Donor / Recipeint Testing Results.

Hi All,

Sorry for being such a Blog Slacker.   But Back to Regular Posting.  Results of the our Donor / Recipeint testing are  ”  IT’S A MATCH ! ! “.    They were Very Thorough with the DONORs Testing. The Transplant Team takes the attitude that 1) The Recipient – ME - needs the transplant, thats a given, But a Healthy Donor Does Not Need to be in surgery, So if we’re Putting a Healthy Person through Surgery We’re Checking every Damn Thing Very Closely and Investigating anything that is slightly our of the Normal.  In out Case the Donor has a Very ” Athletic ” heartbeat and Blood pressure, ie. fewer bpm than the average bear,  Yet he’s not a cardio King when it comes to fitness, just your typical Weekend Warrior with a reasonably Active Job.  So they’re checking that further. It’s not a big deal, but to be cautious they’re Looking Deeper.     If it was the Recipient they would just say he needs the surgery, its a Minor thing so Let’s  Git er Done.   So Now We Wait for a the 24 Heart Monitor test results that Donor is Doing Early June.  And Wait for a Surgery Date ! .  

Like the Chourus of the Tom Petty Song  so Elequintly puts it, :   

   ” The waiting is the hardest part,      Every day you see one more card,      You take it on faith, you take it to the heart,      The waiting is the hardest “

Pre Transplant Meetings – Step 2

 

The Transplant Nephrologist ( kidney doctor )

He reviewed the complete process, discussed when to do the transplant from a GFR ( level of kidney function ) angle and donor considerations. We discussed all possible problems that can occur both short and long term including drug side affects ( there was nothing that would make me say no ). That’s the way I/we like it, all the facts to plan and decide with.  Once again He was great to deal with, spoke at a level we understood and thouroughly answered all our questions.    Here’s the typical drill :

The Transplant process goes something like this, 

- Monday is the Surgery Day for both Recipient and Donor, 

- Donor is discharged that Thursday, Recipient Discharged that Friday.  The Donor recovery is much quicker than the recipientsdue to the Donors Surgery being much less invasive. 

- The Recipient ( ME ) will spend the next approximate 8 weeks with Renal Unit Checkups every Monday and Thursday morning. They’ll be tweaking meds to ensure no rejection issues arise and if they do ( which is not uncommon ( they catch it quickly and everything is peachy. Losing a Kidney to rejection IF you follow thier program is VERY Rare.  The first 2 weeks after surgery , no driving, but walking is not really a problem.

- When it looks like things are stable for a few visits they knock the visits back to once a week which I can do in Kelowna,  Until then I’ll be mostly near Vancouver.  I’m guessing I’ll do a couple Thurs afternoon – Sundaynite  trips back home  as its only a 4.5 hr drive, If its summer that this is done I here recovery on a Boat on Okanagan Lake is most benificial, for both Donor and Recipient.

- Time off work is typically 3 – 4 months. ( We’ll see )

 

Next Appointment was Lab Work re TISSUE TYPE TESTING for compatability, Both my Wife and I had our blood taken to be used to Tissue Match her as a possible donor as all her preliminary tests showed she is a strong candidate. At the same time another family member / potential donor 1700 km’s away,  had his blood drawn and had it Flown to Vancouver for Tissue Typing testing this week.

It will be a week of waiting to get the preliminary results back on the tissue typing,  then hopefully pic a date !

AL is a Record Holder !

Well I went for my monthly bloodwork and as well more Pre-Transplant RECIPIENT Bloodwork.  Combined they took 13 Vials of Blood, a Record for the Lab Tech drawing the blood.  I didn’t get to stand on a podium or get my picture taken, but i Still feel like a Winner and will alway remember this day .  ! !     THIS IS NOT A TYPICAL DONOR SAMPLE, SO NOT TO WORRY PEOPLES.