Kidney Update- Successful Transplant! May 23

EvilHomer3k · Post by **EvilHomer3k** » Fri Feb 23, 2018 5:49 pm

I hope it all works out to be okay and you can move to the next step.

MHS · Post by **MHS** » Fri Feb 23, 2018 7:15 pm

Thanks. If nothing else, it's been a really interesting process. I've learned a lot. Here's something I'd never thought about... imagine you're a live donor who has volunteered to give me a kidney because I'm so awesome. So, we go in the day of and you go under and you wake up and say, "Hey, how's MHS doing with my kidney?" And they say... "Well, MHS died of complications, so we gave your kidney to someone else on the list." WTF?!?!?! I'd be like, dude, you should have put that back in me, not stuck in some rando! But nope, once they take it out, it goes to somebody else even if the planned recipient kicks it.

I asked how often that happens and they said it had never happened at their hospital. Closest was a mom(recipient)/son(donor). They had just opened the son up when mom flat-lined from a reaction to the anesthesia. They zipped him back up with his kidney still in. Mom actually was able to be resuscitated and they did the surgery the next day with no complications (and possibly, one assumes, a different anesthesiologist).

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Fri Feb 23, 2018 7:25 pm

Well thats a little strange. Ive always wondered if that later on the receiver dies from something other than a kidney problem why dont they give it back to the person who donated it.

grumpy · Post by **grumpy** » Sat Feb 24, 2018 1:00 pm

MHS wrote: ↑Fri Feb 23, 2018 7:15 pm (and possibly, one assumes, a different anesthesiologist).

Anesthesia is inherently risky and highly individual. They don't like doing it. I've been put under something like 50 times in the last year for a procedure and always involves a half-dozen people standing around me despite being as "routine" as it gets. They've tried both compatible anesthetics for my procedure, and one works much better than the other. The not-so-good one is much more fun but leaves me completely whacked for a day.

Best of luck to you.

Kurth · Post by **Kurth** » Sun Feb 25, 2018 11:55 am

Hoping for the best, MHS. I imagine the waiting and the uncertainty are the worst. Hang in there!

MHS · Post by **MHS** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 3:14 pm

Guess who has two thumbs and is going to have three kidneys soon?

This gal!

Donor has officially been approved. They'll be talking with her today to schedule the transplant surgery, probably May or June.

Thanks for all the support on this journey, will keep people updated.

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 3:20 pm

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 3:21 pm

Excellent news!

MHS · Post by **MHS** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 3:24 pm

Zaxxon wrote: ↑Wed Apr 25, 2018 3:20 pm

I love this gif and am going to use it for everything forever now.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 3:28 pm

Your post reminded me of one of the greatest exchanges I've seen on a TV show:

Raylan Givens:
Your kidneys are for pissing. So why don't you try taking a leak, and if you can do it, then we know you still got your two kidneys.

Dewey Crowe:
Come on, come on. [starts urinating] Holy shit. You mean I have four kidneys?

I'm sure out of context it doesn't make sense, but if you're to be convalescing, watch Justified!

Also, great news - glad to read it.

Lassr · Post by **Lassr** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 3:30 pm

So happy for you!

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 3:33 pm

MHS wrote: ↑Wed Apr 25, 2018 3:24 pm
Zaxxon wrote: ↑Wed Apr 25, 2018 3:20 pm
I love this gif and am going to use it for everything forever now.

Rip · Post by **Rip** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 3:35 pm

Awesome!

Z-Corn · Post by **Z-Corn** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 3:43 pm

Wonderful news!

McNutt · Post by **McNutt** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 3:48 pm

That's fantastic!

TheMix · Post by **TheMix** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 3:52 pm

Yay!!!

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 3:53 pm

Excellent news!

wonderpug · Post by **wonderpug** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 4:04 pm

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 4:40 pm

Yay! We're all rooting for you all!

DD* · Post by DD* » Wed Apr 25, 2018 4:48 pm

Not sure how to post an mp4 so click this instead

Good luck MHS, that is great news!

Scuzz · Post by **Scuzz** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 4:50 pm

Good news.

gbasden · Post by **gbasden** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 5:11 pm

That's fantastic news! Now get on that GoFundMe so we can all pitch in.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 5:17 pm

That's grand news. I was worried when you didn't follow up your last facebook post on the subject.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 5:29 pm

Every time I piss...not really, great news!

Moliere · Post by **Moliere** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 5:47 pm

Anonymous Bosch · Post by **Anonymous Bosch** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 5:49 pm

Splendid news, MHS. I wish you all the best going forward.

noxiousdog · Post by **noxiousdog** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 5:51 pm

HOORAY!

Enough · Post by **Enough** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 6:25 pm

Serious super happy dance time!!!!! Thanks so much for keeping us updated.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 6:56 pm

Fantastic!

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 7:21 pm

Hmmm I swear I saw a new drug approval for polycystic kidney and something about prolonging use of those kidney. Cant find it now.

But congrats!!

MHS · Post by **MHS** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 7:21 pm

Thanks all.

I'm vacillating between happiness and survivor's guilt (my dad was on dialysis for years before he died and never got anywhere near a transplant) and fear of the unknown and happiness again. It's been decades of watching things get worse, followed by months of waiting for the process to drag along for approval to Holy Moly, it could happen as soon as this time next month. It's a bit overwhelming and I really, genuinely appreciate all the excitement and good wishes more than you could possibly know, it keeps me focused on the happiness aspects and not the so-many-things-could-potentially-go-wrong aspects.

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 7:24 pm

How long after the surgery does it take for the superpowers to manifest?

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 7:37 pm

If you bribe the doctor you might be able to get both

Im kidding...I think...no I am ..this is so amazing for you. A big step for her too I assume. That girl is gold.

MHS · Post by **MHS** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 7:40 pm

Zaxxon wrote: ↑Wed Apr 25, 2018 7:24 pm How long after the surgery does it take for the superpowers to manifest?

I think once I swallow the toxic waste it kicks right in?

I'll be in the hospital for about 4-5 days, then I'll need to do 6 weeks of gradually reduced check-ins. 3 times a week for the first 2, then 2 times per week, then weekly, then monthly then annually. Those visits are to do bloodwork and make sure I'm not rejecting the kidney and adjust my anti-rejection medications accordingly to the lowest possible dosages to keep me from rejecting. I have great numbers- my PRA is 0%. Panel Reactive Antibody is an immunological laboratory test performed on the blood of people awaiting organ transplantation. The PRA score is expressed as a percentage between 0% and 99%, and the higher the number, the higher your chance of your antibodies reacting against the foreign object (new kidney). So if you have an 80% PRA, 8 times out of 10, your body will reject the kidney. My antibodies are apparently sluts and are completely fine with foreign objects entering them, which is great news for getting a transplant. That plus the fact that this person I've known only two years and am not related to matches 4.5 of the 6 important kidney alleles means her kidney should theoretically get along with my body with absolutely minimal issues.

I'll still be out of work for a minimum of 3-4 months. That sucks because my company doesn't have 50+ employees so no FMLA and no short-term disability. I'll use up as much PTO as I've been hoarding to collect a paycheck as long as possible, then make do as best we can until I go back to my job that hopefully my boss holds for me...he's under no legal obligation to do so but he has assured me multiple times, very emphatically, that he is 100% anxious for me to come back ASAP. And then I'll find out whether I can still DO my job. The anti-rejection drugs leave you with no immune system, which isn't really conducive to the kind of travel I do, so we'll have to just see what happens. Either way, I'm so very, very, very fortunate to be able to have basically a second life that I don't deserve because of medical science and my donor's amazingly generous act of kindness. It's pretty freaking amazing.

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 7:40 pm

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 7:43 pm

Hooray for sluts!

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 7:50 pm

Amazing and wonderful!

MHS wrote: ↑Wed Apr 25, 2018 7:40 pm Either way, I'm so very, very, very fortunate to be able to have basically a second life that I don't deserve because of medical science and my donor's amazingly generous act of kindness. It's pretty freaking amazing.

Let your donor do a miracle. You both win.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Thu Apr 26, 2018 9:59 pm

I'm sorry that you're too young to get one of these.

Kelric · Post by **Kelric** » Thu Apr 26, 2018 10:07 pm

She'd want a Sneetch, anyway.

EvilHomer3k · Post by **EvilHomer3k** » Thu Apr 26, 2018 11:18 pm

Great news! Not much longer now.