shift working with someone unfamiliar to him. While Jim had his right hand in the press adjusting springs, the guy decided to turn on the press. Not a good idea.

While he still has all his fingers intact…..it completely peeled off the skin  from the tip of his middle finger. While he probably will have to have skin grafts on his finger, he said he was feeling ok. He was able to drive home. So for now he has limited use of both his upper extremities.  I think I’m going to have to buy him shoes that velcro.

Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings…..

Ready for Dialysis??

We hope not. But just in case, Jim is now equipped with a fistula in his left arm should the need for dialysis occur. While it will take about 3-4 months before it heals and could be used for hemodialysis, if it never gets used, thats fine. It's not hurting anything. That's what we're hoping for.

We arrived at Barnes at 7:00 am this morning for the procedure. They took him to the OR around 8:30 am. The procedure lasted around 1 hour. While Jim wanted general anesthesia, the anesthesiologist opted for a local anesthetic. They assured Jim that if he was feeling pain, they would keep him sedated enough to control the pain. He said he was able to hear while the procedure was going on, but also was able to sleep some. The recovery time with a local anesthetic is much quicker and we were out of the hospital by noon. He has a 5" scar on the inner part of his arm. While it is open (no bandage covering it) and is somewhat bruised, it doesn't look bad at all. I knew he was feeling ok when in the typical Jim fashion he said he was hungry and wanted a cheeseburger!!

He is home resting now and recovery should be quick. The only long-term effects he will have with a fistula in his arm is that he can never have an IV or his blood pressure taken in that arm. It could cause the fistula to clot. For the next few days he has to take the stethoscope he was given (god only knows how much that cost us) and check the "heart beat" of the vein to make sure it is getting blood flow. If he feels tingling or coldness in his arm/fingers, he is to call the doctor immediately. This means he is not getting blood flow through the vein. He was also sent home with plenty of paid meds (his favorite) which always helps.

My Thoughts.....All in all everything went very well today. While this is the next step in Jim's Journey, we are still hoping for a successful transplant in the future. Fingers (and fistulas) crossed.

Back on Track

I have been working really, really hard for the past 9 months on getting my blood pressure under control. At my doctor’s visit on Monday, I was getting good readings. Dr. Roth has been increasing the dosage of my blood pressure medication gradually and I am officially on just 1 medication. This is one of the requirements in order to be a kidney donor.

I also started Weight Watchers about 5 weeks ago and have lost 6 lbs (hopefully more….weigh-in is tomorrow!) and she thinks that may have also helped. I’m continuing to go to the meetings and hopefully will continue to lose weight.

I contacted Jean, the transplant coordinator at Barnes, this week and after discussing with the transplant team, I am officially reactivated as a potential living donor.  I can now proceed with the rest of the testing. I have an appointment on Wednesday, February 22^nd to go to Barnes for additional blood work, screenings and x-rays. Once that is complete, the next step is a CT angiogram of my kidneys where they run dye through my veins to make sure my kidneys are properly functioning.

While this seems to have been a long detour….hopefully we are back on track.