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got that call

Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2016 2:08 pm
by chessnut
I just wanted to share that I finally got "that call"! After 3 years 9 months of dialysis, I now have a transplanted kidney.

I got called just as I started work, around 9.30am. Got transplanted in the early hours of the next day. I've just been released from hospital, yesterday.

Quite a rough start. I was very disoriented when I woke up, and was fighting the nurse to get up and go to the bathroom ... the next few days saw my having some breathing problems with a minor chest infection, but gradually got back on my feet. and now at home after 8 days. still feeling very rough, but glad to be home, with my own tea and a quiet bed!

Superb treatment from Addenbrooke's. All the staff I found outstanding and considerate.

One thing I'm less impressed by: frequent toilet trips! I haven't passed urine in 3 years, so my bladder has shrunk. I'm having to make a trip every hour, which is tiresome at night. Hopefully, this will settle down soon.

Re: got that call

Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2016 3:04 pm
by SKM23435
Congratulations.
Fantastic news.

Re: got that call

Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2016 3:27 pm
by bosshogg
Awesome news.

Congratulations.

Re: got that call

Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2016 8:36 pm
by Chris Wright
Brilliant, all the best.

Re: got that call

Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2016 12:09 pm
by Dibs
Congratulations and thanks for the update.

It feels strange that after seeing various people and undergoing lots of tests to get on the list, that we end up just waiting. The only contact I seem to have with my transplant centre is when I send in my blood sample every three months. So it's good to hear first hand that there are still some transplants.

Re: got that call

Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2016 12:39 pm
by DeanH
Great news!

Re: got that call

Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2016 3:04 pm
by chessnut
Dibs wrote:Congratulations and thanks for the update.

It feels strange that after seeing various people and undergoing lots of tests to get on the list, that we end up just waiting. The only contact I seem to have with my transplant centre is when I send in my blood sample every three months. So it's good to hear first hand that there are still some transplants.
Yes, the wait is a quiet one. Apart from the three monthly samples, I had an annual check-up from the transplant team, but no other contact. I was told the reason for my wait (which he described as 'long') only just before the transplant itself. Something about rare tissue types that I inherited which made a match trickier than usual.

Re: got that call

Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2016 5:32 am
by AmandaClare
Great news! Hope your recovery is smooth from now on.

We don't seem to have had any of these posts for a while. Here's hoping you start a trend.

Amanda x

Re: got that call

Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2016 7:07 am
by chessnut
Thank you for all your good wishes; a little update from me.

It's now been a little over two weeks since coming home, and things seem to be going well. All my blood results are looking good.
My weight has come down by around 8kg since the operation, as the excess fluid they pumped in has been removed - my body shape is mostly back to normal, and I can now do my trousers up again!
That excess weight was causing me some problems at first with breathlessness, which made walking around for the first few days difficult, but that has cleared up and I'm reasonably mobile.
I had the staples out last week. The wound is the main source of discomfort at the moment, but nothing too bad. It feels like a weight is pinned into my side, and I have to be careful when moving around.
Thankfully, toilet breaks are becoming less frequent, as my bladder gets used to the new activity, though I'm still up and down through the night.

Apart from the sheer luxury of being able to drink more-or-less at will, the biggest change I've noticed so far is that my head feels a lot clearer: this has improved my concentration, so I can read for longer periods, which is handy, as that's mostly what I'm doing now. I'm guessing this is largely down to the much improved creatinine level. On dialysis, my creatinine used to be in the range 800-1000, and now it's below 200.

Re: got that call

Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2016 5:37 pm
by Chris Wright
Great news, let hope it keeps going well!

C

Re: got that call

Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2016 12:39 pm
by Dixie1
Congratulations chessnut! Great news. :)

Re: got that call

Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2016 2:45 pm
by bosshogg
Awesome stuff.
Long may it continue.



Keep well.

Re: got that call

Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2016 7:51 pm
by jooles
Hooray! Congratulations!