Looking for An Update?

Tomorrow is the surgery! We had a great afternoon, having the donor and family over for lunch. Now we're in the midst of packing and getting ready for tomorrow. Bedtime will probably be around 8pm, with a sleeping pill to help me get started.

If you would like to have an update during the next few days, here is the best way (that I know of now) to get one. I will be changing my voicemail greeting message to include updates! This is because I won't always be able to answer the phone or even return calls. This way, you can get an update even when you can't get a hold of us. And you don't have to worry if you're bothering us or if you're calling at a good time. I think this will be a win win situation.

If you don't have my number, please feel free email me (I will respond maybe in the evenings) or send me a private message here.

Thanks again for all the prayers and support! We are truly blessed.

Facts About the Surgery

1. The surgery will be on Monday the 24th at 8:15am. It will last about 2 hours. The donor will be in surgery before then.
2. We will arrive at the hospital at 5:30am (getting up around 3:30am!) for surgery prep. I don't know if you can see Doug after 5:30am.
   
3. After the surgery, Doug will be in ICU. He will only occasionally be allowed a couple of visitors, and that will be for 10 minutes at a time. I am planning on doing some reading, knitting, listening to my MP3 player, praying - all things that help me to relax! I don't know how long I will be around after the surgery.
   
4. On Tuesday sometime, he will be moved to a different area, where they specialize in caring for kidney transplant patients. He can then have visitors.
   
5. For visiting - the best time to come would be later on Tuesday or Weds-Thurs. Please do not come if you are sick or may be carrying something.
   
6. Doug will be out of the hospital sometime Friday if all goes well!
7. We will be going back to Abbot 3x a week for check ups for awhile.
   
8. Doug will be starting with 40 pills a day and stepping down as things improve.
9. We will need to avoid large crowds for a little while, and sick people as some of the meds decrease his immunity.
10. We both appreciate you all! All the prayers and support. Thank you!

We have a Donor!

A little while ago, we got "the call" from our contact at Abbot. We have a live kidney donor! Although they didn't tell us his name, we were pretty sure we knew who it was. After a phone call to confirm, we had a name, too. He said that he had gone for lots of tests and even went to committee twice before they finally agreed.

The surgery will be near the end of August. Doug will go in on a Monday and will stay for about a week. The donor will be in for a few days as well. After that, Doug will be taking about 40 meds per day and going back to the hospital 3x's a week for check-ups. The surgery is just the start of a new way of life.

We are very excited and happy to have a donor at last. the surgery will be about 6 months from when this all began. God has been so good!

Here are some prayer requests as we go forward:

• For Doug and the donor to stay healthy
  
• For the final blood matching test to go well
• For a successful transplant surgery and safe recovery for both
• That there will not be any rejection of the kidney, and that it will last for years
• For all the things Doug and I need to do beforehand, and afterward. For my stress level!

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support.

Fistula

Doug had the surgery to have a fistula made in his arm. It seems to be going well, he has to exercise his arm 5 times a day in order to pump up the artery. All the bandages are off now and the wound site is healing nicely.

What is a fistula, anyway?

It is an access made to make dialysis easier. A fistula is cleaner and helps dialysis to go faster. It is created by connecting an artery to a vein, basically making a sort of U-turn in the arm.

Here is an image taken from this site. Check out the link to find more info on fistulas.


The fistula is making a wooshing sound and if you touch the right spot, it feels like a buzzing under the skin. There is also a bump that is expanding along the arty/vein. Ask Doug to show it to you the next time you see him! Just don't grab or pull on his wrist, it could collapse the fistula.

He should have use of this in about a month. In the meantime, they are still using his original neck catheter. One of the nurses told him that usually those are changed out in 3 months. We are blessed to not have had to have his changed yet! Thanks for all your prayers and encouragement. We are thankful for all of you.

The Waiting Continues

Yellowstone, Undine Falls

We have had 3 more people express interest in donating. Two will probably not call, but the third one did. Unfortunately, her family has a history of diabetes so she would not qualify. But she can give blood if needed.

There are still 2 people in process, and we have heard from one of them. He said that he has gone down to Abbott several times and is going to have a CAT scan next. This is wonderful news - as we were told in a transplant meeting that the CAT scan was one of the last tests to be done because of the expense.

I hope that the rest of his tests go well and that he will be a good match. Until then, we are keeping the donors' names confidential, just in case.

Doug's health has improved greatly since even 2 months ago. He has more energy and looks healthier.

Please pray for his continued health and that there complications with dialysis. Also, that we could get news of a donor before he goes in for a fistula surgery. Please pray for the donors too as they go through the testing process.

Thank you!

The Donor Process

We had 4 donors who we know of that have contacted the transplant coordinator. There were other people who wanted to donate, but because of age, we told them they didn't qualify. A couple were beyond the donating age, but a handful were teens - youth that Doug has worked with at church. We are surrounded by so many people who want to help!

1 donor - the blood relative was turned down because of health issues.
1 donor - a co-worker was told that he'd be a "last resort" because of age and health.
1 donor - we recently heard was being sent information - yay!
1 donor - we are unsure about.

It's up to the donor to contact us on the process at this point. We don't know anything about their call to the transplant coordinator, everything is kept confidential. In fact, it's possible that there may be a donor in process that we don't know about, but very unlikely.

We're hoping that one of the two donors still in process will work, they both have blood types that are compatible. If all goes well, Doug could have a new kidney by fall.

Please pray that we'd know about a good match soon - within the next 3 weeks. Otherwise Doug will have a fistula put in his arm. He has an appointment for tomorrow morning for vein mapping.

You can find information about it here: fistula access. This is permanent and cannot be undone, but can help the dialysis process to go smoother. However - if we know that we have a likely kidney donor within the next 3 weeks, we can nix the operation and continue with the neck catheter.

Thank you for your encouragement and prayers!

On the List

When we were last at Abbot, the transplant coordinator said that Doug was on a fast track to being on the transplant list. She said it was record time and that he should be on the deceased donor list as of last Friday. We haven't gotten the confirmation information yet, but should get that soon.

We are still hoping for a live donor, though. The waiting list for a deceased donor is about 5 years, although there are stories of it happening sooner. So far, we have had 4 people come forward to offer a kidney; a co-worker, a family member and two people from church. I think that all of them may be compatible for blood type. If one of these people are a good match, he could possibly get a transplant this year.

Thanks for your continued prayers!