Dill now in line for kidney transplant

[okarol]

 6/18/10
Dill now in line for kidney transplant
By Tom Klein

State Rep. David Dill, who has been coping with kidney disease since 1966, plans to undergo a kidney transplant in the near future.

But his health issues haven’t prevented the Crane Lake DFLer from fulfilling his duties as a state legislator and he’s already filed for a fifth term.

“I may not have been at as many functions as I have in the past,” said Dill, “but I’m continuing to attend IRRB (Iron Range Resources Board) meetings and stay on top of the issues important to my constituents.”

Kidney transplants

A kidney transplant is used to treat kidney failure, a condition in which the kidneys function at only a fraction of normal capacity. Kidneys remove excess fluid and waste from your blood. When the kidneys lose their filtering ability, dangerous levels of fluid and waste accumulate in the body.

A transplant is considered an option when the kidneys are functioning at about 15 percent of normal capacity. Dill has been steadily approaching that threshold.

The other option is artificial blood filtering (known as dialysis), but a transplant may provide better long-term quality of life.

Only one donated kidney is needed to replace two failed kidneys, and the survival rates for kidney transplants are very good. According to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, 95 percent of those who receive a living-donor kidney transplant have a functioning kidney after one year. After five years, the rate drops to about 80 percent.

The rates are lower for those receiving kidneys from a deceased donor. About 92 percent of those transplant patients have a functioning kidney after one year. After five years, the rate falls to about 70 percent.

Dill said he’s been notified that there are four matches from living donors for his kidney transplant. Because of patient confidentiality, he was not told who the donors might be but a couple of them have confided to him that they are matches. Although family members are often the most likely to be compatible kidney donors, many undergo successful transplants with kidneys donated from people who are not related to them.

Risks

As with any major surgery, there are risks involved. Potential donors face similar surgery risks, but recover fairly quickly. With time, a donor’s remaining kidney will enlarge as it takes on additional blood flow and filtration of wastes, and the long-term survival rate, quality of life, general health status and risk of kidney failure are about the same as that for people in the general population who aren’t kidney donors.

Unless the kidney is donated by an identical twin, the body’s immune system will try to reject the new kidney, which requires a series of medications to suppress the immune system. The medications can cause the body to be more vulnerable to infection and may trigger side effects such as high blood pressure, puffiness, acne, excessive hair growth, swollen gums and weight gain.

Transplant patients typically spend three to five days in the hospital to monitor any potential complications. In addition, close monitoring is necessary for three to four weeks following the surgery. The transplant team will develop a checkup schedule that may require the patient to live temporarily near the transplant center.

Dill said he expects to be out of commission temporarily as a result of the transplant, but noted he has an excellent staff that can assist constituents during his absence.

In addition, he said he can stay in touch with constituents while recuperating through e-mail and phone calls. If all goes according to plan, his surgery and recovery should be completed before the 2011 legislative session begins.

Dill’s health

Dill’s health became grist for the rumor mill earlier this year after a gastric bypass helped him lose about 140 pounds. The dramatic weight loss fueled speculation that Dill might have cancer — rumors that Dill quashed during an interview with the editor of the weekly newsletter Politics in Minnesota and later elaborated on in an interview with the Timberjay.

Dill explained his battle with kidney disease and his intent to seek a transplant when necessary. Now that time appears to be nearing. He has completed much of the preliminary screening and paperwork necessary in preparation for the surgery and is prepared for a step that he says should vastly improve his health.

“If I could get it done tomorrow, I would,” he concluded.

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