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Potential Donors & Dialysis

I thought that this week I would have loads to write about as I was meeting with the donor nurse on Tuesday and having my outpatients appointment on Thursday, where I was prepared for the doctor to tell me that I had to start dialysis, however, nothing ever goes to plan . . . .

Last week my list of potential donors went to the donor nurse and they had their initial blood test to establish if they have a compatible blood group with me.  Being an O+ I can have a donor with O+ or O- but none of the other blood groups. 

The results were due on Monday and we seemed to wait for ages for the call to confirm if anyone was compatible.  Trev was knocked out at this point as he is an A+.  Mum and Anita however were "through to the second round"!!  A meeting was then booked for us all to see the donor nurse on Tuesday and to have the tissue typing tests.

On Tuesday, I picked up mum and Anita and made our way to Treliske for our appointment.  We were all excited and apprehensive with many questions buzzing around in our heads!

We were very disappointed when we arrived at the hospital as the donor nurse was actually off sick, we still had our bloods taken for tissue typing but our questions would have to wait.  We were told that the tissue typing tests took from 2 to 6 weeks to complete.

Whilst having my blood taken for the tissue typing I asked them to also take the blood to check my kidneys as I had my outpatients appointment on Thursday and wanted to have up to date results.

On Wednesday morning I logged into the Rental Patients View to find that I had 7% kidney function (1% increase).  I was really pleased and I was hoping this might mean that the doctor would not put me onto dialysis when I saw him on Thursday.

At my outpatients appointment my doctor did not have the same grave looking face that he held a fortnight before.  He was pleased with my results particularly the fact that my creatinine had gone down to 618 from 718,  he said that there was now a real possibility that I would not need dialysis before my transplant!!  Excellent news :-)

Everything can't be 100% perfect though as when I had my blood pressure taken it had risen significantly to 170/95.  This was linked to the fact that my haemoglobin had improved too quickly and was now making my blood thick.  This wasn't too much of an issue as all I had to do was skip my injection which was due that night and double my blood pressure medication.

I asked the doctor how long it would be until I was likely to have the transplant, if any of my potential donors were a match, and he said if things went well, we would be looking at six months.  I only needed two more tests to get me onto the donor register, the vein mapping which checks that the veins at the top of my legs are adequate to have the new kidney "plumbed into them" and an ECG which I had done there are then.

So by next summer I could be all shinny and new, ok maybe not new, but hey, who's complaining ;-)

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