No, I'm not entering a spelling bee contest (I'd loose miserably!), I'm getting the paperwork in to be my son's donor. Unfortunately grandma's glucose levels were just too high...even with the cheating. Yes, we were trying to cheat. :P It just wasn't meant to be. But honestly, all along since we were told Matthew would need a transplant to save his life back when he was three days old...I knew somewhere deep inside that it would be me. Hoped it would be me. I really want to help my boy out!
Now that the time has come for me to start the tests and procedures, I'm both anxious and excited. I can't wait to get things started! I've been waiting for 14 months after all! I don't fear pain, needles, stitches, procedures or tests. I just want my baby to feel good for the first time ever!
Yet with all of this bouncing on the couch (think Tom Cruise) over here...I think I am remaining guarded and cautious now. My mother is in perfect health, yet she's been passed over. My own health...eh... I have migraines, IBS, severe PMS and arthritis in my wrists. I've had kidney stones in my past and monster of a kidney infection before. I'm nervous my kidneys aren't good enough. Well, one is...but I'm scared the one that would be left in me isn't. I'm not afraid of kidney failure or dialysis for myself. It wouldn't be fun, but if a baby can do it...come on right! ;) Though babies are exceedingly less whiny than adults; I've seen this first hand! My biggest fear is to go through everything, only to show up at an ultrasound to see I have a surprise in my kidney - a stone. Now I haven't had one in 9 years! I've become more aware of my diet and my water intake. But my dad has had about 26 kidney stones total, my brother is on...number 5 o 6? My dad's grandmother died due to complications of not passing a stone. Odds aren't in my favor...
But it doesn't matter. I'm going to try. I'm going to do everything I can to help my baby feel better for the first time. My donor packet is on it's way today to Emory. I am praying for a speedy process. Luckily if I am the donor, they will fit surgery to my wishes...my wishes are for this to have been over with yesterday! So, it is full steam ahead...you up for a ride with me? Hang on...it might get bumpy!
9 comments:
Hey Karen! Don't stress "too" much about the kidney stone thing. Just wanted to let you in on my experience---I found out during my testing procedures to donate for Tyler, that I had a kidney stone in 1 of my kidneys. I had NO idea I even had it. They talked it over & said that they were not going to leave me with the kidney that had the stone, but that they'd give that one to Tyler. Sounds crazy I thought, leave me the bad one!!! They explained that before they would put my kidney in him, they would flush the stone out. My next question, of course, was-what if it comes back once he has my kidney? They said a lot of times, it is the "environment" (meaning body) that the kidney is in that can produce stones. Basically the way I took this was, it was probably all the not-so-healthy eating I tend to do!! Of course everybody's different, but just wanted to let you know it wasn't a "deal-breaker" for me donating :) Love Stacy
I hope that your donor testing goes smoothly and there are no unpleasant surprises!!!
They will be SUPER critical about your health and the health of your kidney before removing one, but sounds like you've been doing all you can do to keep yours happy!
I'm emailing you Stacy!
Karen,
Sorry to hear about Grandma. Very sorry. I know it's a blow.
And I hate to tell you this (really I do, but I think you are the type of person that wants to know more if you can) - and this DOES NOT mean this will be the case for you, but for me, my kidney stones ruled me out. But I had a report from my urologist with pathology on my kind of stones and I am a "multiple reformer" of kidney stones. So I'm under the impression it depends on what kind - if you had any pathology from 9 years ago, start working on that now. But then again, since it's been so many years, it may not even matter. Mine were well within 2 years.
i will keep my fingers crossed and pray for the best results.
i guess you are my blog twin...lol...nice to meet you:)
saying prayers for you lil man! hey seriously, honestly, where can i get one of those packets. for real can i see if i can be a donor? i have never had any stones. e-mail me. praying for all of ya'll. sorry grandma wasn't the one. i know you are so disappointed. keeping everything crossed that you are a match.
Thanks for visiting my blog! Blog frog is a great thing! Colby isn't in kidney failure anymore thankfully. He developed hemolytic uremic syndrome secondary to e.coli posioning we all got from a mountain stream. random one in a million chance kind of a thing. He did CRT for a month after he had his stroke due to the kidney failure. They were not agressive in doing the dialysis to begin with and didn't start continous until after his MRI showing he was having a stroke. Craziness but that's our life. He still has leaky kidneys which they don't like considering he's two years post HUS. He's on atenolol and Losartaan potassium for the blood pressure and then he's on clonidine to sleep. When we were last in the hospital 4 months ago his BP was 175/112. I said "Please get a kidney doc in here now!" They didn't believe me that his BP's had been high at home since they were always normal in the office. With the atenolol he was running 130/101 pretty consistent and then when they added the losartan it went down to 101/80's I like that much much better. I hope you make it through the transplant process. Hopefully it's something we won't have to go through but it will totally depend on how well we control his kidney function over the rest of his life. Kids are troopers though and I would change it for him if I could but I've learned and grown so much from all that we've been through. Your family will be in our prayers as well. Good luck!
I am praying hard that it works out for you to be able to be the donor! I'm so sorry that your mom was ruled out. But, everything happens for a reason.
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