Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Winner Winner!
Remodelaholic rocks. I mean I know I've mentioned this before, but it's really true. Check it out! I won Scentsy goodies!! :) It's the first time I've ever won anything so I'm feeling pretty durn lucky. What a good day.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Gotta go gotta go gotta go right now...
This morning was the kidney CT. I've never had a CAT scan before so the lady was super sweet and explained in detail what I can expect as she was doing it. For the benefit of anyone else who's never had one, here was my experience.
1. Get a voicemail from Intermountain registration yesterday asking to call them back. Call back and give them every piece of contact info they can think to ask for. Get asked for insurance. Tell the guy, no you don't need it, I'm donating a kidney. Listen to the guy say, well they're going to ask you for it again tomorrow. Roll eyes.
2. Go into Intermountain radiology. Type my name in the computer & scan my express pass. (This supposedly makes the process faster. I've yet to figure out how.) Get a little buzzer guy and go sit down. Buzzer goes off so go over to the desk. Give them all of the exact same info you did on the phone, except not asked for insurance. Thank heavens. That would have been annoying.
3. Sit in another waiting room. (I'm making the waiting part sound worse than it was. My appointment was early enough that the waits weren't too long. When I left, though, both waiting rooms were packed!)
4. Called back and given scrub bottoms and a gown that are somewhere around the size XXXXL. Apparently the circus tent company was the lowest bidder for those puppies. Take off the majority of my clothing and put it in a little locker. Then sit in another waiting room...feeling naked....because the clothes are so big they don't even touch my skin. Envision trying to make adult scrubs fit a 4 year old and you've pretty much got the right proportions.
5. Called back to the CAT scan machine. Cute Patsy (the tech) gave me a heated blanket before I could even tell her I was cold. She rocked. Then I laid down on the bed of the machine while she put an IV in my arm. That was the best IV experience I think I've ever had (out of my whole 2 IV experiences). It hurt less than getting my blood drawn has. Again, she rocked. She put a little saline through which made my mouth and nose taste like snot. She said it would taste salty but it reminded me more of mucous. lol Then I put my arms above my head while they took some pictures without contrast. Next she pumped through the contrast and told me it would feel really warm and that I would feel like I was peeing, but to worry because I'm not. I'm so glad she warned me about that because it felt exactly like that. Soooo bizarre. And then my whole body was feeling flushed and hot. I got dizzy and almost felt like I would black out, but of course I didn't. I could mainly feel the heat in my hands (pretty much on the palm below my fingers) and in my feet. It was the oddest sensation. Then they took a bunch more pictures. By taking pictures, I mean I went multiple times through the Stargate. The giant ring has something inside that starts spinning uber fast and I half expected my feet to feel the sands of another planet.
After that it was all over and back to life. I have to drink extra water to flush out the dye, though. She made a comment that made me wonder. My wondering led to marveling at modern medicine. I have the results already people. She said they'd have them to the doctor by Friday but that I could see them any time. That reminded me you can see results online. I looked it up thinking for sure nothing would be there yet. Not so! For your viewing pleasure, here are my results. I'd like to point out how entertained I am by the fact that they noted my scoliosis. How nice would it have been to get this done earlier in the year before I paid for an xray to find out?
Dictated By CONNER, KAREN E.
Status Final
Location Intermountain Medical Center
Date 09/22/2010
CT angiogram of the abdomen, without and with IV contrast
Date: 9/22/2010
Comparison: No comparison
History: Pre Renal transplant donor. Evaluate kidneys. Patient
is a 27-year-old female.
Procedure: Noncontrast helical scanning was performed through the
kidneys. Following uneventful administration of 100 mL Isovue-370
intravenous contrast, helical scanning was performed through the
abdomen during arterial phase of enhancement with thin
reconstruction through the aorta and renal arteries. Following
this, repeat helical scanning was performed through the abdomen
during portal venous phase. Delayed images are obtained through
the kidneys. Image postprocessing was utilized to create sagittal
and coronal MIPs of the aorta and renal arteries. Additional
volume rendered images were created of the abdominal aorta, renal
arteries, and kidneys.
Findings:
Noncontrast: There is rotatory levoscoliosis of the
thoracolumbar spine. No significant degenerative changes seen. No
calcifications are seen within either kidney. The kidneys
demonstrate normal cortical and medullary density. No
hydronephrosis is seen. Lung bases demonstrate asymmetry of the
thoracic cavity secondary to the scoliosis but no other
significant abnormality.
Contrast-enhanced: Arterial phase imaging demonstrates a single
bilateral renal artery. There is no renal artery stenosis or
significant narrowing. Venous phase imaging demonstrates a normal
left renal vein.The kidneys enhance a normally. Delayed images demonstrate normal
and symmetric excretion of contrast. Visualized proximal ureters
are unremarkable.
The liver, spleen, pancreas, gallbladder, and adrenal glands are
unremarkable. Visualized loops of bowel are within normal limits.
An appendix is partially visualized anterior to the right psoas
muscle. No lymphadenopathy is seen. Other vascular structures are
unremarkable. There is standard hepatic arterial branching
anatomy. Two small splenules are incidentally noted inferior to
the splenic tip. No free fluid is seen. Osseous structures are
otherwise unremarkable.
Impression:
1. Normal appearing bilateral kidneys with a single renal artery
to each kidney identified.
2. Rotatory levoscoliosis to the thoracic spine but otherwise
unremarkable CT of the abdomen.
What's a splenule you might ask? I asked that myself! So I looked it up:
Accessory spleens, also known as splenules, are congenital foci of splenic tissue that are anatomically distinct from the spleen. Embryologically, they represent failure of fusion of the splenic anlage, located in the dorsal mesogastrium, during the fifth week of fetal life. Splenules are not uncommon, 10-30% of autopsies, but are typically asymptomatic.
1. Get a voicemail from Intermountain registration yesterday asking to call them back. Call back and give them every piece of contact info they can think to ask for. Get asked for insurance. Tell the guy, no you don't need it, I'm donating a kidney. Listen to the guy say, well they're going to ask you for it again tomorrow. Roll eyes.
2. Go into Intermountain radiology. Type my name in the computer & scan my express pass. (This supposedly makes the process faster. I've yet to figure out how.) Get a little buzzer guy and go sit down. Buzzer goes off so go over to the desk. Give them all of the exact same info you did on the phone, except not asked for insurance. Thank heavens. That would have been annoying.
3. Sit in another waiting room. (I'm making the waiting part sound worse than it was. My appointment was early enough that the waits weren't too long. When I left, though, both waiting rooms were packed!)
4. Called back and given scrub bottoms and a gown that are somewhere around the size XXXXL. Apparently the circus tent company was the lowest bidder for those puppies. Take off the majority of my clothing and put it in a little locker. Then sit in another waiting room...feeling naked....because the clothes are so big they don't even touch my skin. Envision trying to make adult scrubs fit a 4 year old and you've pretty much got the right proportions.
5. Called back to the CAT scan machine. Cute Patsy (the tech) gave me a heated blanket before I could even tell her I was cold. She rocked. Then I laid down on the bed of the machine while she put an IV in my arm. That was the best IV experience I think I've ever had (out of my whole 2 IV experiences). It hurt less than getting my blood drawn has. Again, she rocked. She put a little saline through which made my mouth and nose taste like snot. She said it would taste salty but it reminded me more of mucous. lol Then I put my arms above my head while they took some pictures without contrast. Next she pumped through the contrast and told me it would feel really warm and that I would feel like I was peeing, but to worry because I'm not. I'm so glad she warned me about that because it felt exactly like that. Soooo bizarre. And then my whole body was feeling flushed and hot. I got dizzy and almost felt like I would black out, but of course I didn't. I could mainly feel the heat in my hands (pretty much on the palm below my fingers) and in my feet. It was the oddest sensation. Then they took a bunch more pictures. By taking pictures, I mean I went multiple times through the Stargate. The giant ring has something inside that starts spinning uber fast and I half expected my feet to feel the sands of another planet.
After that it was all over and back to life. I have to drink extra water to flush out the dye, though. She made a comment that made me wonder. My wondering led to marveling at modern medicine. I have the results already people. She said they'd have them to the doctor by Friday but that I could see them any time. That reminded me you can see results online. I looked it up thinking for sure nothing would be there yet. Not so! For your viewing pleasure, here are my results. I'd like to point out how entertained I am by the fact that they noted my scoliosis. How nice would it have been to get this done earlier in the year before I paid for an xray to find out?
Dictated By CONNER, KAREN E.
Status Final
Location Intermountain Medical Center
Date 09/22/2010
CT angiogram of the abdomen, without and with IV contrast
Date: 9/22/2010
Comparison: No comparison
History: Pre Renal transplant donor. Evaluate kidneys. Patient
is a 27-year-old female.
Procedure: Noncontrast helical scanning was performed through the
kidneys. Following uneventful administration of 100 mL Isovue-370
intravenous contrast, helical scanning was performed through the
abdomen during arterial phase of enhancement with thin
reconstruction through the aorta and renal arteries. Following
this, repeat helical scanning was performed through the abdomen
during portal venous phase. Delayed images are obtained through
the kidneys. Image postprocessing was utilized to create sagittal
and coronal MIPs of the aorta and renal arteries. Additional
volume rendered images were created of the abdominal aorta, renal
arteries, and kidneys.
Findings:
Noncontrast: There is rotatory levoscoliosis of the
thoracolumbar spine. No significant degenerative changes seen. No
calcifications are seen within either kidney. The kidneys
demonstrate normal cortical and medullary density. No
hydronephrosis is seen. Lung bases demonstrate asymmetry of the
thoracic cavity secondary to the scoliosis but no other
significant abnormality.
Contrast-enhanced: Arterial phase imaging demonstrates a single
bilateral renal artery. There is no renal artery stenosis or
significant narrowing. Venous phase imaging demonstrates a normal
left renal vein.The kidneys enhance a normally. Delayed images demonstrate normal
and symmetric excretion of contrast. Visualized proximal ureters
are unremarkable.
The liver, spleen, pancreas, gallbladder, and adrenal glands are
unremarkable. Visualized loops of bowel are within normal limits.
An appendix is partially visualized anterior to the right psoas
muscle. No lymphadenopathy is seen. Other vascular structures are
unremarkable. There is standard hepatic arterial branching
anatomy. Two small splenules are incidentally noted inferior to
the splenic tip. No free fluid is seen. Osseous structures are
otherwise unremarkable.
Impression:
1. Normal appearing bilateral kidneys with a single renal artery
to each kidney identified.
2. Rotatory levoscoliosis to the thoracic spine but otherwise
unremarkable CT of the abdomen.
What's a splenule you might ask? I asked that myself! So I looked it up:
Accessory spleens, also known as splenules, are congenital foci of splenic tissue that are anatomically distinct from the spleen. Embryologically, they represent failure of fusion of the splenic anlage, located in the dorsal mesogastrium, during the fifth week of fetal life. Splenules are not uncommon, 10-30% of autopsies, but are typically asymptomatic.
Monday, September 20, 2010
So Close, Yet So Far Away
Holy cow things are moving right along in kidney land. It's amazing how in between all the tests I feel like so much time has passed, but looking back I realize it's actually gone pretty quick. At this point I'm rarin' to get er done! I just talked to the coordinator assistant and basically I have one more test and a surgical consult. I am scheduled for a kidney CT (CAT scan of my kidney) on Wednesday morning. Which works out well because you can't eat or drink anything, but clear liquids for 2 hours before. This way I can pretty much wake up, head over there and then go to work. Easy peasy. Then on Thursday morning I have the surgical consult. From what I understand, he'll review my CT results and decide if I'm good to go. I asked what will happen after that and she said that every Wednesday is when the board meets. Cathy, the coordinator, would present my case officially to them next week and they would review all my tests. Once they give the OK, which I should know later next week, I'd be ready to schedule surgery. Of course that is if my dad is ready too. Last I checked with him he wasn't sure what more he would have to do before being ready so I asked if they could call him with an update and they said sure. Crazy times!! But the good kind of crazy. In fact I feel like I'm crazy for being so excited about it. Of course I'm still incredibly nervous, but I am excited at the same time. I'm thinking about this time last year and how different my concerns were. So much changes so quickly and reminds you what's really important in life.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Wouldntcha Knowit?
I realize this is a bit of a delayed update to my last post, but it's too late to worry about it now. So get over it! lol
So I showed up to the clinic not fully sure what to expect. They'd told me I would be talking to everyone (and their mom) as well as doing a few tests. So of course I drank a bunch of water. I didn't want to be unprepared this time. Of course, I was overprepared. I didn't need to do a pee test and sat there half the time needing to pee. However, they did get through things fairly quickly. I learned a lot talking to all of these people.
First up was the nurse coordinator. Cathy is really nice, and really busy. I've talked to her a few times on the phone but each time I came by to chat she was in the clinic or something and someone else helped me. I finally got a chance to meet her. She went over the consent forms with me page by page explaining a lot of ins and outs of the surgery. She explained how the procedure would be done. It's called a hand assisted donation or something like that. Basically there is an incision a couple of inches long and 4 probe incisions where the little cutter, camera, etc. enter. It's a good thing those are so tiny because I think tiny things are cute. And if all that junk is going in my body, it doesn't hurt to have it be cute. After the probe instruments do their thang, the doctor sticks his hand in the bigger incision and assists the kidney out of the body. Weird. The only thing I can picture when thinking about this is in Spaceballs where the alien comes out of the guy and starts dancing across the counter. Can you picture a kidney with a straw hat and a cane singing "Hello my baby, Hello my darling, Hello my ragtime gaaaaal"? Better believe I can. And call me sick, but I get a kick out of it. She also described how I'd be intubated and have a catheter, but they stick all those things in while I'm out. Terrific! I'm sure glad she gave me copies of all the papers because there was a lot to process and I just can't remember it all off the top of my head.
After that I talk to the social worker. She basically gave me a psych evaluation. She reiterated that I can change my mind at any time up until I'm out. She asked a lot of questions that really made me think too. Where will I be staying after? At first I thought, duh, my apartment. Then I realized what a pain it would be for someone to have to come stay up there with me. So I realized a better idea would be to stay at my parents' house until I can move around on my own better. They checked off on that already so that's a relief. She also asked about my feelings if the kidney failed, how I would feel if it failed because my dad didn't take care of it, etc. Pretty heavy stuff. But I think my answers were pretty typical. I definitely was honest though. It's not helping anyone if I said I wouldn't care. She was very nice and told me to feel free to contact her with anything I needed.
Then I talked to the dietician. That was a short visit because I really don't have special needs. I told her I don't like straight milk to drink and I don't like to eat fish. She said I should take calcium and make sure I get plenty of protein. Other than that, I really don't have to change anything. Woo hoo!
I was supposed to talk to the surgeon, but they ended up in a live liver donation that day. Somehow I think I can wait for them. Cathy, the nurse coordinator, said that it is perfectly fine if I end up talking to him closer to the surgery. Cathy then mentioned I have to have a kidney CT and perhaps an EKG. They're not sure if they still need me to do that or not. I guess some things have changed recently.
Last I went to a different office and talked to my donor advocate. The donor advocate is not connected to the transplant program directly. He's meant to be an advocate for me with no bias to the program. He is another level of support so I can feel comfortable going to anyone with concerns or questions. He basically asked me a lot of the same questions the social worker did. (He's a psychiatrist) Then he asked me a few things like did I know that I would need to be sure I drink more water when exercising to help my kidney out after the surgery. I hadn't been told that yet. He also asked what I would be doing during the two weeks to fill my time. I told him I'd be crocheting A LOT! Picking up that hobby has been a real blessing in many ways. It's helped me do something productive when I don't have a lot of money, bond with my favorite friends, and now will help me recover during a significant amount of downtime. He suggested I keep a variety of things handy (movies, books, crochet) so I can keep switching it up. I think it will help a lot to be around my family and to be close to Jeff too. It would be much harder if I had to be all alone I think.
So with all of those updates it gives me a lot of hope. I know nothing is "for sure" yet, but everything we talked about was as though I can donate. So it gives me a lot of encouragement that I can get the last couple of tests done and hopefully get a thumbs up from the board.
That night I talked to my dad about a lot of what the various people said. He asked me how Jeff felt and I started to worry that I hadn't asked him straight out. Luckily, when I talked to him later, he reminded me that he was 100% supportive. I'm so lucky and blessed that I have such a wonderful man in my life. Especially at this time in my life. I couldn't ask for anyone better. Genuinely.
Alright enough gooshy stuff for now. Just thought I'd drop a note with the updates since I kept forgetting before. Laters on the Menje!
So I showed up to the clinic not fully sure what to expect. They'd told me I would be talking to everyone (and their mom) as well as doing a few tests. So of course I drank a bunch of water. I didn't want to be unprepared this time. Of course, I was overprepared. I didn't need to do a pee test and sat there half the time needing to pee. However, they did get through things fairly quickly. I learned a lot talking to all of these people.
First up was the nurse coordinator. Cathy is really nice, and really busy. I've talked to her a few times on the phone but each time I came by to chat she was in the clinic or something and someone else helped me. I finally got a chance to meet her. She went over the consent forms with me page by page explaining a lot of ins and outs of the surgery. She explained how the procedure would be done. It's called a hand assisted donation or something like that. Basically there is an incision a couple of inches long and 4 probe incisions where the little cutter, camera, etc. enter. It's a good thing those are so tiny because I think tiny things are cute. And if all that junk is going in my body, it doesn't hurt to have it be cute. After the probe instruments do their thang, the doctor sticks his hand in the bigger incision and assists the kidney out of the body. Weird. The only thing I can picture when thinking about this is in Spaceballs where the alien comes out of the guy and starts dancing across the counter. Can you picture a kidney with a straw hat and a cane singing "Hello my baby, Hello my darling, Hello my ragtime gaaaaal"? Better believe I can. And call me sick, but I get a kick out of it. She also described how I'd be intubated and have a catheter, but they stick all those things in while I'm out. Terrific! I'm sure glad she gave me copies of all the papers because there was a lot to process and I just can't remember it all off the top of my head.
After that I talk to the social worker. She basically gave me a psych evaluation. She reiterated that I can change my mind at any time up until I'm out. She asked a lot of questions that really made me think too. Where will I be staying after? At first I thought, duh, my apartment. Then I realized what a pain it would be for someone to have to come stay up there with me. So I realized a better idea would be to stay at my parents' house until I can move around on my own better. They checked off on that already so that's a relief. She also asked about my feelings if the kidney failed, how I would feel if it failed because my dad didn't take care of it, etc. Pretty heavy stuff. But I think my answers were pretty typical. I definitely was honest though. It's not helping anyone if I said I wouldn't care. She was very nice and told me to feel free to contact her with anything I needed.
Then I talked to the dietician. That was a short visit because I really don't have special needs. I told her I don't like straight milk to drink and I don't like to eat fish. She said I should take calcium and make sure I get plenty of protein. Other than that, I really don't have to change anything. Woo hoo!
I was supposed to talk to the surgeon, but they ended up in a live liver donation that day. Somehow I think I can wait for them. Cathy, the nurse coordinator, said that it is perfectly fine if I end up talking to him closer to the surgery. Cathy then mentioned I have to have a kidney CT and perhaps an EKG. They're not sure if they still need me to do that or not. I guess some things have changed recently.
Last I went to a different office and talked to my donor advocate. The donor advocate is not connected to the transplant program directly. He's meant to be an advocate for me with no bias to the program. He is another level of support so I can feel comfortable going to anyone with concerns or questions. He basically asked me a lot of the same questions the social worker did. (He's a psychiatrist) Then he asked me a few things like did I know that I would need to be sure I drink more water when exercising to help my kidney out after the surgery. I hadn't been told that yet. He also asked what I would be doing during the two weeks to fill my time. I told him I'd be crocheting A LOT! Picking up that hobby has been a real blessing in many ways. It's helped me do something productive when I don't have a lot of money, bond with my favorite friends, and now will help me recover during a significant amount of downtime. He suggested I keep a variety of things handy (movies, books, crochet) so I can keep switching it up. I think it will help a lot to be around my family and to be close to Jeff too. It would be much harder if I had to be all alone I think.
So with all of those updates it gives me a lot of hope. I know nothing is "for sure" yet, but everything we talked about was as though I can donate. So it gives me a lot of encouragement that I can get the last couple of tests done and hopefully get a thumbs up from the board.
That night I talked to my dad about a lot of what the various people said. He asked me how Jeff felt and I started to worry that I hadn't asked him straight out. Luckily, when I talked to him later, he reminded me that he was 100% supportive. I'm so lucky and blessed that I have such a wonderful man in my life. Especially at this time in my life. I couldn't ask for anyone better. Genuinely.
Alright enough gooshy stuff for now. Just thought I'd drop a note with the updates since I kept forgetting before. Laters on the Menje!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Hold On
For one more day yeah...can ya hoooooold oooooon can ya hold on
Ok, sorry. Just flashing back to the good ol' Wilson Phillips days. And to clarify a questions asked to me before, yes I do like Wilson Phillips. No I don't mean Wilson Phillips when I talk about how I idolize the Wilson sisters. In that case, I'm referring to Heart. In fact the miscommunication kept going because when asked if one of the girls gained some weight I said yes. Now I realize that both groups had someone gain some weight. So there. Now it's clear for the world to see. Like=WP LOVE=Heart
Anyway, on to the reason for my post. I'm almost ready to head over to the kidney clinic. Yay! I met with the nephrologist, Dr. Lambert, yesterday and he said my nepher regions are lookin' good! (umm...that could be misconstrued huh?) He can't see any reason not to "forge ahead". (still misconstruable..oh dear) He says in some cases that it seems a donor has been pressured to donate from family and that's the point where he will make a medical reason exist so donation is impossible. He didn't sense that with me and hopefully the donor advocate won't either because it's certainly not the case. Every step along the way my dad has genuinely conveyed how I shouldn't do it if I have any doubts and that he would think no differently of me if I didn't. Duly noted. Now let's get on with it!
**Side note**I find it amazing what a small world we live in. Imagine my surprise when I read the guest post over at Honeybear Lane today and saw that her sister is going through the same thing. She's working on a paired donation for her precious little two year old angel. Just when I feel like I have it hard, I'm knocked down a peg or two. What a strong woman. You can read her post and give her some support here.
Today I'm off to see the coordinator, nutritionist, social worker, and donor advocate. And do some more labs. Which reminds me, I need to chug a cup of water. Every time I go in I seem to be asked for some pee. Yesterday I came darn close to not having any! I had only had a half a cup of coffee to drink so far that morning. I'm determined to have some today. Now if I can only hold On to it until I get there....
Ok, sorry. Just flashing back to the good ol' Wilson Phillips days. And to clarify a questions asked to me before, yes I do like Wilson Phillips. No I don't mean Wilson Phillips when I talk about how I idolize the Wilson sisters. In that case, I'm referring to Heart. In fact the miscommunication kept going because when asked if one of the girls gained some weight I said yes. Now I realize that both groups had someone gain some weight. So there. Now it's clear for the world to see. Like=WP LOVE=Heart
Anyway, on to the reason for my post. I'm almost ready to head over to the kidney clinic. Yay! I met with the nephrologist, Dr. Lambert, yesterday and he said my nepher regions are lookin' good! (umm...that could be misconstrued huh?) He can't see any reason not to "forge ahead". (still misconstruable..oh dear) He says in some cases that it seems a donor has been pressured to donate from family and that's the point where he will make a medical reason exist so donation is impossible. He didn't sense that with me and hopefully the donor advocate won't either because it's certainly not the case. Every step along the way my dad has genuinely conveyed how I shouldn't do it if I have any doubts and that he would think no differently of me if I didn't. Duly noted. Now let's get on with it!
**Side note**I find it amazing what a small world we live in. Imagine my surprise when I read the guest post over at Honeybear Lane today and saw that her sister is going through the same thing. She's working on a paired donation for her precious little two year old angel. Just when I feel like I have it hard, I'm knocked down a peg or two. What a strong woman. You can read her post and give her some support here.
Today I'm off to see the coordinator, nutritionist, social worker, and donor advocate. And do some more labs. Which reminds me, I need to chug a cup of water. Every time I go in I seem to be asked for some pee. Yesterday I came darn close to not having any! I had only had a half a cup of coffee to drink so far that morning. I'm determined to have some today. Now if I can only hold On to it until I get there....
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Step 3...and Maybe some More Steps
At this point I'm kind of confused about how many steps I'm completing, but I'm definitely onto the next round. The 25th and 26th are going to be some crazy days. I almost scheduled for next week, but the Nephrologist wasn't available then. Lucky because I already have stuff going on that I forgot about. Whew.
So the next round involves a whole lot of talking to people and a couple of tests. I have to talk to a Nephrologist that Wed. Then, on Thursday, I talk to a social worker, a nutritionist, and a donor advocate. I'll be taking notes about what they say so I can fill everyone in. I also have to have a CAT scan and a chest X-Ray. If all goes well with those things, I'll be talking to a surgeon and getting a kidney CT for the next step.
So far so good. Thanks to everyone who has been keeping their fingers crossed. It's working!!
This weekend at my parents' house I was yet again reminded of why I'm doing this. It seems like I rarely see my dad when I'm down there because he's always at dialysis. Then he comes home and has to get lots of rest for work. He told me about a guy there who had been doing well before, but looked to be on death's door that day. While my dad looked that way when he first started, and looks better now, I also know that the human body was not designed to be on dialysis forever. It really takes its toll. Exhaustion, cramps, nausea..the list of unpleasantry goes on and on. I'm hoping that we can get him a kidney, that it will "take", and that he won't have to look like that again.
I know that even if mine matches, there will be no guarantee that it will work well for him, but I have faith. My faith is that even if it doesn't work out the way I'd like, I will learn from the experience and that whatever happens is what is supposed to happen. I'm not extremely religious, but I do believe in God and that there is something to learn from everything life throws at you. There is a lot of sadness and pain in the world, but we are all empowered to add happiness and light.
So the next round involves a whole lot of talking to people and a couple of tests. I have to talk to a Nephrologist that Wed. Then, on Thursday, I talk to a social worker, a nutritionist, and a donor advocate. I'll be taking notes about what they say so I can fill everyone in. I also have to have a CAT scan and a chest X-Ray. If all goes well with those things, I'll be talking to a surgeon and getting a kidney CT for the next step.
So far so good. Thanks to everyone who has been keeping their fingers crossed. It's working!!
This weekend at my parents' house I was yet again reminded of why I'm doing this. It seems like I rarely see my dad when I'm down there because he's always at dialysis. Then he comes home and has to get lots of rest for work. He told me about a guy there who had been doing well before, but looked to be on death's door that day. While my dad looked that way when he first started, and looks better now, I also know that the human body was not designed to be on dialysis forever. It really takes its toll. Exhaustion, cramps, nausea..the list of unpleasantry goes on and on. I'm hoping that we can get him a kidney, that it will "take", and that he won't have to look like that again.
I know that even if mine matches, there will be no guarantee that it will work well for him, but I have faith. My faith is that even if it doesn't work out the way I'd like, I will learn from the experience and that whatever happens is what is supposed to happen. I'm not extremely religious, but I do believe in God and that there is something to learn from everything life throws at you. There is a lot of sadness and pain in the world, but we are all empowered to add happiness and light.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Random Thoughts for the Day
My mind has been full of random thoughts here and there so I'm going to purge them in this post. Get out your raincoats folks, here we go!
1. Why has my eye been twitching all week? I could swear I've heard that it means you're lacking a vitamin or something in your diet. I know it's been a crazy week and I'm sure stress isn't helping, but I've gotten a good amount of sleep so I'm confused. very...very...confused. It's annoying regardless of the reason.
2. Hi everyone. My name is Shannon and I'm addicted to caffeine. I have known this for awhile, but I have a tough time breaking the habit. It might have something to do with the fact that I don't really try to, but who really knows for sure? I mean seriously. I realize how bad it is when I come to work in the morning and I have a massive headache and feel like I got hit by a bus. Then around 4 or so I'm going down like the Titanic (or insert a joke about a cheerleader on prom night. Take your pick). As soon as I have a Pepsi or a coffee I feel human. Not particularly sharp and energized, just human. I about passed out when the power went out and our computers worked because of the generator but the soda machine didn't. No lights in the bathroom is totally workable. No caffeine on the other hand... Bad sign guys. I have been better about not going to the gas station every day for my Cherry Coke fix. I get one two liter at the store when I go grocery shopping and I've done a good job of not buying more. I do treat myself most weekends though. Shame on me.
3. Everyone has probably heard me complain about this a time or two, but I'm so ready for people to stop claiming they have OCD just because they like things neat. You can be a neat freak without having OCD. OCD affects your ability to function in life. Everyone is picky about something or other. Personally, I like to help people shed. You know, like when they're walking around with loose hairs on their shirt. I'll stand behind strangers in a line and stealthely pick hair off their shirt. Does it give me OCD? Nope. If you believe something bad will happen, to the point of going into a panic, when you don't do a routine, THEN you have OCD. If you just get annoyed because you prefer things in a certain place, you're particular. End-O-Story. **disclaimer: I am in no way a doctor fit to diagnose or treat OCD. Niether am I an actor paid to endorse a product used to treat OCD. I could be wrong about my definition of OCD, but I'm not.**
4. Now for the most exciting news of ALL!! One of my favorite friends of all time, Kami and I started a blog about crocheting. Not your grandma's crochet though. This is all about how we make crochet hip and up-to-date. We're going to make things, talk about cool projects and ideas, and there's even going to be an "X Rated" section. It's the most fun you will ever have crocheting. Well, the most fun I will have and hopefully we can pass some of that on to you!! Check us out at:
http://notlamecrochet.blogspot.com/
We're even considering starting a little ladies crochet night. We'll have loads of fun and things that start with D. Namely Drinks and Doritos. Won't you join us? *crafty eyebrow action* mwahahahaha
1. Why has my eye been twitching all week? I could swear I've heard that it means you're lacking a vitamin or something in your diet. I know it's been a crazy week and I'm sure stress isn't helping, but I've gotten a good amount of sleep so I'm confused. very...very...confused. It's annoying regardless of the reason.
2. Hi everyone. My name is Shannon and I'm addicted to caffeine. I have known this for awhile, but I have a tough time breaking the habit. It might have something to do with the fact that I don't really try to, but who really knows for sure? I mean seriously. I realize how bad it is when I come to work in the morning and I have a massive headache and feel like I got hit by a bus. Then around 4 or so I'm going down like the Titanic (or insert a joke about a cheerleader on prom night. Take your pick). As soon as I have a Pepsi or a coffee I feel human. Not particularly sharp and energized, just human. I about passed out when the power went out and our computers worked because of the generator but the soda machine didn't. No lights in the bathroom is totally workable. No caffeine on the other hand... Bad sign guys. I have been better about not going to the gas station every day for my Cherry Coke fix. I get one two liter at the store when I go grocery shopping and I've done a good job of not buying more. I do treat myself most weekends though. Shame on me.
3. Everyone has probably heard me complain about this a time or two, but I'm so ready for people to stop claiming they have OCD just because they like things neat. You can be a neat freak without having OCD. OCD affects your ability to function in life. Everyone is picky about something or other. Personally, I like to help people shed. You know, like when they're walking around with loose hairs on their shirt. I'll stand behind strangers in a line and stealthely pick hair off their shirt. Does it give me OCD? Nope. If you believe something bad will happen, to the point of going into a panic, when you don't do a routine, THEN you have OCD. If you just get annoyed because you prefer things in a certain place, you're particular. End-O-Story. **disclaimer: I am in no way a doctor fit to diagnose or treat OCD. Niether am I an actor paid to endorse a product used to treat OCD. I could be wrong about my definition of OCD, but I'm not.**
4. Now for the most exciting news of ALL!! One of my favorite friends of all time, Kami and I started a blog about crocheting. Not your grandma's crochet though. This is all about how we make crochet hip and up-to-date. We're going to make things, talk about cool projects and ideas, and there's even going to be an "X Rated" section. It's the most fun you will ever have crocheting. Well, the most fun I will have and hopefully we can pass some of that on to you!! Check us out at:
http://notlamecrochet.blogspot.com/
We're even considering starting a little ladies crochet night. We'll have loads of fun and things that start with D. Namely Drinks and Doritos. Won't you join us? *crafty eyebrow action* mwahahahaha
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