Ya know,,, when life throws you lemons you can sit and cry and whine about it, asking questions like why me? What did I do to deserve this?,,, etc, etc... or you can suck it up and know there is a reason for everything, and someone, somewhere in your life, you,, your spouse,,, a friend.... someone has something to learn from what you are going through.
My husband continues to amaze me with his strength to just suck it up and carry on. Forgive me if I have shared this before... his morning routine is,,, get up, get his balance, throw up or dry heave, whichever his body sees fit to do, *yes every single morning*,(the joys of nerve damage in your stomach), use the bathroom,, try to make it back to bed without passing out, or downstairs depending on how bad the dizziness is, to do a few chores. EVERY SINGLE DAY,, and every so often his body decides to mix things up and throw in an infection just for fun.
His dialysis catheter has had an on again off again infection since May of 2014,, antibiotics won't kill it off. It is a rock hard lump, almost cyst like, right near the exist site of his cath. It oozes, and bleeds thick red blood at times, and at other times, it just sits there. It goes away and the swelling subsides while he is on antibiotics but withing a month of finishing them, and I am being generous with the timeline, it comes back. It is hot and painful to put any pressure on.
We put a call into his nephrologist in st george, who got in contact with his nephrologist here in SLC, (we had to switch dr's) and they decided to operate and move the catheter and take out the infection. YAY!,,, this decision was made on Monday,, and surgery was scheduled for Wednesday,, no messing around here.
We were at the hospital at 6:45 am, surgery scheduled for 8:15,,, they finally took him back at 9:00,, it was supposed to only take an hour - an hour and ten minutes, however,,, *and this makes me sooo freaking happy* The surgeon was sooooo careful about not spreading the infection, that once she was able to get the old cath out, and that in and of itself was a challenge.. the infection was actually around the 2nd cuff holding it in place, she had every person in the room change their gloves, get new equipment, new drapes, everything! YAY. So the surgery went a little longer than expected, and she made sure to have the OR nurse call me and let me know what was going on and why it was taking longer than we planned. YAY for communication!
When all was said and done, we were home by 3 pm. The patient tucked into bed, against his will, pain pills by the bed, and his ever doting nurse by his side. He didn't take a pain pill until later that night, and hasn't taken one since. He doesn't complain. He tries so hard to not "be a burden to me", his words not mine. He is never a burden on me. He is the love of my life. My rock. My safe place is in his arms. When we were allowed to sit with him after surgery I pulled up a chair and just hugged him, tears just started falling. *I tend to deal with stressful situations with humor,and hold everything in so he doesn't see me cry right before he is taken back for surgery*, and he just kissed them away and kept saying over and over that he loved me and he will always come back.... Every time they take him away I am scared he won't come back. I mean how many times can you put a person to sleep and cut them open and have them wake up ?? SO far, our count is 8! I'm really hoping the 9th is the kidney transplant.
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Really?!?!?! And we are on the list!
Things have been pretty quite here on the home front,, in regards to Todd's health anyway. He is still on dialysis every night, for 9 hours he is tied to a machine. He still has all the side effects from his meds, which make him sicker than anything,, every single day. It's just part of our daily routine at this point,, get up, throw up, shower, brush teeth, get dressed,,, etc, etc.
We have been super busy with moving to West Jordan. We needed, (I needed?) to be closer to family, for one thing for support,, for another, so I didn't have to miss work for all these dr's appointments Todd has. We are in a cute 4 bdrm home that we love love love!!! Our 11 yr old especially likes having his very own space in the basement! I've been told he's preparing it to be the man cave for when his oldest brother gets back from his LDS mission in Macon Georgia in 14 months.
Being in West Jordan also means we are a lot closer to the transplant center. Like 5 1/2 hours closer!! Huge benefit for when a kidney becomes available!
We got a call from Barb at the TC (transplant center), yesterday saying Todd needed to get down there asap to have his blood drawn for cross match testing. She doesn't want us to miss out on a kidney should one become available. *stay with me here,, this is where it gets confusing*,, Todd's blood type is AB+, the TC has a scale on which people are numbered for match quality,, *yep I'm confused too at this point* it goes from 0 - 100, 0 being the BEST quality for a match, and 100 being the worst. Meaning if you are a 0 you have a fantastic probability of finding a match for a kidney,, 100, your chances are minimal at best. Todd is a 0! So being AB+ and a 0, he can accept ANY kidney out there... ANY! So he is on the list waiting for a match. No Idea where he is on that list,, he could be number 30,, he could be number 500,, we haven't been told yet....
HOWEVER, and here is the exciting part,,, if the TC gets a AB+ donor, that kidney can only go to an AB+ recipient. Enter the rush to get his blood panel done. He gets to move rapidly up the list, like to the top if an AB+ donor becomes available. Apparently its a rare blood type. *No clue*
So,, YAYAYAYAYAYYAYAYA! Now we wait! In the mean time, we have decided to raffle off our/MY VW beetle to fund raise for expenses. Although they have dropped considerably since we moved up here, they are still high, and being as I am the only one working our income is limited. IF any of you are interested in buying a ticket for the beetle, you can text me or my hubby at 702-816-1388. Thank you again for all your prayers, love, donations, and all! Wouldn't be able to do this without it!!
Love and healthy wishes
Rhonda
We have been super busy with moving to West Jordan. We needed, (I needed?) to be closer to family, for one thing for support,, for another, so I didn't have to miss work for all these dr's appointments Todd has. We are in a cute 4 bdrm home that we love love love!!! Our 11 yr old especially likes having his very own space in the basement! I've been told he's preparing it to be the man cave for when his oldest brother gets back from his LDS mission in Macon Georgia in 14 months.
Being in West Jordan also means we are a lot closer to the transplant center. Like 5 1/2 hours closer!! Huge benefit for when a kidney becomes available!
We got a call from Barb at the TC (transplant center), yesterday saying Todd needed to get down there asap to have his blood drawn for cross match testing. She doesn't want us to miss out on a kidney should one become available. *stay with me here,, this is where it gets confusing*,, Todd's blood type is AB+, the TC has a scale on which people are numbered for match quality,, *yep I'm confused too at this point* it goes from 0 - 100, 0 being the BEST quality for a match, and 100 being the worst. Meaning if you are a 0 you have a fantastic probability of finding a match for a kidney,, 100, your chances are minimal at best. Todd is a 0! So being AB+ and a 0, he can accept ANY kidney out there... ANY! So he is on the list waiting for a match. No Idea where he is on that list,, he could be number 30,, he could be number 500,, we haven't been told yet....
HOWEVER, and here is the exciting part,,, if the TC gets a AB+ donor, that kidney can only go to an AB+ recipient. Enter the rush to get his blood panel done. He gets to move rapidly up the list, like to the top if an AB+ donor becomes available. Apparently its a rare blood type. *No clue*
So,, YAYAYAYAYAYYAYAYA! Now we wait! In the mean time, we have decided to raffle off our/MY VW beetle to fund raise for expenses. Although they have dropped considerably since we moved up here, they are still high, and being as I am the only one working our income is limited. IF any of you are interested in buying a ticket for the beetle, you can text me or my hubby at 702-816-1388. Thank you again for all your prayers, love, donations, and all! Wouldn't be able to do this without it!!
Love and healthy wishes
Rhonda
Friday, July 18, 2014
If it's not one thing.....
Yesterday was a busy day for us! Thankfully one that ended with Todd and I both able to sleep in our own beds!! We were expecting to be sleeping in the hospital in St. George, or at the very least crashing at our oldest daughters apartment again.
Todd had a PET test yesterday, which is where they fill him up with peritoneal dialysis fluid and keep taking samples every 2 hours to see how fast his body dialysises. (apparently that is a word!) We should have the results of that soon. It's nothing major, just making sure we are using the right fluid and the right amount every night.
Todd has an infection in his abdomen, where his catheter for dialysis is sitting. Not at the exit site itself but in where the catheter is inside. There is a very hard lump about the size of a baseball, I think that is bigger than a soft ball, that you can feel,, and hear his wish to smack ya if you push too hard!!
We were worried that the Dr. would need to go in and move the catheter and cut out the infection as it has been about a month now, and the first round of antibiotics didn't seem to do the trick. YAY for stronger antibiotics!! We are praying these work and he won't have to go under again.
He also completed his LAST class before being put on the transplant list! YAAYAYAYAYAYA! So now we wait for a donor. We are trying to come up with another fundraiser to help offset the cost of living for a live donor while he/she recovers from that surgery. More on that later!!
People keep reminding me that I need to make sure I get enough rest and such, as I tend to run ragged mid week, after working and home responsibilities,,, and I guess I should rest more... Nothing like falling asleep in a dialysis chair while hubbsters is being tested in the chair just down from me! Hope everyone enjoyed my nose concert! haha, thankfully no one said anything to me, but Todd did say I snored soo loud at times he could hear me and he had headphones in. hahahaaha, at least no one had to keep checking on me to make sure I was still breathing! (looking at the positive!)
If anyone would like more information on being tested to see if you're a match for Todd, or anyone else, please email me at savemydad70@gmail.com, and I can get you the contact name and information of who to talk to at the transplant center.
Thank you again for all your love and support!!
Todd had a PET test yesterday, which is where they fill him up with peritoneal dialysis fluid and keep taking samples every 2 hours to see how fast his body dialysises. (apparently that is a word!) We should have the results of that soon. It's nothing major, just making sure we are using the right fluid and the right amount every night.
Todd has an infection in his abdomen, where his catheter for dialysis is sitting. Not at the exit site itself but in where the catheter is inside. There is a very hard lump about the size of a baseball, I think that is bigger than a soft ball, that you can feel,, and hear his wish to smack ya if you push too hard!!
We were worried that the Dr. would need to go in and move the catheter and cut out the infection as it has been about a month now, and the first round of antibiotics didn't seem to do the trick. YAY for stronger antibiotics!! We are praying these work and he won't have to go under again.
He also completed his LAST class before being put on the transplant list! YAAYAYAYAYAYA! So now we wait for a donor. We are trying to come up with another fundraiser to help offset the cost of living for a live donor while he/she recovers from that surgery. More on that later!!
People keep reminding me that I need to make sure I get enough rest and such, as I tend to run ragged mid week, after working and home responsibilities,,, and I guess I should rest more... Nothing like falling asleep in a dialysis chair while hubbsters is being tested in the chair just down from me! Hope everyone enjoyed my nose concert! haha, thankfully no one said anything to me, but Todd did say I snored soo loud at times he could hear me and he had headphones in. hahahaaha, at least no one had to keep checking on me to make sure I was still breathing! (looking at the positive!)
If anyone would like more information on being tested to see if you're a match for Todd, or anyone else, please email me at savemydad70@gmail.com, and I can get you the contact name and information of who to talk to at the transplant center.
Thank you again for all your love and support!!
Thursday, July 10, 2014
oops..
So sorry it has been sooo long since my last post. Things have been crazy busy as you can imagine!!! And I don't like to complain,, it really doesn't help anything and only stresses me out, so I decided to wait until I was in a better place before blogging!! Who wants to read negativity??
We had an appointment up in Salt Lake City with the transplant team in June, to be assessed and have a bunch of tests done to make sure Todd was mentally sound to undergo a surgery,, a major surgery. And he passed,, surprisingly on the mental part, haha. He has one more online "class" to take next week then he will officially be on the transplant list, the good thing is they back date it to when he started dialysis, back in March,, so YAY!!! So yes we are hoping we can find a live donor, as the transplant tends to happen way quicker. The down side,, our sweet daughter Kenzie wants to be a donor, she's only 21, and apparently, it's really hard on your kidney during pregnancy, if you only have one... and NO SHE IS NOT PREGNANT, but she hopes to be one day. (Let me mention here that all of our older kids have voiced a desire to donate a kidney, due to the fact that three of them have paternal grandparents and maternal grandparents that have diabetes, and their dad has it, we are not willing to even let them go through the process, they are going to need both kidneys!!) Of course there are a bunch of stipulations for being a donor,... so,, if you are interested, I'm only saying this because we have had numerous people ask us, shoot me an email at savemydad70@gmail.com, and I will send you the contact info for the donor contact in Salt Lake City.
We still go to St George, only now it's down to about twice a month, thank heavens!!! back and forth every week was killing me,, and Todd! And my poor car! haha
Everything is going good.. Todd does dialysis here at home every night, it's nice to not have to go to a clinic 3-4 times a week for dialysis, it's also calming to me to know that his blood is not leaving his body to be cleaned that often! His swelling is all but gone! And his energy is up, until he stands up, which we have his list of meds to thank for the ongoing dizziness he experiences,,, although he has gone the last 30 days without using a cane!!! YAY for tiny baby steps!
My parents came for a visit and it was so greatly appreciated, long awaited and much needed! The only down side was I worked half the time they were here. I didn't get to spend as much time with them as I would have liked however,, it was nice to have the support right here, in my house, helping me cook, clean, fix ceiling fans, I wish we lived closer!!!!!
So we just keep plugging along, and doing what the dr's say, and waiting for the disability to kick in!
Keep Smiling and know all is as it should be!!! Thank you for all your love and support!!!!
We had an appointment up in Salt Lake City with the transplant team in June, to be assessed and have a bunch of tests done to make sure Todd was mentally sound to undergo a surgery,, a major surgery. And he passed,, surprisingly on the mental part, haha. He has one more online "class" to take next week then he will officially be on the transplant list, the good thing is they back date it to when he started dialysis, back in March,, so YAY!!! So yes we are hoping we can find a live donor, as the transplant tends to happen way quicker. The down side,, our sweet daughter Kenzie wants to be a donor, she's only 21, and apparently, it's really hard on your kidney during pregnancy, if you only have one... and NO SHE IS NOT PREGNANT, but she hopes to be one day. (Let me mention here that all of our older kids have voiced a desire to donate a kidney, due to the fact that three of them have paternal grandparents and maternal grandparents that have diabetes, and their dad has it, we are not willing to even let them go through the process, they are going to need both kidneys!!) Of course there are a bunch of stipulations for being a donor,... so,, if you are interested, I'm only saying this because we have had numerous people ask us, shoot me an email at savemydad70@gmail.com, and I will send you the contact info for the donor contact in Salt Lake City.
We still go to St George, only now it's down to about twice a month, thank heavens!!! back and forth every week was killing me,, and Todd! And my poor car! haha
Everything is going good.. Todd does dialysis here at home every night, it's nice to not have to go to a clinic 3-4 times a week for dialysis, it's also calming to me to know that his blood is not leaving his body to be cleaned that often! His swelling is all but gone! And his energy is up, until he stands up, which we have his list of meds to thank for the ongoing dizziness he experiences,,, although he has gone the last 30 days without using a cane!!! YAY for tiny baby steps!
My parents came for a visit and it was so greatly appreciated, long awaited and much needed! The only down side was I worked half the time they were here. I didn't get to spend as much time with them as I would have liked however,, it was nice to have the support right here, in my house, helping me cook, clean, fix ceiling fans, I wish we lived closer!!!!!
So we just keep plugging along, and doing what the dr's say, and waiting for the disability to kick in!
Keep Smiling and know all is as it should be!!! Thank you for all your love and support!!!!
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Mums......
No not the flowers,,, the women in our lives... the women who carried us for 9 long months, while her body did things it didn't know it could. The women who held us when we cried, laughed with us, urged us forward, prayed for us, kept watch over us even when we didn't know they were, and yes, perhaps even spanked us, at least in my generation, before it was illegal to discipline your kids. :)
I am up early today getting ready to go to the dialysis clinic for our monthly visit, and just started thinking about the most important women in my life. I'm lucky,, I have two! This post is about one of them......
She is quiet, soft spoken, patient beyond reason, giving, kind, creative, caring, strong,, this woman's strength blows me away, and so many other things, above all she is humble! She has a testimony of the Gospel that Satan himself can not shake.
She amazes me every day. She is my friend, my idol, my rock, my soft spot, my safety zone. She listens when I need to vent, or cry, or just ramble senselessly, she is there for me any time, night or day,although she's more happy about it during daylight hours!, (usually only bad things happen in the dark!) she just amazes me. Her strength is beyond measure. She has overcome much, taught even more. She taught me how to cook, sew, clean, more importantly she taught me how to act like a lady, how to act so that when I met THE ONE, he would treat me with respect and dignity, she taught me the importance of respect for others, and for myself, and she taught me how to be a fantabulous mother to my own kids.
She has shown me there is a difference between loving someone, and liking what they do. And that you can still love someone and not like the choices they make, and that it's ok.
I put this woman through the ringer from about 1988 to well,,,, 2014 if we are being honest! She still worries relentlessly about me, only now she also worries about my husband, my kids, my job, my stress, everything that is me. And she loves me still!!
I loved standing next to her in the kitchen as she was cooking or baking, hopefully cookies, and I still love being with her in the kitchen, in her sewing room as I beg to play with her BRAND NEW AMAZING DOES EVERYTHING Sewing machine!, just being with her makes me happy, it brings me peace. Even just calling her on the phone and talking about whatever is important, or unimportant at the moment, reassures me that everything is going to be alright, and everything IS ok!
I loved that she was home for us after school, she didn't have to work back then, looking back that was a huge influence in my life, having her home when I walked through the door, although I didn't really appreciate it until much later. *as with most kids*
She helped me gain my testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She is my example to this day.
There are so many things running through my head, so many thoughts of gratitude for all she has sacrificed for me.
She is an amazing Mum, and even better Momma, She is my best friend! (aside from my hubs) I couldn't have picked a better mentor to get me through this thing we call life.
I love her!
For every thing you've done and continue to do,,, Thanks Mum!
*don't be mad about the pictures! you are BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!*
I am up early today getting ready to go to the dialysis clinic for our monthly visit, and just started thinking about the most important women in my life. I'm lucky,, I have two! This post is about one of them......
She is quiet, soft spoken, patient beyond reason, giving, kind, creative, caring, strong,, this woman's strength blows me away, and so many other things, above all she is humble! She has a testimony of the Gospel that Satan himself can not shake.
She amazes me every day. She is my friend, my idol, my rock, my soft spot, my safety zone. She listens when I need to vent, or cry, or just ramble senselessly, she is there for me any time, night or day,although she's more happy about it during daylight hours!, (usually only bad things happen in the dark!) she just amazes me. Her strength is beyond measure. She has overcome much, taught even more. She taught me how to cook, sew, clean, more importantly she taught me how to act like a lady, how to act so that when I met THE ONE, he would treat me with respect and dignity, she taught me the importance of respect for others, and for myself, and she taught me how to be a fantabulous mother to my own kids.
She has shown me there is a difference between loving someone, and liking what they do. And that you can still love someone and not like the choices they make, and that it's ok.
I put this woman through the ringer from about 1988 to well,,,, 2014 if we are being honest! She still worries relentlessly about me, only now she also worries about my husband, my kids, my job, my stress, everything that is me. And she loves me still!!
I loved standing next to her in the kitchen as she was cooking or baking, hopefully cookies, and I still love being with her in the kitchen, in her sewing room as I beg to play with her BRAND NEW AMAZING DOES EVERYTHING Sewing machine!, just being with her makes me happy, it brings me peace. Even just calling her on the phone and talking about whatever is important, or unimportant at the moment, reassures me that everything is going to be alright, and everything IS ok!
I loved that she was home for us after school, she didn't have to work back then, looking back that was a huge influence in my life, having her home when I walked through the door, although I didn't really appreciate it until much later. *as with most kids*
She helped me gain my testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She is my example to this day.
There are so many things running through my head, so many thoughts of gratitude for all she has sacrificed for me.
She is an amazing Mum, and even better Momma, She is my best friend! (aside from my hubs) I couldn't have picked a better mentor to get me through this thing we call life.
I love her!
For every thing you've done and continue to do,,, Thanks Mum!
*don't be mad about the pictures! you are BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!*
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Onward and upward
No matter how much I ACT all tough and "heartless" I really do care what people think of me. For some reason, when God was putting me together, my filter got misplaced, I tend to speak without thinking. and my fierce protective momma bear instinct was doubled, even tripled, and extends to not just my family but my friends I consider family, sometimes even a complete stranger that has been wronged will be included in that protective bubble,, you hurt them, I WILL SPEAK UP, GUARANTEED! Sometimes it bites me in the ass, sometimes it opens people's eyes, hearts and minds... either way, it tends to happen more often than not.
However, if I happen to offend you by saying something you don't want to hear, or "overstepping my boundaries" and becoming protective, and you don't tell me about it,,or you tell me I've hurt or pissed you off yet won't talk to me further about it, who does it really affect?
I can only do so much to fix, not the right term but stay with me, how I have wronged you, or how you feel I have wronged you, and even that is pretty much useless if you are wanting to hang onto all that anger, hurt and resentment. It is NEVER my intention to hurt any body. EVER. I rarely, if ever, regret saying what I say or doing what I do. I often regret how I say something, and I will do everything in my power to correct that. It is who I am. * just a little rant I had to get off my chest * So speak up people,, and no I don't mean right this second,,, *geesh I can just see the comments that are going to be left on this post now!*, if I offend you or upset you,, tell me, be willing to talk about it with me.
I'll never forget when we lived in LaVerkin, UT, and something had happened between Kenzie and her group of friends,, and she came home in tears, I had gone and talked to these kids, and called one of them a liar, not my proudest moment.. This girl went home in tears and told her mom what I had said, and the mom called me and said,, "I wasn't going to say anything, I was just going to let it go, but she's really upset and I thought to myself, NO, if this had happened to Kenz and she told Rhonda, Rhonda would say something to me" TO THIS DAY, we have a great relationship, this mom and I. I appreciate her telling me I had hurt her child, and she appreciated me listening to her and fixing what I had done wrong.
So,, who does it really affect?
My thoughts are so jumbled up right now it is crazy,, so I'm leaving all the negative behind.. my life is now and forever will be a HAPPY ZONE!, I don't have the time or energy to let negative thoughts, people or things into my life.
Ok on to FANTASTIC NEWS! WE GOT A CALL FROM THE TRANSPLANT TEAM!! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYA
We go up to Salt Lake City May 14 for an all day appointment, we meet the nurse coordinator, the social worker, finance, and learn what to expect post transplant, what medications Todd will need, out of pocket expenses,*if this happens this year there will be NONE! WOOT WOOT*, and then we meet the nutritionist, have lunch, then the nephrologist and the surgeon. SOOOOO FREAKING EXCITING!!!!! We just may make a mini vaca out of it and stay in SLC for a couple days. I am slightly apprehensive of the unexpected, but we have been waiting for this for so long, we are ready. I certainly know Todd is ready to feel whole again!!
We have been talking alot about what our future holds lately, and he can't wait to start work, do what he feels he needs to do, what he loves to do, and that is provide for me and our family, I didn't realize until the other day how much it kills him that I am the one that HAS to work to support our family,, this was NEVER his intention when we got married. He always told me I would only work if I wanted to, not because I would have to. I never thought about it, about how my working affects him, honestly it makes me feel kind of awesome, that I am able to *somewhat* provide for my family. ONWARD AND UPWARD PEEPS!!!!!!
However, if I happen to offend you by saying something you don't want to hear, or "overstepping my boundaries" and becoming protective, and you don't tell me about it,,or you tell me I've hurt or pissed you off yet won't talk to me further about it, who does it really affect?
I can only do so much to fix, not the right term but stay with me, how I have wronged you, or how you feel I have wronged you, and even that is pretty much useless if you are wanting to hang onto all that anger, hurt and resentment. It is NEVER my intention to hurt any body. EVER. I rarely, if ever, regret saying what I say or doing what I do. I often regret how I say something, and I will do everything in my power to correct that. It is who I am. * just a little rant I had to get off my chest * So speak up people,, and no I don't mean right this second,,, *geesh I can just see the comments that are going to be left on this post now!*, if I offend you or upset you,, tell me, be willing to talk about it with me.
I'll never forget when we lived in LaVerkin, UT, and something had happened between Kenzie and her group of friends,, and she came home in tears, I had gone and talked to these kids, and called one of them a liar, not my proudest moment.. This girl went home in tears and told her mom what I had said, and the mom called me and said,, "I wasn't going to say anything, I was just going to let it go, but she's really upset and I thought to myself, NO, if this had happened to Kenz and she told Rhonda, Rhonda would say something to me" TO THIS DAY, we have a great relationship, this mom and I. I appreciate her telling me I had hurt her child, and she appreciated me listening to her and fixing what I had done wrong.
So,, who does it really affect?
My thoughts are so jumbled up right now it is crazy,, so I'm leaving all the negative behind.. my life is now and forever will be a HAPPY ZONE!, I don't have the time or energy to let negative thoughts, people or things into my life.
Ok on to FANTASTIC NEWS! WE GOT A CALL FROM THE TRANSPLANT TEAM!! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYA
We go up to Salt Lake City May 14 for an all day appointment, we meet the nurse coordinator, the social worker, finance, and learn what to expect post transplant, what medications Todd will need, out of pocket expenses,*if this happens this year there will be NONE! WOOT WOOT*, and then we meet the nutritionist, have lunch, then the nephrologist and the surgeon. SOOOOO FREAKING EXCITING!!!!! We just may make a mini vaca out of it and stay in SLC for a couple days. I am slightly apprehensive of the unexpected, but we have been waiting for this for so long, we are ready. I certainly know Todd is ready to feel whole again!!
We have been talking alot about what our future holds lately, and he can't wait to start work, do what he feels he needs to do, what he loves to do, and that is provide for me and our family, I didn't realize until the other day how much it kills him that I am the one that HAS to work to support our family,, this was NEVER his intention when we got married. He always told me I would only work if I wanted to, not because I would have to. I never thought about it, about how my working affects him, honestly it makes me feel kind of awesome, that I am able to *somewhat* provide for my family. ONWARD AND UPWARD PEEPS!!!!!!
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Here Goes Nuthin!
YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYYAYAYAYAYAYAYA!! I simply can NOT say that enough about the power of blessings and prayers!! Seriously! We had a very close friend of ours come give Todd a blessing in preop, because I wanted him to have one! LOL Every thing went really well during the surgery and after. We are both chalking it up to his hemoglobin being aLOT higher than what it was a month ago,, thanks to the Epo shots I give him once a week!! Yep, I getta poke my man once a week ladies!! WOOO HOOOO
His color is back thanks to those shots,, they cost about $800 a pop,, YAY for insurance and deductibles that are met within 3 weeks! hehe, he really does look so much better! When the surgeon, Dr L, came out and told me everything was great and he could go home for real this time in an hour or two, he also said that we could and needed to start dialysis asap. I'm thinking,,, DUH!
So we stayed the night thursday night at Kenzie's, as a precaution, I like knowing every one of our medical team is close by if there is a huge emergency. And we got up and left Friday morning, racing our Dialysis nurse to our house. She had to bring down the machine, and program it so we can do it, and do a home visit for the first time. Mad race to clean up the bedroom ensued!
She comes in, and gets everything going for us, and we are off,,, couple clicks, and hooking up a couple hoses and we start! She leaves, and I am waiting for some alarm on the machine to go off.... what do ya know,,, 4 am comes, I wake up and Todd is still alive! I'm telling y'all,, RN material RIGHT HERE!!!!
Erma looks like she is having way too much fun here,, either that or they are both sick of me snapping pics every freaking time! hahahaha Todd doesnt look scared at all either right??? *giggle*
We go through the steps of doing a manual drain to get as much excess fluid off him as we can and unhook him. and we are done. First at home dialysis treatment completed! No one died or bled out or anything!!! Now if I can just keep this up until we go for clinic on Thursday!! heheehe
I am so grateful to our friends who jump up and take levi when he needs a place to be that has parents in the home after school, and for friends that call asking what we need, and what they can do. AND friends that drop everything and come give both of us blessings to get through whatever is put in front of us.. and the BEST MEDICAL TEAM IN THE USA!!!! Honestly,, we could NOT do this without any of you!!! Nor would we want to! You are so appreciated! Thank you!
His color is back thanks to those shots,, they cost about $800 a pop,, YAY for insurance and deductibles that are met within 3 weeks! hehe, he really does look so much better! When the surgeon, Dr L, came out and told me everything was great and he could go home for real this time in an hour or two, he also said that we could and needed to start dialysis asap. I'm thinking,,, DUH!
So we stayed the night thursday night at Kenzie's, as a precaution, I like knowing every one of our medical team is close by if there is a huge emergency. And we got up and left Friday morning, racing our Dialysis nurse to our house. She had to bring down the machine, and program it so we can do it, and do a home visit for the first time. Mad race to clean up the bedroom ensued!
She comes in, and gets everything going for us, and we are off,,, couple clicks, and hooking up a couple hoses and we start! She leaves, and I am waiting for some alarm on the machine to go off.... what do ya know,,, 4 am comes, I wake up and Todd is still alive! I'm telling y'all,, RN material RIGHT HERE!!!!
We go through the steps of doing a manual drain to get as much excess fluid off him as we can and unhook him. and we are done. First at home dialysis treatment completed! No one died or bled out or anything!!! Now if I can just keep this up until we go for clinic on Thursday!! heheehe
I am so grateful to our friends who jump up and take levi when he needs a place to be that has parents in the home after school, and for friends that call asking what we need, and what they can do. AND friends that drop everything and come give both of us blessings to get through whatever is put in front of us.. and the BEST MEDICAL TEAM IN THE USA!!!! Honestly,, we could NOT do this without any of you!!! Nor would we want to! You are so appreciated! Thank you!
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