Karen - Update #3 - Going home?

Getting ready to go in bright and early for my next post op visit. We will be hoping for the ok to head back home after our appointment. We are also hoping that they will finally take my drain out! The drain is extremely annoying, so this is a big priority for me tomorrow! I mean REALLY.....who wants to walk around with a drainage tube attached to their side?! So, hopefully I will get to sleep in my own bed tomorrow night and hug my two awesome kiddos!!

On a different note, my Mom is doing amazing! She still has some pain around the incision when she has to go from sitting to standing, but overall she is just incredible! She will continue to stay in the LA area until the docs give her the go, which should happen on March 4th. After she is released, she will head out to Edwards with my Grandma Thompson and my Aunt Ginger.

Thanks to Meredith Kipp and Kelly Howard for the wonderful bag you brought before I left for the hospital. It has come in very handy. I wanted you to know that I have been using the journal to keep track of everything I eat and how I feel as I am adjusting to all of my meds. It has been a perfect tool post transplant! I also wear the beautiful bag to distract attention from my ugly drain! ;)

10A spouses - Thanks so much for the fruit basket! So absolutely yummy! The chocolate covered strawberries were gone in a flash!! You girls are awesome!

Oh yeah, maybe you were wondering why I wrote this blog update and not Bob. Well, I think he has just exhausted himself and is happily snoring by my side :) He certainly deserves it!!

Wishing you all well! - Karen

Update #20 - Barbara discharged from hospital

Believe it or not, Barbara has already been discharged from the hospital!  Her total time in the hospital was just barely over 24 hours.  Upon release, she seemed nearly completely normal, suffering very few after-effects from the surgery.  Of course there was a bit of pain, but it was well controlled with medication.

We are now over 24 hours post-release, and you can hardly tell she's had anything done!  Years ago, Karen had her wisdom teeth pulled...she seemed to suffer a heck of a lot more than Barbara is suffering now.  It's a testament to the surgeon's skill and Barbara's toughness.

Yesterday, Karen's grandmother and aunt flew in from Florida to help with the recovery process.  It's great to have them here.  Karen and her mother can't wait to feel up to a day of shopping in Beverly Hills.  Catch 22 as far as I'm concerned.

Karen is getting better with each day, although she continues to experience some nausea and other sensations, most all of which are due to medications.  Some noted side effects:

- nausea

- flushed face

- slight shakes

- pain on bottom of feet

- hot feet....?

- nausea

The nausea has been no fun, but she was placed on new medication today that should help.  The most notable positive changes are:

- Not tired any more! - As long as I've known Karen...she had always tried to catch an extra 10, 30, 90 minutes of sleep in the morning.  She felt groggy all day, perpetually needing a nap.  NO MORE!  Our alarm went off at 0530 this morning...I instantly said, "Do you feel tired?"........"Nope!"

- She isn't perpetually cold!  It was always a daily battle of Karen trying to sweat me out of the house, car, etc.  Now she actually is asking, "Would you mind if I turned the air down a notch or two?"

I can see where this is going.  In six months, Karen will be up at 0600 every single morning, ready to go, kicking the family in the butt to start our day.  She'll have the a/c set on 65 degrees.  I'll end up having to either ask the docs to put a "meter" on her kidney so I can turn it down a bit, or I'll have to get a new kidney for myself, so I can hang in there with her.

Again, another pitch to check out the kidney exchange program:  

http://transplants.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=112&oTopID=34

THIS PROGRAM IS IN ITS INFANCY - IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS ON DIALYSIS, YOU MAY SAVE THEIR LIFE BY CHECKING THE LINK.  

I cannot stress that enough.  The developers of the program are TOO BUSY to "market" the program.  They are too busy saving lives on a daily basis...they simply do not have the time.  I hope to help by spreading the word about the program.  I will provide much more information in the future, but for now, send this information to someone you may know that needs help.  The bottom line...you do not need a COMPATIBLE donor to receive a kidney...you just need someone that is willing to give their kidney, whether they are a match or not.  THIS IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT HAS BEEN TRADITIONALLY DONE.  Dr. Veale said he will meet people that have been on dialysis for 4-5 years, and had someone that was willing to donate a kidney, but was not a match.....so they lived (and many die) on dialysis.  They are not aware of the program until Dr Veale tells them about it.  3 months later, they have a new kidney, and a new life.

Please pass the good word,

Bob

Karen - Update #2 - Mom's donation successful!

Just got word that my Mom's surgery was a success and that everything went well! However, we won't be able see her for another 2 hours. So off goes Mama's kidney to Cornell in NY to help a lady waiting on her new kidney! Good luck to the lady in NY tomorrow, I don't know you, but I am so excited for you!! I hope you are not tired anymore and I hope you don't go home with a drain in your side ;)

Karen

Update #19 - Still in Surgery - & Ode to Karen's Surgeon

Barbara is currently in surgery.  Please continue to pray for her.  We should receive an update soon. 

I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you a bit about Karen’s doctors, specifically her transplant surgeon, Dr. Jeffrey Veale.

Where do I begin…I cannot possibly say enough about this man.  Dr. Veale brought SO MUCH comfort to Karen and I throughout the entire process.  When Karen felt anxious about the surgery, he put us at ease in the first five seconds of seeing him.  I cannot stress enough the comfort he brought into the room with him.  If there were questions in our mind, they were erased when he spoke.  Our confidence in him was, and is, immeasurable.  Not only was his “bedside manner” top-notch, but his credibility is off the chart.  A two minute conversation with him reveals there is no better person to perform a kidney transplant on Karen than Dr. Jeffrey Veale. 

A fantastic article which sums up his importance in our lives, and in the lives of countless others…please, please, please check out the following article:

http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_15944169

More details on the kidney exchange program, note that all five videos include our hero:

http://transplants.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=112&oTopID=34

With Karen in the care of another doctor…I would have been a basket case. 

An angel, a world-class surgeon, a rock star.  There’s so much more I’d like to tell you about Dr. Veale, but I’ll leave it at that for now.

Cheers,

Bob

Update #18 - Barbara's big day!

As I write this, Karen's mother is undergoing preparation for her Kidney donation scheduled for 1400.  What a wonderful human being she is.  A bit nervous this morning, but overall, handling everything like a champ.  Some of you may be wondering, "Why is Barbara donating a kidney if Karen already received one?"  If you are interested in the answer to that, check out the following link.  It details what exactly the kidney exchange program is all about.

http://transplants.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=112&oTopID=34

Keep in mind, Karen is doing great, and getting better.  I'm in awe that Barbara is completely fine going under the knife, knowing that her daughter is going to be okay whether she goes through the surgery or not.  It's a testament to her character that she is still 100% willing to donate her kidney, given the conditions.  There wasn't a single shred of her being that even flinched at the idea.  I'm not sure exactly how many people will receive kidneys because of Barbara's donation, but last I heard it was around five.  Isn't that amazing?  Please give the web page a look...consider if you would be willing to give a kidney to a stranger, knowing that it can set off a chain of which potentially dozens of people will receive the gift of life.  Living donation is a beautiful thing. 

I'll update throughout the day.

-Bob

Karen - Update #1! Thank you!

So I have been wondering how I express my feelings for all of the amazing support that I received, literally from all over the world, through my transplant process. I have been waiting for this day since I was around 5 years old, I knew it would show up at some point in time. What I did not envision was the overwhelming support of so many friends and family. Don't get me wrong, I love you all and I know my husband rocks! But MAN did you all exceed my expectations! I just can't find the words to tell you what it meant to know that so many people were behind me on this. Support like that truly makes a person stronger, so with every fiber of my being.....I THANK YOU!!! My husband, as you all know, is a pretty awesome guy as well. I have been trying to find a way to portray my thoughts to him about everything he has done for me through all of this. I told him today that I didn't go through this with his help, but "we went through this". He was there for every awful part, every wonderful part and every disgusting part with love in his heart. He brought me sips of water, helped me out of bed, helped unplug all of my wires every time I had to get up out of the hospital bed, kept everyone updated, brought me the phone when he thought I would be up for calling a friend (even if I thought I wasn't - although he was always right!), brought me my computer, brought me my schoolbooks, and on and on! Not only did he support me and you (my friends), but he loved my mom and my sister while they were waiting as well. Who has that kind of strength?! So again, to my friends, family and Bob....thank you!

So on a different note, even though I have been waiting for this for most of my life, it still doesn't seem to make it feel normal. It IS weird that someone else's kidney is inside of me. It IS weird that I have to take so many medications, to include 2 TBSPs of canola oil everyday (yuck!). It IS also weird that I don't feel tired anymore, which was a feeling that I always had, pretty much all the time. I am hoping that side effect will stick with me! It is totally weird that I still have a tube sticking out of my side. But I am looking ahead and getting used to my new life with meds and some small restrictions. For example, when I get to Lake Tahoe this summer to visit with friends, I will not be joining you in the water. But a little price to pay for not being hooked up to a dialysis machine to live! I am looking forward to the day that I walk into the gym and do a normal workout! I look forward to driving again. And I REALLY look forward to getting this tube out of my side! I also look forward to thanking the wonderful man in TX that decided that it would be a great idea to give away a perfectly good organ! I wonder what he will be like? I think of a cowboy in wranglers and boots, but maybe he is a business man? Who knows? Either way.....TX man....you rock!!

As for this blog, I really enjoyed reading everything that Bob updated you all on over this time, as well as the comments. Peter Schaaf, thanks for having confidence in me and guessing my creatinine level! :) Really people.....1.7, 1.8???? I am stronger than that!! Ricky...I knew you were always one of the smarter people in the family and found it funny that you actually had a reason why balloons were probably not allowed in my hospital room, AND that you are probably correct. For those of you that don't know, my cousin Ricky also offered me his kidney. It worked out differently, although we were a match, but I thank you Ricky and love you! Amy Barnett, I will certainly have to learn to be more careful with over the counter meds now! Did you see the stack of pills they gave me?! Well, at least they didn't give them to me after I had downed 5 margaritas!

Bob and I will continue to post on this blog as we are not completely through our ordeal as of yet. In order for me to get this TX kidney, my Mom had to also agree to give one of her perfectly good kidneys. She will be doing this on Wednesday and the kidney will be overnighted to NY. It will be interesting to be on the side of the donor and know a bit about my TX donor man went through. My mom is now on a clear liquid diet until then and I am sure is getting a bit nervous. I am really hoping this will be easier on her than it was on me. Please keep my Mom in your thoughts and prayers! It is a very difficult thing to watch a loved one go through something like this when there is NOTHING wrong with them! I love my Mom very much and pray that this goes as easy as possible for her on Wednesday and that her recipient takes to her kidney better or just as well as I took my donor's kidney!

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart!!

Love -
Karen

Update #17 - Freedom!!!!!

Great news!  I learned how to insert pictures into the blog!

More great news!  Karen has been discharged from the hospital!

 

If you zoom in to the picture, you can probably see how excited she is after I asked her to quick hop out of the car to take a picture!

As I mentioned in previous blogs, Karen had been improving by the hour.  By yesterday afternoon the doctors determined she was well enough to go "home".  For us, home is the Tiverton House, a hotel associated with the UCLA Medical Center, just a few blocks from the hospital.  Unfortunately our real home, Edwards AFB, is just too far to travel for the first week or so after release from the hospital.  The plan is to stay at the Tiverton House for a week.  Contact info:

Karen Ungerman, Room #212
UCLA Tiverton House
900 Tiverton Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90095-9000
(310) 794-0280
Unfortunately, we still cannot accept flowers.  Apparently the soil and water used by fresh cut flowers are known to carry large amounts of bacteria.  Because Karen's anti-rejection medication lowers her white blood cell count (and thus the ability to fight infections), it's best to stay away from fresh cut flowers, at least until we are out of the (small, enclosed) hotel room. 

In the meantime, Karen will continue to learn about her medications:

There's at least a dozen of them.  A year from now it should be down to just a few.  In the meantime, the doctors need to find the right dosage, by balancing her blood levels with a tolerable level of side effects (nausea, bloating, headache, dizziness, etc).  Much of the "guesswork" is why we are staying in the LA area for a while.  If she starts to have a crazy side effect, we need to be close to the hospital.  After a week, we should have a pretty good grasp on things.

So the next big thing on the agenda is Barbara's surgery.  Two days to go!  Please, please, please continue to pray for Barbara.  Pray for a smooth operation and a quick recovery.  Each time I look at Barbara I realize if it wasn't for her, Karen would NOT have a new kidney in her right now.  Plain and simple.  She is a wonderful woman, and I hope I could have the same character as she when placed in the same situation.  Who knows, maybe I'll have that opportunity one day.

A very wonderful person has asked for information on Karen's doctors.  I promise to do that soon!

Love you all!

Bob