Kala is Testing

Today is Wednesday, November 01, 2006, and I just got an e-mail this morning from Kala, my next potential donor. Her testing was scheduled to begin yesterday, and she has a few results already.

Here is her e-mail to me, and I will explain anything strange at the end:

“I got the results from my GloFil test, I passed it with flying colors. And I asked about my creatanine (misspelled I'm sure) levels and was told they were completely normal. I am sure there is much lab tests that will take awhile to get the results. The consult with the kidney doctor (nephrologist) she said she found me an acceptable candidate. The transplant surgeon said the same thing. I would be a candidate for laparoscopy version of the surgery unless the MRI I have not had yet shows I have too many blood vessels and that is very rare. The psychologist must have liked our talk because he started talking to me about when I would want to do the procedure. So, unless something strange comes back from the labs or shows up on the MRI, everything looks good. They said since my last two things can't be done until 11-14, my results would be presented to the committee in the one meeting they will be doing in December. They did not tell me when in December. So, if everything is a go, and you have not already received a cadaver kidney, January is the month surgery could be done. Again, I must emphasis that not all results are in but everything that took place today went swimmingly well.”

Now, for some explaining …

The GloFil test is a test of kidney function. They have you get very VERY well hydrated, and then you are injected with a radioactive dye. The technician then measures how much of the dye is removed with your urine over the course of four hours. The amount removed is calculated with body weight and age and probably some magic numbers to determine what your kidney function is. It looks like Kala’s is pretty good (and that’s a good thing). Second, the level the that the test measures is spelled C-R-E-A-T-I-N-I-N-E (for all of you perfectionists out there).

If I remember correctly, they drew over 20 vials of blood when they were typing and matching me for all of the testing, so I know it will take a while to run all of the blood work.

That is good news from the doctors and the psychologist. I’m glad to hear that some crazy person didn’t’ volunteer to give the “gift of life.” So, we can all look forward to a week from Tuesday to see if the rest of the tests come out well. And, as you can see, they committee will meet in December and we will probably know by January if Kala is a go.

Of course, if they wait too long, I will have to get re-tested. They update all of the recipient’s labs every year, and I did mine in January of this year. So, I will be in the hospital in January for one reason or another. I certainly would prefer to be receiving a new kidney, but it’s all in God’s hands.

Please pray for Kala as she gets tested. Please pray for me that I will continue to be healthy. And please pray that God will let us know, clearly, who should be my donor.

Thanks for reading!