Well …. This is one blog I hoped I would never have to write. I am afraid my wings have been clipped. My transplanted kidney has failed. As a result, I am grounded until I receive a new kidney. I am … Gutted. Heartbroken. Devastated. I always knew this day would come, but I had hoped for a couple more years so I could finish out my list of countries I want to visit before being put on the I.R. However, these are the cards I have been dealt. And a 23 plus year run with my first transplanted kidney is pretty damn awesome thanks to my selfless brother and his gift of life to me so many years ago.
Now unfortunately, the failure was exacerbated by me catching the flu (influenza A – and I had the damn flu shot) and pneumonia so I have been hospitalized for the better part of a week. Yesterday they put a temporary port in my neck and I am doing hemiodialysis to clear out the toxins in my body and once the flu and pneumonia are taken care of, I will have a shunt put in my stomach and the port in my neck removed so I can do the less invasive peritoneal dialysis.
So I am going to be on the IR for some time. And unfortunately, my trip to the Baltic countries in April (Belgium, Luxembourg, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) is on hold until a kidney transplant. (I know … first world problems ….)
We are now searching for a new kidney donor for me. Sadly, my immediate family cannot donate a kidney to me. My sister is not eligible to donate, and my brother didn’t grow a second kidney (Really! How inconsiderate eh?) So two options. First, I will be put on a list for a transplant from a deceased donor. It is unknown how long the wait could be, but perhaps up to five years. During the wait I will likely be on peritoneal dialysis, which will hopefully keep me alive until a transplant. However, the longer I am on dialysis the higher the risks not only to my life, but to a successful transplant so fingers crossed for a short wait.
Second, I am eligible for a living transplant as long as I can find a kidney donor who is either a compatible match for me (i.e. compatible blood type etc.) or is willing to be part of an exchange, which involves swapping incompatible donor-recipient pairs so that the recipients receive the compatible organs. In other words, if my potential donor is not a match for me, my donor can be matched with a recipient who is a match with my donor and whose donor is a match for me. So in plain language … we swap donors. The living donor route would allow me to have a transplant very quickly. So, if you know of anyone who is interested in being tested to be my kidney donor, please, please, please reach out to me. All costs and expenses are covered in full by my insurance, and I can provide more information about testing, timing, process etc. to anyone interested. In addition, my brother can answer any questions about his experience in donating a kidney to me.
Until that glorious transplant day, I will continue to dream of far away lands, exotic foods and the fabulous people I have met all over the world. I know one day I will hop on a plane (my happy place) and soar again to visit the world.
Cheers,
Deborah