got that call

This is the forum for the Kidney Patient Guide. We welcome feedback about the site and any information that may be of use or interest to other visitors.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This forum is not for queries that would otherwise be addressed to a doctor. If you have a question about your condition or treatment please consult your renal unit or doctor. We do not have any editorial or medical resources to answer individual queries.

Moderator: administrator

Post Reply
chessnut
Posts: 26
Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2015 6:31 pm

got that call

Post 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.
SKM23435
Posts: 289
Joined: Wed Oct 16, 2013 2:39 pm

Re: got that call

Post by SKM23435 »

Congratulations.
Fantastic news.
Started APD July 2014
On transplant and paired exchange lists.
Transplant 9/5/15
bosshogg
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2015 8:44 pm

Re: got that call

Post by bosshogg »

Awesome news.

Congratulations.
Live Tx 13 odd years ago. Living the dream./
Chris Wright
Posts: 138
Joined: Sun Nov 19, 2006 9:21 pm

Re: got that call

Post by Chris Wright »

Brilliant, all the best.
Transplanted Sept 1981

Still enjoying life like a 21 year old, or younger!
Dibs
Posts: 76
Joined: Fri Jan 23, 2015 1:29 pm
Location: Somerset

Re: got that call

Post 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.
DeanH
Posts: 67
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2015 5:01 pm

Re: got that call

Post by DeanH »

Great news!
chessnut
Posts: 26
Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2015 6:31 pm

Re: got that call

Post 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.
AmandaClare
Posts: 658
Joined: Tue Sep 18, 2007 1:58 pm
Location: London

Re: got that call

Post 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
Alports Syndrome
Dialysis 1986, aged 14
Transplant 1988, still going strong!
Baby boy 2010
chessnut
Posts: 26
Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2015 6:31 pm

Re: got that call

Post 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.
Chris Wright
Posts: 138
Joined: Sun Nov 19, 2006 9:21 pm

Re: got that call

Post by Chris Wright »

Great news, let hope it keeps going well!

C
Transplanted Sept 1981

Still enjoying life like a 21 year old, or younger!
Dixie1
Posts: 283
Joined: Mon Apr 15, 2013 4:19 pm

Re: got that call

Post by Dixie1 »

Congratulations chessnut! Great news. :)
bosshogg
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2015 8:44 pm

Re: got that call

Post by bosshogg »

Awesome stuff.
Long may it continue.



Keep well.
Live Tx 13 odd years ago. Living the dream./
jooles
Posts: 246
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2013 2:11 pm
Location: Dorset

Re: got that call

Post by jooles »

Hooray! Congratulations!
FSGS
Born 1966
APD Sept 2103 - March 2015
DCD Transplant QA Portsmouth 19th March 2015
Post Reply