I mentioned last week that Jamey has to attend Clinic twice a week for the next several weeks. Today was our second visit to Clinic (or the hospital lab and transplant office). I asked him this weekend how he was feeling — and the feeling was its a long time between Friday and Tuesday when you are wondering if your new organ is happy 😉
When we go to Clinic they start with blood and urine tests to see how Jamey and his new kidney (AKA: The Lieutenant) are doing. Then we head back downstairs to the transplant office and meet with his nurse. We have to take our daily journal (transplant binder) with us. We record AM/PM blood pressure, temp, and weight. She goes over any concerns we’ve had since our last visit. Verifies that he is taking the prescribed drugs. Then she does the basic bp/temp/weight. Today she tested our bp cuff against hers. They were nearly identical. So that is good to know. Next, the nephrologist comes in. She goes over his lab results and checks his incisions. Then we get the binder back out and she discusses his meds with us. She compares what he’s taking to his lab results and then makes changes. Then our nurse updates the computer and prints off new drug pages for our binder.
Today we found out that his creatinine is back to 1.3. It had elevated to 1.5 last friday. The doctor assured us that this number would bounce around for a bit. But seeing it creep up really causes a bit of panic. One of Jamey’s big concerns right now is hurting Ryan’s kidney. What Ryan did for us is so amazing. Jamey is doing everything in his power to give The Lieutenant a happy home. But we have to rely on his body and his doctors to do the rest. So, today – so far so good!
Prior to transplant you may have noticed (or heard me talk about) the phosphorus binders Jamey had to take. He had to take 5 pills for every meal or drink that wasn’t water.
His kidneys couldn’t clean out the extra phosphorus he was consuming. It’s pretty much in everything. Too much phosphorus isn’t good for you. Well guess where we are now? Too little phosphorus isn’t great either. So now, he takes potassium and phosphorus pills three times a day. LOL!! Our transplant team assures us this will slow down. The Lieutenant lived in a happy healthy body and was dropped into a really sick body. This makes The Lieutenant freak out. He starts working overtime. Working hard. And doing a FANTASTIC job. Too fantastic. Over time the new kidney will regulate and become used to its new environment. We will see better blood pressures and nutrient levels. Our transplant team also told us that this overreacting is a very good thing. They want the new kidney to work really hard in the beginning. So things are exactly as they should be.
Thank you for your continued prayers. While this isn’t the “scary” we were dealing with 12 days ago – it is a new scary. We won’t mention the R word. We will just pray for Jamey’s body to accept his new kidney and give it the happiest home possible.