Chapter 13:Will I ever get a working Kidney transplant again?
March 4th 2007 03:52
Another 3 a.m. call to go wait for a possible kidney transplant at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. The transplant unit at St. Elizabeth was still fairly new when I was called. I was actually in the same room waiting with the other girl that was up for the same kidney. We were chatting and laughing. She deserved a new start as much as I did. She was even a bit younger than me.
Why couldn’t there be two kidneys available so we both would get one? Why can’t there be a way for everyone who needed an organ transplant to get what they needed? But there was only one. Most people don’t even get a chance to get that. I was on my third and this would have been my roommates first kidney transplant.
I got this kidney. Believe me, it was her lucky day. There was problems from the beginning. I had a hard time waking up. When I did wake up I was in more pain than I remembered with other transplants. Because they kidney wasn’t working the Doctor tried to up the antirejection medicines. My mom tried to tell the nurses and Doctor I wasn’t acting like my self.
I don’t really remember much. I was a bit out of my head. I do remember watching a Gloria Estefan and The Miami Sound Machine concert on TV. It was after her car accident and I knew she had a brace on her back, but she was still dancing around the stage as if it didn’t bother her at all even though she had said in an interview I had seen how much it really hurt. I related that to myself. I never show if I am in pain I just keep going. Well, at least the pain has to be extremely bad for me to say, ouch. Remember I had my fistula done while awake when I was six and my shunt done awake and dialysis without to much complaint.
My mom and I just knew there had to be a problem with this kidney. My stomach was swelled up. That had not happened after other transplants. When it wasn’t working for weeks and I was sicker than before the Doctor did a biopsy. They used a needle that went through my stomach into the kidney. They found there was a problem. There was an abscess.
The Doctor from St. Elizabeth took the kidney out, but the abscess remained. They thought it could be treated with antibiotics. I was throwing up more and it was making dialysis more difficult. My mom called Cleveland and they wanted me there within hours. My whole right side was swelled and it hurt a bit. The throwing up bothered me more.
In the middle of the night I woke up with goopy, smelly stuff all under me. My mom thought I pooped the bed. In Cleveland they always let her stay in my room with me. She looked and told me not to move and she got the nurse who called the Doctor right away. The abscess exploded leaving a whole in my stomach. They attached a drainage bag and Cleaned me and the bed up. The Doctor said it was very lucky when were there when this happened.
No I just have what looks like I have a second belly button. After the abscess drained, the wound needed packed with gauge ever hour to every few hours. The infection was clearing with antibiotics. They taught me and my mom how to pack it and sent me home.
Even an open wound that needed to be packed every few hours didn’t stop me from living life to the fullest. My friend Charlene was turning 18 within a month and I promised to take her to Niagara Falls for her birthday because we could get into the clubs there. She was going to college to be a nurse so my mom just taught her to change my packing.
It only needed changed once a day when we went on our trip. This was before mapquest, which I am so glad to have now for my adventures, we used an actual map high lighting the way we needed to go. I had been there many times with my family, but never drove there before. I was the copilot making sure we went the write way. I was so proud of my self when we got there with no problems.
We had a great time. Checked into the Comfort Inn on Clifton Hill Niagara Falls, Canada. Then we walked down Clifton hill shopping for a bit and having dinner. Later we hit Rumours night club to dance the night way. Charlene changed my packing the next morning. We had breakfast, took and looked at the beautiful falls before starting home. Made the mandatory stop at Angola on the way home to complete our fun adventure.
Why couldn’t there be two kidneys available so we both would get one? Why can’t there be a way for everyone who needed an organ transplant to get what they needed? But there was only one. Most people don’t even get a chance to get that. I was on my third and this would have been my roommates first kidney transplant.
I got this kidney. Believe me, it was her lucky day. There was problems from the beginning. I had a hard time waking up. When I did wake up I was in more pain than I remembered with other transplants. Because they kidney wasn’t working the Doctor tried to up the antirejection medicines. My mom tried to tell the nurses and Doctor I wasn’t acting like my self.
I don’t really remember much. I was a bit out of my head. I do remember watching a Gloria Estefan and The Miami Sound Machine concert on TV. It was after her car accident and I knew she had a brace on her back, but she was still dancing around the stage as if it didn’t bother her at all even though she had said in an interview I had seen how much it really hurt. I related that to myself. I never show if I am in pain I just keep going. Well, at least the pain has to be extremely bad for me to say, ouch. Remember I had my fistula done while awake when I was six and my shunt done awake and dialysis without to much complaint.
My mom and I just knew there had to be a problem with this kidney. My stomach was swelled up. That had not happened after other transplants. When it wasn’t working for weeks and I was sicker than before the Doctor did a biopsy. They used a needle that went through my stomach into the kidney. They found there was a problem. There was an abscess.
The Doctor from St. Elizabeth took the kidney out, but the abscess remained. They thought it could be treated with antibiotics. I was throwing up more and it was making dialysis more difficult. My mom called Cleveland and they wanted me there within hours. My whole right side was swelled and it hurt a bit. The throwing up bothered me more.
In the middle of the night I woke up with goopy, smelly stuff all under me. My mom thought I pooped the bed. In Cleveland they always let her stay in my room with me. She looked and told me not to move and she got the nurse who called the Doctor right away. The abscess exploded leaving a whole in my stomach. They attached a drainage bag and Cleaned me and the bed up. The Doctor said it was very lucky when were there when this happened.
No I just have what looks like I have a second belly button. After the abscess drained, the wound needed packed with gauge ever hour to every few hours. The infection was clearing with antibiotics. They taught me and my mom how to pack it and sent me home.
Even an open wound that needed to be packed every few hours didn’t stop me from living life to the fullest. My friend Charlene was turning 18 within a month and I promised to take her to Niagara Falls for her birthday because we could get into the clubs there. She was going to college to be a nurse so my mom just taught her to change my packing.
It only needed changed once a day when we went on our trip. This was before mapquest, which I am so glad to have now for my adventures, we used an actual map high lighting the way we needed to go. I had been there many times with my family, but never drove there before. I was the copilot making sure we went the write way. I was so proud of my self when we got there with no problems.
We had a great time. Checked into the Comfort Inn on Clifton Hill Niagara Falls, Canada. Then we walked down Clifton hill shopping for a bit and having dinner. Later we hit Rumours night club to dance the night way. Charlene changed my packing the next morning. We had breakfast, took and looked at the beautiful falls before starting home. Made the mandatory stop at Angola on the way home to complete our fun adventure.
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