Hello Everyone,
Monday was a very long day for me. My daughter and I got to the hospital at around 5:45 a.m. I then had to wait to do my labs. After that I was admitted into the hospital and taken to my room. At around 8:45 the doctor came in and explained the procedure to me. They got the sonogram machine and located my kidney. At which time they marked my belly with a black marker. Because even though they have a sonar they do the biopsy blind. So I was kinda like what if you miss? Ya know?
They gave me two shots to numb the area they were going to insert the needle into then I had to let them know whenever I felt anything. The part I was really worried about was the actual slicing of the kidney. The last biopsy I had they numbed the area they were inserting the needle into but not my kidney. I actually felt them slice my kidney twice. Ouch! Luckily though this doctor believes in numbing the kidney also. So after they inserted the needle they gave my kidney a shot and it was numb. I was much more relaxed when I heard they were going to do that.
The procedure was faster than I thought. I had to lay on my right side for an hour and make sure that pressure was being applied to the area. After that hour I was to lay in bed for 6 hours. No getting on my feet at all. I was uncomfortable and when I found out that I would have to use a bed pan to use the bathroom, I was like no way! I hate using a bed pan!
So began my holding in my urine for all those hours. By the time my time was up I was ready to explode. I had to make sure that there was no blood in my urine also. They were talking about keeping me over night and I wasn't really ready for that. They hadn't mentioned it before so I wasn't prepared. Luckily they didn't have to. I got home around 7 p.m. Monday night. Now for the next two weeks I can not lift anything, I can't climb stairs, I can't walk too much. I am to take it easy as much as I can. Blah, blah, blah. During the next two weeks if I see any kind of blood than I am to go straight to the emergency room.
Sorry I didn't post yesterday I spent all day in bed. I just felt drained and I was relaxing. Larry stayed home which was a surprise. I was expecting him to leave Monday for work but instead he stayed Monday and Tuesday. More time with him was great. He also waited on me hand and foot. lol
The preliminary diagnoses is that the blood vessels to my kidney have become restricted. When we first seen my kidney on the sonar I had mentioned to the doctor that it looked small to me and he had confirmed that it did. So I guess that is the reason it looked small. Now these are the preliminary findings. They said they probably wouldn't get all the biopsy results back until Friday or even Monday. So for now that is all they know.
In the meantime they have changed my medicine. They have increased one of my medicines that is suppose to not only help the blood vessels but also protect my kidney. I go back on April 30th to find out the plan of action. So until then that is basically all I know.
I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers. I'll be sure to let you know if they call and anything else comes up.
Remember this post? Well April has made it to 35 weeks! Her prognosis still isn't good but I know God still performs miracles and will continue to pray for her and her family. Also, Stellan had surgery yesterday hopefully he is on his way to a full recovery. Let's keep him and his family in our prayers also.
Have a blessed day!
Hello Everyone,
So yesterday was another long day. I got to the transplant clinic lab at 8:30 sat and waited til they called me for my lab work. After that I went and sat and waited for them to call me for my appointment that was at 10:30. But I didn't get called back until 12:30. Finally at about 12:50 I seen the doctor. Now I didn't see the doctor that I seen here. Instead I seen the head over the whole department. I know him well.
So the good news is all of my lab work with the exception of one are great. I am not rejecting my kidney. But I do have too much protein in my urine. Now having a lot of protein in my urine is how they first knew that I had a kidney problem back in 1994. So I do have to have a biopsy on Monday. I have to be at the clinic at 6 a.m. for lab work, then the hospital at 7 a.m. for the biopsy. Then I have to stay there a few hours then home to rest. I also will have to go back at 7 a.m. Tuesday morning for lab work and then stay until 9:30 a.m. for my appointment. At that time they will have the results of my biopsy.
Now what do they hope to find out with this biopsy. Let's see I remember three things in particular. Number 1 - the protein in my urine may be caused by one of my medications. Ok good they have other medications that they can change me to. Number 2 - my kidney may have an infection, treatable and if too far gone they can "get as much life out of the kidney that they can". Number 3 - that the disease I had in my kidney's is now in my donor kidney.
So I was saying prayers and so were many of you and my family and friends that my numbers would be good and that I wasn't rejecting. You know what? That happened! Thanks to you all for the prayers and God for answering our prayers.
On the bright side I get two days off of work. lol
Now my prayer is going to be, and I am asking you all to join me, is that the biopsy shows the least worse thing that can be wrong with my kidney. Does that make sense?
So now today I am praising God for the good news that I got. He is so amazing and he continues to constantly bless me.
Have a blessed day!
Hello Everyone,
I am so sick and tired of being sick! I finally get to feel a little better then bam, something else comes along. My head cold is practically gone now but I am still coughing.
Yesterday I spent all day at the transplant clinic. It was just a routine visit. I got there at 8:30. Waited 45 minutes for the lab to call me back to do my lab work. Then I went to have breakfast in the cafeteria. Back to the transplant clinic by my appointment time which was 10:30. I was literally drifting off to sleep because I am waking up so much during the night coughing that I am TIRED!
So when I finally get back to see the doctor. My lab numbers are so bad it isn't even funny. I have protein in my urine too (not good). So I tell him look I've been sick and last time I got sick my numbers were real bad. So maybe it's because I am sick. He saids 'Well you are wheezing you need to quit smoking'. Hello? I do not smoke, I smoked when I was 13 for a week. That's it!
So I tell him, 'I don't smoke, I've been sick'. 'Ok we'll do a chest x-ray to make sure everything is ok. If we see anything, we'll call.' He didn't give me anything for my coughing and spitting up.
So then we address my kidney numbers. Creatine 1.6 (really bad). Diabetes number looks bad too. Then he saids:
Dr. - I want to do a kidney biopsy.
Me - No.
Dr. - What?
Me - You are not doing a kidney biopsy.
Dr. - Have you ever had a kidney biopsy?
Me - Yes.
Dr. - On your new kidney?
Me - No, and I'm not going to. I had one on my own kidney.
Dr. - Well we'll do some more blood work. But I think we are going to have to do a kidney biopsy.
Me - Why don't we just wait for the blood work to come back? Ok.
Dr. - Ok. I'm going to take you off of Rapamune and put you on Cellcept and Cyclosporine.
Me - No your not. They caused me liver damage the first time they put me on those.
Dr. - Yes but it wasn't that bad.
Me - Bad enough to put me on the liver transplant list.
Dr. - They put you on the liver transplant list?
Me - Yes. They told my family to prepare themselves, they put me on the list. They then did a liver biopsy and that is when they found out it was the Cellcept or Cyclosporine and took me off those medications. My liver returned to normal after that. You really need to read my file.
You know we have one of the best kidney clinics around. But they rotate doctors. I have had this particular doctor about three times now. I go in every 6 months. It just really bothers me that they want to do things and change things when they don't bother to take the time to read my file and find out what happened to me. I always tell a new doctor about what happened with my liver. I remember specifically telling this one. I understand that they see a lot of people but it is frustrating for me.
So now I am all stressed out that he thinks I may be rejecting my kidney. But did he do anything about it? No. He didn't increase any of my medications to prevent it. He didn't change anything. He ordered more blood work and told me to come back in two weeks to see how that blood work turns out. In the meantime I guess if I am rejecting I will just continue to reject and keep doing damage to my new kidney.
So I leave there to go back to the lab where I wait another 45 - 60 minutes for lab work. Then off to get my x-ray. That was the best part of the day, took me maybe 20 minutes. Off to the pharmacy I go to get my meds.
I only order medicine once a month but for the last three months when I have called in my medicine their automatic phone thingy hasn't been working. So when I first got to the clinic I called the pharmacy to fill my prescriptions. I have 9 in total. I tell them I am at the clinic today so I will be picking up before 12. She said it will be ready no problem.
So it is 1:00 p.m. as I head to the pharmacy. Glad that my day is done here and I can be on my way. I get to the pharmacy and as they are ringing me up they say they only have 4 prescriptions. So I tell them that is wrong it should be 9. They get the pharmacist who brings me the message pad from when I called. She tells me that she only filled 4 prescriptions because that is all that was on the message. When she shows me the message it has 9 prescriptions on there. She then tells me that at the time it was only 4 and someone came back and wrote the rest on there. So she begins to fill them. I wait. At 1:58 p.m. they call me up to the counter to get my meds.
I still have to go to work. I am irritable, worried, stressed, tired and mad.
I go back to my regular doctor on the 7th. He's been my doctor since 94 and I don't have to tell him or remind him of anything. In the meantime, say a little prayer that my numbers are good and that I am not rejecting. I will hate having to go back on dialysis and the waiting game.
Have a blessed day!
