Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Update #9 - Sewing Her Up!
Just spoke with the nurse. She said Karen did good! They are sewing her up! The doc should be down in 20 minutes with details!
Update #8 - Still Waiting
Getting close to 4 hours. No word yet. Doctors expected around 4 hours, plus or minus 2 hours. Who would think a kidney transplant could be so complicated?
The plan for the surgery was to first try to put the kidney in her right side (below the current piece-o-crap kidney). They knew they might end up cutting her open on the right side, poking around a bit, then if there isn't room open her up on the left side where there will definitely be room. They had a reason for not going straight to the left side, but I forget why.
So Karen's mom, sister, and I are sitting in the waiting room eagerly awaiting our 'buzzer' to go off. It's one of those things you get when you wait for a table at a restaurant! Supposedly it will buzz, light-up, etc - then we check in at the desk. Then they will send someone down to update us.
Obviously the anticipation is fairly brutal right now. Tough to think a bunch of people have been standing over Karen for hours. I wonder if they take breaks? Anyone know??
Hopefully we'll have more news soon!
The plan for the surgery was to first try to put the kidney in her right side (below the current piece-o-crap kidney). They knew they might end up cutting her open on the right side, poking around a bit, then if there isn't room open her up on the left side where there will definitely be room. They had a reason for not going straight to the left side, but I forget why.
So Karen's mom, sister, and I are sitting in the waiting room eagerly awaiting our 'buzzer' to go off. It's one of those things you get when you wait for a table at a restaurant! Supposedly it will buzz, light-up, etc - then we check in at the desk. Then they will send someone down to update us.
Obviously the anticipation is fairly brutal right now. Tough to think a bunch of people have been standing over Karen for hours. I wonder if they take breaks? Anyone know??
Hopefully we'll have more news soon!
Update #7 - In Surgery
Karen has been in surgery for just over two hours now. No information to pass on. Hopefully in an hour or so.
Keep Praying!
-Bob
Keep Praying!
-Bob
Update #6 - Day of Transplant - Pre-Surgery - UCLA Medical Center
Wow! Things are moving fast. Karen was told to check in at UCLA at 1330. At 1230 she received a call asking, “Where are you?” What the!?!?!?! Apparently they wanted her here a bit earlier, but nobody called her. Whoops! We’re here now, and there doesn’t seem to be any rush.
Other than the phone call, Karen had another surprise today. I left the house this morning about one hour before Karen and her mom (we drove two cars since we have a rental for visiting family). On the way I stopped to pick up a special guest star. Barbara and I arranged to have everyone meet at the end of the Santa Monica Pier at 1130. I gave Karen a big hug, asked how her heart was, then had her look to her left. There on the bench, looking like a homeless person feeding the pigeons, was Karen’s beautiful sister, Jenny! Jenny had a major foot surgery last week and didn’t think she would make it out. But two days ago, she felt a bit better, so Barbara and her worked the magic to make it happen. Needless to say, Karen was VERY surprised.
So it’s 1330, and they just told Karen she’s not supposed to be here ‘till 1600. Oh well. Her surgery is scheduled for 1630, so we have plenty of time to wait. If Karen’s lucky, maybe they’ll find her a bed so she can take a nap! Anyone that knows Karen, knows that would be heaven.
One more funny thing. For those of you that know me as “Boucher”, you probably know how much “high-quality H-2-0” means to me. And of course, how important it is to me that Karen stays hydrated. If you don’t know the whole story – the gist of it is – Karen doesn’t like to drink water, Karen gets dehydrated, Bob gets upset that Karen doesn’t stay hydrated, Bob and Karen get in an argument, following argument Karen drinks water for two days, then Karen doesn’t drink water, Karen gets dehydrated, Bob gets upset, etc, etc, etc. LATELY, Karen has been doing WONDERFUL at staying hydrated! 6-8 glasses per day, just as the doctor ordered. The funny part is that Karen was told to NOT DRINK ANYTHING AFTER 1100! At 1245 I see her taking a swig from her bottled water, after she just polished off a liter of Gatorade! I asked her when she was supposed to stop, and her jaw almost hit the floor. Hydration and electrolytes – even when against the doctor’s orders?!?! I was so proud of her! This is the best day of my life!!
Okay…It’s 1336 and we just got an update. Apparently Karen’s kidney is OUT OF THE DONOR, and sitting in Texas waiting on the flight over here! If anyone in Texas wants to stop by and say “hi” to it, or sign it or something, you’re running out of time, so hop to it.
Okay...now it's 1355 and we are back in a pre-op bed. Hopefully I can post this before we get any more updates.
Hopefully I’ll be able to send one more update prior to the surgery.
Love to you all. Your prayers, thoughts, and words of encouragement have been a GREAT source of comfort. Please keep praying.
-Bob
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Update #5 - Two Days to Go!
Tic Toc!
Busy, busy, busy. The last week has flown by - we've hardly been able to catch our breath. As you can see by the times of my posts, there are just not enough hours in the day to take care of everything.
Everything is still on track for the 15th. This week has been spent tying-up loose ends, trying to keep Karen and her mother from catching colds, and ensuring things are all set on the home-front in preparation for our 2-week 'trip'.
Some great things from this week:
- Picked up Karen's mother from the airport
- Karen's mother received a "go-ahead" for her kidney donation on the 23rd
- Austin turned 14! Had the "best birthday ever", which included video games until 2 a.m. on his brand new flat screen T.V., then paintball with friends the next day using his brand new paintball gun that shoots 12-15 paintballs per second....per SECOND?...what the h?
- I got the Camaro running
- Lena had a glazed donut
- Karen and I had Indian food for date night and met Mahli!
- We had two wonderful friends stop by with lunch
- I saw J.T. jump clear over Lena when she rode her bike at him completely out of control. He was like Michael Jordan with the grace of a very hairy ballerina
- We picked up my mother from the airport tonight!
Some not so great things from this week:
- Lena got VERY sick - possibly bronchitis or the croup.?.? Whatever it is, it sounded like there was a gurgling swamp in her chest
- Karen had to wear a heart monitor for most the week
- We didn't even get close to finishing everything we wanted to this week
- Lena threw up on her carpet
- Elvis ate 10 glazed donuts
- Elvis threw up on the tile
- One of the friends that stopped by with lunch had a cold so didn't stay for lunch :(
- I didn't get the Camaro running. I just wanted to see what it looked like to type "I got the Camaro running"
I wish I had only good things to report. I wish I only had to say "Karen is doing great!" The truth of the matter is that Karen has been having a rather difficult week. The reality of the situation is setting in. For the last 30 years, Karen has known that she would one day need a kidney transplant. You'd think right now it would be nothing but great feelings. Feelings of relief. Feelings of jubilation. In reality, it's scary! It's a major surgery that isn't guaranteed to go well. We have such high hopes. Hopes that after the surgery, every negative feeling that Karen has (pain, fatigue, etc) will go away. It's tough to think, "what if they don't go away? What if all the problems are still there? What if the kidney gets rejected?" All these thoughts on top of a ridiculously busy week have been absolutely overwhelming.
I don't mean to be a negative Nancy, but I do want this blog to be an honest reflection of our reality. Words of encouragement and PRAYERS are greatly appreciated and needed right now. Post a comment, give Karen a call, shoot a text, stop by the house, Facebook, and most of all, PRAY.
We plan to leave for LA on Monday around 1200. My mom, Jan, is an angel, and will be staying with Austin and Lena. She will fill in for Karen and I while we are getting Karen's 'tune-up' done. The surgery will take place Tuesday afternoon, assuming all goes well.
I'll try to update before the surgery.
Cheers,
Bob
Busy, busy, busy. The last week has flown by - we've hardly been able to catch our breath. As you can see by the times of my posts, there are just not enough hours in the day to take care of everything.
Everything is still on track for the 15th. This week has been spent tying-up loose ends, trying to keep Karen and her mother from catching colds, and ensuring things are all set on the home-front in preparation for our 2-week 'trip'.
Some great things from this week:
- Picked up Karen's mother from the airport
- Karen's mother received a "go-ahead" for her kidney donation on the 23rd
- Austin turned 14! Had the "best birthday ever", which included video games until 2 a.m. on his brand new flat screen T.V., then paintball with friends the next day using his brand new paintball gun that shoots 12-15 paintballs per second....per SECOND?...what the h?
- I got the Camaro running
- Lena had a glazed donut
- Karen and I had Indian food for date night and met Mahli!
- We had two wonderful friends stop by with lunch
- I saw J.T. jump clear over Lena when she rode her bike at him completely out of control. He was like Michael Jordan with the grace of a very hairy ballerina
- We picked up my mother from the airport tonight!
Some not so great things from this week:
- Lena got VERY sick - possibly bronchitis or the croup.?.? Whatever it is, it sounded like there was a gurgling swamp in her chest
- Karen had to wear a heart monitor for most the week
- We didn't even get close to finishing everything we wanted to this week
- Lena threw up on her carpet
- Elvis ate 10 glazed donuts
- Elvis threw up on the tile
- One of the friends that stopped by with lunch had a cold so didn't stay for lunch :(
- I didn't get the Camaro running. I just wanted to see what it looked like to type "I got the Camaro running"
I wish I had only good things to report. I wish I only had to say "Karen is doing great!" The truth of the matter is that Karen has been having a rather difficult week. The reality of the situation is setting in. For the last 30 years, Karen has known that she would one day need a kidney transplant. You'd think right now it would be nothing but great feelings. Feelings of relief. Feelings of jubilation. In reality, it's scary! It's a major surgery that isn't guaranteed to go well. We have such high hopes. Hopes that after the surgery, every negative feeling that Karen has (pain, fatigue, etc) will go away. It's tough to think, "what if they don't go away? What if all the problems are still there? What if the kidney gets rejected?" All these thoughts on top of a ridiculously busy week have been absolutely overwhelming.
I don't mean to be a negative Nancy, but I do want this blog to be an honest reflection of our reality. Words of encouragement and PRAYERS are greatly appreciated and needed right now. Post a comment, give Karen a call, shoot a text, stop by the house, Facebook, and most of all, PRAY.
We plan to leave for LA on Monday around 1200. My mom, Jan, is an angel, and will be staying with Austin and Lena. She will fill in for Karen and I while we are getting Karen's 'tune-up' done. The surgery will take place Tuesday afternoon, assuming all goes well.
I'll try to update before the surgery.
Cheers,
Bob
Monday, February 7, 2011
Update #4 - Barbara's Pre-Op - 7 Feb
Busy week! Karen and I spent all week preparing for her mother's arrival. Saturday afternoon we were finishing up the last of the "to-do" list, then we drove to Ontario, CA to pick Barbara up at the airport late that evening. It felt so great to hug the woman that is giving a kidney, so Karen can get one in return!
Today Barbara had her pre-op appointments and Karen had a cardiologist appointment at UCLA. I was supposed to go with, but Lena became sick yesterday, so stayed home with her. Very disappointing to not make a doctor's appointment, but Lena needed her daddy.
So...I mentioned Karen had a cardiologist appointment. If you've read the previous updates, you will remember that Karen has had some odd things happening with her heart, specifically, heart palpitations. Earlier this week, she raised the ante a bit, and awoke from a dead sleep with her heart racing as if she just finished a sprint. Her heart rate has been very low recently; 50-60 beats per minute resting heart rate. Two weeks ago, in the emergency room, I noticed when she fell asleep, her heart rate dropped below 50 bpm, which set off an alarm. This alarm would jolt her a bit, taking her heart rate back above 50. Karen thought when she awoke from the sleep that possibly her heart rate had dropped very low, and her body jolted her awake. Seems to make sense to me.
Because of the recent heart issues, Karen was referred to the UCLA cardiologist. When she told him (today) of her being awakened from sleep, he decided to order a 30 day heart monitor WHICH WOULD DELAY THE TRANSPLANT!!!!! That was NOT a fun call to receive from Karen. Are you kidding me??? Back to square one???? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!
Apparently Karen's cardiologist and transplant surgeon had a discussion, and they decided the best course of action is...........to go ahead with the transplant. God is good my friends! VERY unnerving 45 minutes today. So all is well on Karen's transplant front. Her mother's donation on the other hand, is still in the works.
Unfortunately, a day or two before traveling to California, Barbara found out she was NOT a good match to the recipient which was scheduled for the 25th of February. It was very heartbreaking for Barbara, as she has put her life on hold, to give the gift of life to others. Today she met with the doctors to discuss the situation.
First on her agenda was more blood tests. While in the lab giving blood she saw Sidney Portier! That will probably only impress one reader of this post, our dear friend Tammy. After her brush with fame, she met with the transplant team, which informed her they are shooting to have her donate on the 23rd of this month. Please say a prayer and keep your fingers crossed that this will work out. As if giving an organ is not stressful enough, imagine being two weeks away, and not knowing exactly when/if it's going to happen!
For now, Karen is all set. My next post should be as we get ready to leave for the hospital (Monday or Tuesday). If we receive an update on Barbara, I'll be sure to post.
Cheers,
Bob
Today Barbara had her pre-op appointments and Karen had a cardiologist appointment at UCLA. I was supposed to go with, but Lena became sick yesterday, so stayed home with her. Very disappointing to not make a doctor's appointment, but Lena needed her daddy.
So...I mentioned Karen had a cardiologist appointment. If you've read the previous updates, you will remember that Karen has had some odd things happening with her heart, specifically, heart palpitations. Earlier this week, she raised the ante a bit, and awoke from a dead sleep with her heart racing as if she just finished a sprint. Her heart rate has been very low recently; 50-60 beats per minute resting heart rate. Two weeks ago, in the emergency room, I noticed when she fell asleep, her heart rate dropped below 50 bpm, which set off an alarm. This alarm would jolt her a bit, taking her heart rate back above 50. Karen thought when she awoke from the sleep that possibly her heart rate had dropped very low, and her body jolted her awake. Seems to make sense to me.
Because of the recent heart issues, Karen was referred to the UCLA cardiologist. When she told him (today) of her being awakened from sleep, he decided to order a 30 day heart monitor WHICH WOULD DELAY THE TRANSPLANT!!!!! That was NOT a fun call to receive from Karen. Are you kidding me??? Back to square one???? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!
Apparently Karen's cardiologist and transplant surgeon had a discussion, and they decided the best course of action is...........to go ahead with the transplant. God is good my friends! VERY unnerving 45 minutes today. So all is well on Karen's transplant front. Her mother's donation on the other hand, is still in the works.
Unfortunately, a day or two before traveling to California, Barbara found out she was NOT a good match to the recipient which was scheduled for the 25th of February. It was very heartbreaking for Barbara, as she has put her life on hold, to give the gift of life to others. Today she met with the doctors to discuss the situation.
First on her agenda was more blood tests. While in the lab giving blood she saw Sidney Portier! That will probably only impress one reader of this post, our dear friend Tammy. After her brush with fame, she met with the transplant team, which informed her they are shooting to have her donate on the 23rd of this month. Please say a prayer and keep your fingers crossed that this will work out. As if giving an organ is not stressful enough, imagine being two weeks away, and not knowing exactly when/if it's going to happen!
For now, Karen is all set. My next post should be as we get ready to leave for the hospital (Monday or Tuesday). If we receive an update on Barbara, I'll be sure to post.
Cheers,
Bob
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Update #3 - Pre-Op Appointment - 31 Jan
Karen is feeling great today. We've had a busy couple days attempting to get everything in order prior to the transplant. Only two weeks away! Aaaaaahhhhhhhh!
Yesterday (31 Jan) we had Karen's pre-op appointment at UCLA Medical Center. We had to leave the house at 0445 to make a 0700 appointment at the lab. Ouch. Unfortunately we ran into LA traffic which added an unplanned 40 minutes to the drive. Who would have thought there would be traffic in LA at 7 in the morning?
After Karen's lab work, we went upstairs to the Nephrology Office where we met with the transplant coordinator. She gave us the run-down of how things will work immediately before the surgery. We then met with the director of the Kidney Transplantation division at UCLA. It's a good feeling when the attending physician is just about the number one guy in the whole world at what he does. Lastly we met with Karen's surgeon. It's pretty neat to talk with the guy that in two weeks will be accomplishing such an amazing procedure. I have so much to say about this doctor, but I'll save that for another post. What I will say is that he has an incredible way of putting us (most importantly Karen) at ease. Karen and I have been a bit "stressed" as of late, as you can imagine. After spending quite some time with him, we both left with smiles on our faces, limitless sense of hope, and an agreement that, "that guy is freakin' awesome." We are lucky and blessed to be where we are.
As I mentioned, we have been a bit stressed lately. You can imagine we have been working through about a hundred things prior to the surgery. Kids, dog, family, travel, lodging, Karen's Master's degree, dance, basketball, couches, work, vehicles, dead batteries in truck (really? yep.), one-week plan, two-week plan, one-month plan. Aaaahhhh! Oh yeah, and the kidney transplant.
In reality, we have nothing to complain about. We are stationed at the best base we could possibly be stationed for Karen to have a kidney transplant. We are surrounded by dozens of friends that will drop what their doing to help us. We are part of an Air Force family that WILL NOT allow undue hardship or stress to take place (my work has been incredibly understanding about the situation), our family is behind us 100%, and we have many wonderful people praying for Karen's health. Really - how lucky are we?
Karen's mother will arrive on Saturday and stay with us until the 14th or 15th when we head down to L.A. for the surgery. Her mother has her pre-op appointment on Feb 7th, so I'll update after that.
Thanks for reading, and please keep praying.
-Bob
Yesterday (31 Jan) we had Karen's pre-op appointment at UCLA Medical Center. We had to leave the house at 0445 to make a 0700 appointment at the lab. Ouch. Unfortunately we ran into LA traffic which added an unplanned 40 minutes to the drive. Who would have thought there would be traffic in LA at 7 in the morning?
After Karen's lab work, we went upstairs to the Nephrology Office where we met with the transplant coordinator. She gave us the run-down of how things will work immediately before the surgery. We then met with the director of the Kidney Transplantation division at UCLA. It's a good feeling when the attending physician is just about the number one guy in the whole world at what he does. Lastly we met with Karen's surgeon. It's pretty neat to talk with the guy that in two weeks will be accomplishing such an amazing procedure. I have so much to say about this doctor, but I'll save that for another post. What I will say is that he has an incredible way of putting us (most importantly Karen) at ease. Karen and I have been a bit "stressed" as of late, as you can imagine. After spending quite some time with him, we both left with smiles on our faces, limitless sense of hope, and an agreement that, "that guy is freakin' awesome." We are lucky and blessed to be where we are.
As I mentioned, we have been a bit stressed lately. You can imagine we have been working through about a hundred things prior to the surgery. Kids, dog, family, travel, lodging, Karen's Master's degree, dance, basketball, couches, work, vehicles, dead batteries in truck (really? yep.), one-week plan, two-week plan, one-month plan. Aaaahhhh! Oh yeah, and the kidney transplant.
In reality, we have nothing to complain about. We are stationed at the best base we could possibly be stationed for Karen to have a kidney transplant. We are surrounded by dozens of friends that will drop what their doing to help us. We are part of an Air Force family that WILL NOT allow undue hardship or stress to take place (my work has been incredibly understanding about the situation), our family is behind us 100%, and we have many wonderful people praying for Karen's health. Really - how lucky are we?
Karen's mother will arrive on Saturday and stay with us until the 14th or 15th when we head down to L.A. for the surgery. Her mother has her pre-op appointment on Feb 7th, so I'll update after that.
Thanks for reading, and please keep praying.
-Bob
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