literally out the door!!

[Pianolion]

I know I haven't posted much the past week or two - maybe that's because things have been frickin' CRAZY for one thing!  Just to let everyone know - I am out the door in five minutes to the hospital.  My sister is giving me a kidney!!!!

Her kidney's functions are ridiculously high - something like 68 and 70% each, which makes no sense to me but who's complaining? 

The surgery itself will begin about 10:00 tomorrow on my sister - she was able to get it done laproscopicly.  I will be going in around 12 probably.

I've got to get a move on - but I will possibly have internet access in a few days depending on WiFi access and such.  I might be released by Wed if all goes well, but I'll try to update before then.  Wish me luck - I don't know whether I'm excited or scared or both!!

[okarol]

  Good luck Pianolion!
I will be thinking of you!
All the best,
Karol   

[Joe Paul]

Good luck! God be with the two of you.

[Sluff]

Good Luck keep in touch as soon as you are able.

[angela515]

YAY!!!! Congrats and good luck Ill be thinking of you both!! 

[Black]

 Congrats!    Wonderful news.     Hope you both do well and keep us posted as you can.

[kelliOR]

WOW, Pianolion!  Great news!   

All the best to both of you!    Kelli

[Jill D.]

This is always such great news to hear! Wishing you and your sister successful surgeries and speedy recoveries! 

[charee]

Wow Great news Good luck to you both

[jbeany]

Congrats!

 

Hope it all goes perfectly!

[Rerun]

Great News!  God Bless You Both!

                       

Let us know as soon as you can how you both are doing.

[anja]

So happy for you, Pianolion!  Hope you and your sis heal quickly, can't wait to hear another success story.

[goofynina]

Woohooo Pianolion,  that is awesome!!  My prayers are with you and your sister

[boxman55]

Pianolion all the best to you and your sister. My God be with you both. Boxman55

[Ohio Buckeye]

How wonderful for you Pianolion!
Best wishes to you and your sister.
Hope your new kidney last many years.
.

[Amanda From OZ]

Good Luck and all the best!!! 

[angieskidney]

Her kidney's functions are ridiculously high - something like 68 and 70% each, which makes no sense to me

I would like to understand that because when they tested my mom they said she had 49% function in one kidney and 51% in the other. Then when I got back to my city my dialysis unit said that they can't tell exact percentages per kidney like that but only over all function as a whole.  But since they told your sister separate percentages now it has me thinking. I wonder if anyone can explain that. Besides, I thought really good working kidneys should be working 100% function in each separately if this is the case! How is 68% and 70% each working ridiculously high?

Anyway, good luck and I hope you post all about it here when you are back and recovered!

  (we need a good luck and get well soon smiliey.. )

[angela515]

Very good questions angie, I was wondering that myself. I know when I got my first transplant from my mom, they never told us her percentages, we just assumed they must be 100% b/c they said her kidneys were GREAT, and they proved it b/c the minute they hooked it up to me I started producing urine, lol.. they didn't even have me closed up yet and i'm peeing 

I shall do some research on this question today, see if I can find anything while we wait for Ms Pianolion to return. 

[angieskidney]

Very good questions angie, I was wondering that myself. I know when I got my first transplant from my mom, they never told us her percentages, we just assumed they must be 100% b/c they said her kidneys were GREAT, and they proved it b/c the minute they hooked it up to me I started producing urine, lol.. they didn't even have me closed up yet and i'm peeing 

I shall do some research on this question today, see if I can find anything while we wait for Ms Pianolion to return. 

Thanks Angela!  I appreciate it! 

[angela515]

Ok... Here is what I found.

"Kidney function is measured in percentages. Two normal kidneys account for 100% of
kidney function. A single kidney provides about 50% of kidney function. One can lead
a normal life with one kidney as long as the single kidney remains healthy. When kidney
function drops to less than 50% of normal, the risk of health problems increases.
Serious health problems are more frequent when kidney function drops to below 20%.
Dialysis or transplant is necessary if kidney function falls to 15% or below."

So my understanding is each working kidney should have 50% function, or 40 and 60, something to equal 100%... so when she said that they were ridiculously high at 68% and 70%, that means her sister has like 138% kidney function...    So I would say her kidneys are working AWESOME.

Thats how I understand it... did I interpret all that correctly?

That was copied from this site: http://www.childrensoncologygroup.org/disc/le/pdf/KidneyHealth.pdf

[angieskidney]

Ok... Here is what I found.

"Kidney function is measured in percentages. Two normal kidneys account for 100% of
kidney function. A single kidney provides about 50% of kidney function. One can lead
a normal life with one kidney as long as the single kidney remains healthy. When kidney
function drops to less than 50% of normal, the risk of health problems increases.
Serious health problems are more frequent when kidney function drops to below 20%.
Dialysis or transplant is necessary if kidney function falls to 15% or below."

So my understanding is each working kidney should have 50% function, or 40 and 60, something to equal 100%... so when she said that they were ridiculously high at 68% and 70%, that means her sister has like 138% kidney function...    So I would say her kidneys are working AWESOME.

Thats how I understand it... did I interpret all that correctly?

That was copied from this site: http://www.childrensoncologygroup.org/disc/le/pdf/KidneyHealth.pdf

Thank you for that information!! But knowing that .. why did they tell my mom who they said passed all tests and was a Perfect match, that she could NOT donate a kidney to me when hers were tested at 49% and 51% = 100% ??

[angela515]

I don't know... Was there any other tests that came back not normal that would of made them say no? Or was that the reason they told you? I would call and demand answers... Unless we totally just don't understand what were talking about here. 

If they told us my moms kidney function, I dont remember it... I just know it was very good and she was a 5/6 match.

[angieskidney]

I don't know... Was there any other tests that came back not normal that would of made them say no? Or was that the reason they told you? I would call and demand answers... Unless we totally just don't understand what were talking about here. 

If they told us my moms kidney function, I dont remember it... I just know it was very good and she was a 5/6 match.

well maybe it was the antibodies as they never told me what mine are.

[Pianolion]

Hi everyone 

Wow, I'm finally back home - I was released Tuesday evening at 7 after being admitted Thursday around 4 or so.  The surgery was originally schedule for 7 in the morning because my sister and I were part of a DOUBLE transplant with a pair of brothers from Kentucky (how cool is that?  the recipient was a redhead too by the way )  But since my sister's procedure was more complicated they flipped us to the later one - were supposed to go down about 10 but we definitely didn't make it down to pre-op until 2:30.  No eating or drinking since midnight so you can imagine how grumpy we were

Anyway, the surgery went wonderfullly - Sarah's left kidney was taken out laproscopically and placed in my lower right side, about a five or six-inch incision.  Everyone who's looked at it says it's it's healing great - the head of transplant at UT Hospital did my part, and he's just a hoot.  He came in to my room the night before to chat with me and answer questions, and he had a checkered bow tie on under a leather jacket - made me smile right away!   They said the kidney started busily working right away, and that doesn't surprise me one bit seeing that it's my super-efficient sister we're talking about!  I had to have a catheter in for about three days, but once it was taken out I started going on my own after about four hours (I have no shame whatsoever about that anymore, with my pee bag being on display for the world to see).

Sarah has had a harder time recovering from surgery than I in some ways, but she's certainly getting stronger every day.  I think she wasn't quite as prepared for the pain as she thought - she's never had surgery and is usually as healthy as a horse, whereas I knew what to expect from my dialysis surgeries.  She's still not too interested in eating much - and she's a vegan (no meat or diary products), and the hospital cafeteria had a hard time dealing with that for some reason.  But I think being at home is helping her the most.

I need to go and hobble around the house for awhile (believe me it'll take awhile too), but I plan on being back on here very soon to update some more and interact and such.  This is SUCH a wonderful resource and place of support - I wish I had found it so much sooner!  Thanks SO MUCH for the good wishes and thoughts - take care everyone

[charee]

Great to hear your doing so well