My personal perspective on my wait for my GF

Everything Else
#24

[quote=“boringkajj, post:22, topic:11644”]
The docs don’t remove the old kidneys (unless they’re causing a medical issue)…they just install a 3rd one up front of the body…just left or right of the belly button, above the hip. Gnarly scar. Chicks dig guys with scars…so I’m told.
[/quote])

Yes we leave the patient’s kidneys in as a nephrectomy (removal) is a complicated operation in and of itself, so given how hard a transplant is, no reason to add a second complication to the process. And the non-working kidneys (as you note) unless they are actively harming you (through something like cancer) aren’t actively hurting you by anything other than not doing their job, so leaving them in place is way safer. Since we just attach the kidneys directly onto the abdominal aorta (this allows them to not have as long an artery from the donor compared to the natural kidney) makes it mechanically simpler. I’ve scrubbed on a double orthotopic kidney transplant (the donors kidneys were not :proofgrade: so we had to implant 2) meant that she walked out with 4 kidneys in her body… (makes for an amusing CT-scan or MRI later when the medical student is confused why there are 4 glowing kidneys!)

And as someone said, please sign up to be an organ donor (and tell your relatives that it’s what you want). And if you have good kidneys now, take care of them!

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#25

Thank you for sharing your story. Congratulations on the kidney!

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#26

Wait… What? No.
Life & Death, or at minimum - life/health quality is not the same.

Your survival does not depend on the Glowforge (I hope).

I believe the author also had no intent to minimize your anxiety over your wait.

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#27

Everything got blown out so I will respond to this once. I know he did not, nor did I ever to him.

I responded that to the OP, that I had health but $ was my issue
When the potential to lose the roof over your head and all of your stuff because you lose your job or anything happens which causes you lose everything, you need to find a way to describe it. So I use my imagination.

In essence, this is like a Kidney for me and my spouse - PROVERBIALLY
Not in the literal sense, everyone can just climb down off their horses, lets be cool here.

I was not discounting what the OP went through, I was simply relating how different his situation is to ours, granted it is not a literal organ, but it does not always have to be about a literal body piece to try to get a point across. I was merely trying to imply the importance of it to us. This is a GF forum, right?

The OP and I saw eye to eye to eye, hence our hearts given and received, but when everyone started to jump on me, I was out of there, people need to lighten up and not contribute their $.02 when I was posting a response to the OP, and not to the rest of the forum. At the point that we saw eye to eye, there was no reason for anyone else to comment on it.

The horse is DEAD, me and the OP are GREAT.
We understand each other, why can’t the rest of you respect that and leave it be?
This would not have been made about me had everyone NOT made it about me.
I am not spending my day going on about this.

Have a lovely day, everyone! I intend on trying to do the same.

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#28

On that note, Happy Birthday! :gift::balloon:
Everyone has their own perspective, and are entitled to it. Hoping your financial situation improves before it worsens - change is the only constant, and it is already on it’s way.

Good Luck!

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#29

Also, welcome to them interwebnets.

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#30

Bravo! Thank you for this…

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#31

I’m so glad you’re with us, @boringkajj. I can’t imagine what that wait must have been like.

For those reading, please do sign up to be an organ donor. And there’s one other thing you can do, if I may thread hijack just a tad:
http://www.bethematch.com/
it’s just a cheek swab to go on file, and the odds are about 1-in-400 that you’ll get the call. But if you do, you can save a life.

Against all odds I got the 1-in-400 call a few months ago, and now there’s a 52 year old guy with a genetic makeup unusually similar to mine who’s kitted out with my marrow cells and recovering instead of dying. It’s one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done, up there with getting married and having kids, and it took me exactly one day to do (and I spent that day watching TV in a comfey chair). I can’t recommend it enough.

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#32

While you’re doing that, get typed for Apherisis blood donation. If you get a match you’ll need to stop whole blood donations but you’ll be donating some blood component that’s needed by someone usually undergoing some very tough chemo or other treatment that’s doing a number on their own blood. Takes an hour or so while they centrifuge out what they need and put the rest back in. Usually end up as part of a team of donors who might go once a week or so in order to provide enough blood component for the patient. You don’t need to wait 8 weeks between apherisis donations. It can be the difference between that treatment being successful or the patient dying because they couldn’t manage the treatment or opportunistic infections.

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#33

I’ve been on Be The Match for 20 years. Can’t believe its been that long. Actually got the call last year to donate, kicked off the process and then suddenly it was cancelled. Not good for whoever was supposed to be receiving my donation.

Thanks Dan for being one of the donors! You definitely changed a life and helped a whole group of family and friends have more time with their loved one.

I’ve got one more blood donation to hit 4 gallons so far. Unfortunately my current medication precludes me from getting there for now but as soon as Ican, here I come.

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#34

I Love this!
I’m signed up for this, and to be a donor. I haven’t donated 4 gallons of blood, but I give a few times a year.

I know several little kids that are alive today because of bone marrow transplants. It’s fantastic and life-giving.

My own kid has had several blood and platelet transfusions. My eternal gratitude to the great people that donated for her.

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#35

Is that the:

“Be the match marrow registry” ? I’ve been on it for 15 years :slightly_smiling_face:

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#36

Yes. I am registered with be the match marrow registry.
Pretty slick that someone is walking around healthy and alive because @dan spent a day watching tv and donating some healthy marrow.

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#37

Only slightly off topic, but did you know that dogs can donate too? (Obviously only for other dogs)
Last year when we lost one of our dogs, the week that he spent in the hospital, taught us a lot of things. One of them was that dogs need blood and plasma too. Something you don’t think about, but stands to reasons.

Now one of our other dogs gives monthly donations. He also happens to be a universal donor, so he can be in high demand. He is a champ and just lays there and lets them do what they need to do.

If you are a pet lover, I HIGHLY suggest seeing if your area has a program like this. Most do, and most are always in need.

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#38

I always remember hearing that bone marrow was actually quite painful to remove/donate. Is that not true?

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#39

I can tell you that if they have to penetrate the hip to extract it, it feels like your whole side is on fire and no local will help.

Fred Hutchinson and tge Seattle Cancer Care Alliance where my wife has worked since she was 18 utilizes other techniques in most cases to extract the donor material through the equivalent of a blood donation type of procedure. However there are still cases where a hip extraction is required.

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#40

When I signed up it was drill & pull, but they have a “new” (10 year old?) procedure that’s dramatically easier. They give you a drug that stimulates marrow cell production, then filter out the excess cells from your bloodstream via a blood-donation-like procedure. Not painful at all. @henryhbk might be able to lend some color here, since I’m not sure I got the details right. :slight_smile:

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#41

That sounds right from what has rubbed off on me from my Wife who is an RN of 39 years and a medical case manager specializing in transplants.
She is also an 8 gallon donor. :sunglasses:

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#42

That’s pretty good description actually.

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#43

That’s good to hear. I just remember hearing it was painful which I’m sure deters a fair few from donating (or rather, signing up to donate). Really nice to hear there’s an easier way now. I’ll have to look into it.

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