It's been a few weeks since our last update. Needless to say, much has happened since then.
Karen is home and doing great! So well, that the doctors only need to see her once each week! That's a relief as we need to wake at 3am to ensure we were arrive at UCLA by 6am. In another month, they may knock the appointments down to once every other week, then once a month, and so on. Karen is still limited to lifting only five pounds, but she's been cleared to drive! And for those that may be wondering about the drain...yes! It's out! Still has pain near her incision, but it is more likely pain from cutting through the muscle, rather than the surface incision itself.
Day by day, things are returning to normal. She looks great; you would never know she had anything done, except that her skin tone has improved...but I'm on the record as saying her skin tone was perfect prior to the surgery. I guess it has became "more perfect". Karen has much more energy...rarely complaining about being tired. If she does say something about being tired, I convince myself in a half second that her kidney is shutting down, and flash her a worried look. She then lets me know, "No Bob, I'm just 'normal-people' tired. I only slept five hours last night." I, of course, dismiss her non-medical opinion and check all her vitals to ensure there is no sign of rejection or infection, then pester her every 10 minutes with, "How do you feel?" So I might be a bit paranoid, but I'm convinced that I've prevented a disaster at least a half-dozen times with my keen powers of observation.
Another interesting change is her internal temperature control. Yesterday in the car she said, "Can you turn the air on, I'm too warm back here." Instinctively, my mom started to pass her a blanket saying, "Here you go Karen, you can use this. I'm not using it." You see...Karen has never, ever, ever, ever asked to turn the air on. The words "too warm" have NEVER been uttered by her...EVER. She told my mom, "No Jan, I'm too warm, I need some cool air." My mom looked at me with the most confused look I've ever seen on her face! How cool is that!
Karen's mom is back in Florida. She seems to be doing well, but not quite 100%. She still has some pain from where the incision was. It doesn't seem to slow her down though. I can't believe that she was only in the hospital for 22 hours total! Simply amazing. Thank you, thank you, thank you Barbara!
My mom has been out here since the beginning, but must leave us on Tuesday. She has been an angel in our lives. Having her here allowed me to focus 100% on Karen during our stay at UCLA. The kids were taken care of just as they would have been if we were home. There's not another person in the world that could have done all she did for us. She was the glue that held the family together, when Karen couldn't be there. (Karen is considered the "glue" in our family...I am not considered the "glue", but rather part of the "mess" that needs to be held together.)
I want to say "thank you" one more time for all the thoughts and prayers from everyone. I cannot say enough of how it provided me strength and encouragement during the difficult times. The numerous notes of prayers from people was overwhelming. It made a difference in my life, and I am forever grateful. For those that don't believe in the power of prayer, I respect your opinion. Please respect my opinion when I say, "You're an idiot." Excuse my harshness, but I just can't imagine going through something like we went through without faith. If you disagree, give me a call, I'd love to chat about it.
I also want to remind everyone about the Kidney Exchange program at UCLA:
http://transplants.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=112&oTopID=34
The concept of an "exchange" is a relatively new one. Karen is probably the first person you've ever heard of who has received a kidney through this program. The big takeaway is:
If you need a kidney, you do not need a MATCHING donor. You only need to have someone willing to donate a kidney, whether they match or not. This is different from the "standard" kidney transplant tactics, techniques, and procedures.
When word of this program is spread, lives will be saved. I encourage YOU to pass on these words to someone you know, or someone you know OF (friend of a friend, or cousin's friend's sister-in-law's great uncle's brother's daughter, etc). I look forward to playing an active role in getting the word out in the future. In the mean time, if you or anyone you know has questions about the program, feel free to contact me directly.
I'll plan to write another update next month, unless breaking news happens before then.
Cheers!
Bob
