Hi everyone,
It's been about a week since I have blogged, so I apologize for not keeping everyone updated. I am recovering well from the gall bladder surgery. The holes in my belly are healing pretty well, though the one closest to my belly button did bleed a little bit in my sleep last night. It doesn't look like it is having any problems. I think the stuff that they used to close the incisions is probably just starting to wear off, and the incisions are healing fairly well on their own. I haven't had any residual pain from the surgery, so that's been good. I'm eating fairly well, though I have had a bit of upset stomach the last few days. The doctor said that would be normal as I heal from abdominal surgery.
I have some unfortunate news on the transplant front. My dad called last night to tell me that he had been contacted by the transplant coordinator. She told him that they would not be able to use his kidney for my transplant. I think it is mainly age related, though if you want the full story, I can tell you one-on-one.
This means that I will now have to have a second person get tested. I've got a fairly extensive list of people that have volunteered to be tested. All I have to do now is to contact someone on the list and see if they are still willing to go through with the testing. Then, I'll talk to the transplant coordinator and let her know who to go after next.
So, it has been a fairly busy week. I recovered from surgery on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. I went back to work on Tuesday, and everything went well. I had my follow-up appointment with the surgeon, and he said that everything looked fine. At dialysis, they moved from using 17-gauge needles to using 16-gauge. They prefer to use the larger, 15-gauge needles. I imagine that they will start using those on Tuesday. The larger needles mean that they can run the machine at a faster filtering rate, and that I get a more effective treatment (better clearance).
The techs at dialysis have been having an interesting time with my fistula. I never have the same person more than two treatments in a row, so that makes it a little difficult to get a consistent stick. I've got three or four different areas on the fistula that have been used, so far. Sometimes, the needles end up very close together, and sometimes they are a little farther apart. I think it is easier for the technician to place the needles farther apart, and I probably get a better treatment that way, too. Hopefully, now that I am starting to get repeats on the tech that sticks me, I will get more consistent treatments.
I have a few prayer requests for the week. Please pray for my next possible kidney donor. Pray that God will help me choose the person that He has planned for my kidney donation. Pray that the testing will go easily and that we will find out who is the right donor. Also please pray for my continued recovery from the gall bladder surgery. Pray that the incisions will finish healing and that my stomach will settle down (so that I can enjoy eating again).
Thanks for coming by to read!
2 comments:
Hey there Nathan -
Glad to hear you're on the mend, I pray that you will continue to feel better, and that your G.I. issues will cease.
On the transplant front I'm sorry to hear that things aren't going great.
With my first transplant I was able to use the "first" kidney offered. This time around, I've experienced the let down of having someone begin testing only to find they won't be a suitable match. It's difficult to deal with.
I don't know if it's a help, but I'll share with you how I decided to deal with this issue:
I figure that God has all of this in control - not me. In fact, I may be used as a dialysis patient where my interactions are with other patients. Essentially I have decided to make the most of my dialysis time, and take the transplant whenever it comes. I am joyous for each person who gets one before me.
Because of this I've essentially disconnected from the living-donor process. If someone offers (I'll never ask) I simply give them the information and encourage them to move at their own pace. This way if you have 5 willing donors, they can each contact your transplant coordinator on their own, and begin testing at their own pace. Hopefully someone works, but if they don't you're out of the loop, and not let down by it.
Also, there's no reason not to have every possible donor testing (if they're serious). I don't know if your transplant program has told you that only one can test at a time, but typically things move a lot quicker if you just have everyone who is interested contact the coordinator on their own.
Anyway, I hope that is helpful. I know what you're going through (minus the gall bladder), and I understand the difficult issues associated with being young, newlywed, and chronically ill.
This is your life - I'm sorry it's difficult right now, but you and I both know it is for the greater good.
Keep your head up and keep us up to date! :)
Froschbrueder Zwei!
Last week, I learned that I may be working on-site at a pair of Nephrology and Dialysis practices. This week, I find that mein deustch freund is a dialysis patient. At least your spirits seem to be up! I'll be thinking about you and hope to see you in July.
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