Spending Friday the 13th in a hospital is generally not a good sign, but for Jen and I, a good day. We're both rapidly improving, and they are starting to unplug us from all the IV's, catheters and monitoring devices that have us tethered to our beds and to the wall.
This is really a round-the-clock treatment program, designed to get you in and out as fast as good medicine allows. We have been poked and prodded just about every hour of the day. Today started at 1 am with the nursing assistant coming in to check blood pressure, temp, pulse and oxygen saturation. At 3, they drain the collected urine. At 4, they replace the Ringers IV that we both get to push fluids though our kidneys. At 5 am, they pull blood samples for the lab, and take more BP and temp measurements (this is every 4 hours).
We try and sleep around this, but I can only find one spot, what with tubes coming out my neck, arms and bottom, that is halfway comfortable.
At 5:30, I decided that I might as well get up, so did, went over to Jen's -- she was up too, and we did a couple of laps around the corridors. At 7, they come around with breakfast -- Jen was on to solid food, but I was still on broth, jello, tea and apple juice.
Dr. Piper came by at 8, after reviewing my morning labs. He has said that the best that a kidney would function at 2-days post-transplant was a creatinine level of 1.8. I turned in a 1.9, and he was really happy. All other labs were right on the mark, and he said that if I really wanted, could go home today. He also said I could go onto solid food, so I went over to Jen's room and raided the peanut butter and cracker stash that Michelle had put there.
By noon, they had pulled all of Jen's tubes, and she was now untethered. I had one more 4 hour treatment of an infusion of Thymo globulin (some how rabbits are involved in the manufacture), which fools my immune system into not going after the new kidney.
The post-transplant coordinator stopped by with a big box of meds, and she went through those. They think of everything, and rather than kick you out of the hospital with a shopping list of meds, go ahead and fill the first month, so that you don't have to mess around stopping at the pharmacy. I have 14 different meds now that I'll take in the first month, but most will taper off in a month, leaving me with just a couple of anti-rejection drugs, for life.
Jen is still pretty sore, on painkillers, and is thinking about staying one more night, so if she does, I will too, just to keep her company. Wouldn't be right to scoot home with my new kidney and leave her stuck at the hospital. And I think that Michelle's in no big hurry to becoming a nurse for two high-maintenance whiners.
I must say, though, now three days into this, that it was not as bad as we both expected it would be. We know there will be some rough patches ahead, but right now, this went as well as we and the doctors could have anticipated. And we have to thank all the support of friends, family and co-workers who have helped and made this possible.
gc
This is really a round-the-clock treatment program, designed to get you in and out as fast as good medicine allows. We have been poked and prodded just about every hour of the day. Today started at 1 am with the nursing assistant coming in to check blood pressure, temp, pulse and oxygen saturation. At 3, they drain the collected urine. At 4, they replace the Ringers IV that we both get to push fluids though our kidneys. At 5 am, they pull blood samples for the lab, and take more BP and temp measurements (this is every 4 hours).
We try and sleep around this, but I can only find one spot, what with tubes coming out my neck, arms and bottom, that is halfway comfortable.
At 5:30, I decided that I might as well get up, so did, went over to Jen's -- she was up too, and we did a couple of laps around the corridors. At 7, they come around with breakfast -- Jen was on to solid food, but I was still on broth, jello, tea and apple juice.
Dr. Piper came by at 8, after reviewing my morning labs. He has said that the best that a kidney would function at 2-days post-transplant was a creatinine level of 1.8. I turned in a 1.9, and he was really happy. All other labs were right on the mark, and he said that if I really wanted, could go home today. He also said I could go onto solid food, so I went over to Jen's room and raided the peanut butter and cracker stash that Michelle had put there.
By noon, they had pulled all of Jen's tubes, and she was now untethered. I had one more 4 hour treatment of an infusion of Thymo globulin (some how rabbits are involved in the manufacture), which fools my immune system into not going after the new kidney.
The post-transplant coordinator stopped by with a big box of meds, and she went through those. They think of everything, and rather than kick you out of the hospital with a shopping list of meds, go ahead and fill the first month, so that you don't have to mess around stopping at the pharmacy. I have 14 different meds now that I'll take in the first month, but most will taper off in a month, leaving me with just a couple of anti-rejection drugs, for life.
Jen is still pretty sore, on painkillers, and is thinking about staying one more night, so if she does, I will too, just to keep her company. Wouldn't be right to scoot home with my new kidney and leave her stuck at the hospital. And I think that Michelle's in no big hurry to becoming a nurse for two high-maintenance whiners.
I must say, though, now three days into this, that it was not as bad as we both expected it would be. We know there will be some rough patches ahead, but right now, this went as well as we and the doctors could have anticipated. And we have to thank all the support of friends, family and co-workers who have helped and made this possible.
gc
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