Monday of this week was the day I have been waiting for all this time. I am finally sick enough to be a patient at the U of W Transplant hospital aka Virginia Mason transplant center. At the same time, the many, MANY tests they ran on me over and had other providers run on me over the past couple of weeks indicate that while my kidneys are shot, my heart function, vascular health otherwise, lifestyle, diet, caregiver team and all other factors are just fine and so I am now officially their patient.
I have so far two people going through the steps to see if they are a match for me to donate a kidney. Statistically I am told that it takes on average 10 potential donors to be tested before a good match is found, but this is obviously not always the case. I am a blood type "O" so can accept a kidney from more other blood types than some other more limited or specific blood types. This works much in my favor.
However many potential donors I have to get through to find a match, I am very hopeful that one will be found for me soon and I can become again the hard working productive citizen I once was. Again able to take better care of my family and enjoy life without so many pills and drugs. Those who have not been through it cannot know how hard it is to not be able to do this and I think especially hard for a man.
It will take a while, (about two years or more all told and together) but we have begun and I am excited and hopefull.
The surgery for me will be a bit risky because both of my old kidneys need to come out, being very enlarged and being the source of much pain. But, I know the healer and builder of my body and so I know that I am in GREAT hands.
To those who have been holding me up in prayer and offering support, many thanks. There is at last a light seen at the end of this long dark tunnel. And it is NOT a train coming the other way!
Exciting times and news that I had to share.
