The second day of evaluations was interesting. Generally speaking it was a more positive day than our first day. Not that day one wasn't a positive experience, but as they say, you remember the negative sometimes more than you do the positive. The words from Dr. Morris are still lurking in the back of my mind, but I'm getting a better handle on that now too.
One of the things Dr. Morris kept trying to get across to me was that transplant is not a cure. I remembered that yesterday, and I fully agree with that. When I get a new kidney, I'm still going to be a guy with IGA nephropathy. A new kidney won't change that. But, I'll be a lot smarter about this, having gone through what I've gone through since September. If they put a new kidney in me, I will care for that thing so well, I will get the maximum life it has to offer me.
So, armed with that attitude, Jeannie and I arrived at UNMC around 7:15am, and checked in for my ultrasound. We ended up in the wrong place, but while I was there I was able to get my second lab done. It was a good mistake and I was glad to get that out of the way right away. We were guided down to the right place for the ultrasound, so we ended up being there on time.
The ultrasound was no big deal, but I was glad that the gel was warm and not cold. It's the little things! The tech doing the ultrasound was chatty, and she explained what was happening on the monitor. The grainy black and white image was hard for me to focus on, but she was happy with the pictures she got.
Since I had to fast before this test, and I had to eat before 9am to prepare for the afternoon's stress test, we headed up to the cafeteria to eat breakfast. From there is was on to two consultations.
The first was with a nutritional person. Her name was Meghan, and she must have been an intern. She told us she was hoping to get a job after her UNMC experience ended. She had lots of good things to say about my lab results.They were the best she had seen that week, and it was her opinion that I was in good shape for a transplant.
Our next stop was with a staff psychiatrist. Dr. Keim and I talked for about an hour, and I was able to share my thoughts on Wednesday conversation with Dr. Morris. We talked on a variety of topics, and when we were finished she told me that she would speak in favor of the transplant when everyone got together to discuss my case next week.
My final stop for the day was the Heart Center. I had an echo-cardiogram and then a stress test. This was wild. The stress test is medically induce with a couple different drugs. First off, they got my heart beating so loud it felt like it was going to jump out of my chest. Then they added another drug that made my heart race like an Indy race car. The pictures they got were pretty awesome. At least they were to me.
The doctor that was supervising all of this said that I passed the test. I wasn't worried about that, I guess, but you never know, right? He guided the nurse through injecting the medicine that would slow down my heart, and within about10 minutes or so, my heart rate was back to normal. One of the side affects of all of this was a really bad case of dry mouth. The nurse warned me about this before we started, and she didn't undersell. I had to slam down the water during the rest of the day to finally feel normal.
I noticed this morning I came into dialysis a little bit heavier than normal, but as I write this I can see that most of it was water, and it's coming off just fine.
So now, we wait. The transplant team meets next Thursday to determine if I will be eligible to be placed on the transplant list. I'm hopeful, but given how the conversations went with the doctor and the surgeon, I have to be open to the possibility that they will make me wait.
To pass the time next week, I will get to focus on a Monday PET scan and then a maintenance treatment for the CLL on Friday. In between, I'll have plenty of work to catch up on. It should be a fast week.
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