Test results are in....

and I have to go for another blood draw. Jamie has an antibody to one of my antigens, so this scheduled blood draw will help determine how Jamie will react (accept or reject) to my kidney.

This blood draw will take place at some lab (I have to figure out where/how tomorrow) and will be sent in like the first one was. The draw has to be done on May 8th and we'll get the results on the 12th or 13th of May.

What are antigens and antibodies you ask?

The key to a healthy immune system is its remarkable ability to distinguish between the body’s own cells (self) and foreign cells (nonself). The body’s immune defenses normally coexist peacefully with cells that carry distinctive "self" marker molecules. But when immune defenders encounter cells or organisms carrying markers that say "foreign," they quickly launch an attack.

Anything that can trigger this immune response is called an antigen. An antigen can be a microbe such as a virus, or even a part of a microbe. Tissues or cells from another person (except an identical twin) also carry nonself markers and act as antigens. This explains why tissue transplants may be rejected.

Antibodies are the proteins that can recognize (match) specific antigens. An antibody matches an antigen much as a key matches a lock. Whenever antigen and antibody interlock, the antibody marks the antigen for destruction.

http://www.web-books.com/eLibrary/Medicine/Physiology/Immune/Antigen.htm

Stay tuned......

With much sadness...

Kris Buseman has passed. At 7pm last night. And with much sadness, the kidney was not a 100% match for Jamie. We are saddened by the loss of Kris as she was a wonderful woman.

We ask that you keep the entire Buseman family, immediate and extended, in your thoughts and prayers during this time.

As for the kidney transplant, my blood type has been confirmed a match. I will call on Friday to get the rest of the results.

Phone Call.....

When I got into work yesterday I was told by my other coworkers that a really good friend of the family was on life support. She is only 51 years old and has 2 son's which one of her son's was really close to my brother and was with him when my brother passed. I was really heart broken to hear this. After awhile later I received a phone call from my sister Jenny, who works up at Mercy, saying that the family told Jenny that they wanted to donate one of her kidneys to me if she was a match. I started crying because this would mean alot to me to have her apart of my life.
After waiting for awhile more I contacted a family member Nicole Buseman and was talking back and forth to her about all this and they got information from me to give to there donor coordinator. They stated that they would call me if her blood type was a match.
I received another phone call at about 10pm last night from Nicole Buseman saying that her blood type is a match and they were going to test her kidney to make sure that there was no infection in them or any cancer.
This morning I received a phone call from there donor coordinator to ask me some question and to get the phone number to my transplant coordinator to get the papers filled out. All of this has been an emotional rollercoaster. Waiting to her from people and not being able to see the family to give my sympathy. I have not gotten a phone call yet back to finialize all of this.
I have to try to explain this to my 7 year old son that mommy has to have surgery and would be gone for about a month but that he can come see me anytime. This is I believe is going to be the worse yet. I love my family very much and they have been by my side every step of the way......

Donor kit results

On Friday, May 1st, Jamie and I will call the donor coordinator at Mayo to get the results of the kit that I sent FedEx on Saturday. I had to go to the lab for a cholesterol test and had the donor kit completed. It was just taking 5 more vials of blood in addition to the three for the cholesterol test. No biggie.

I did run out of the lab and to the nearest coffee shop for coffee and something to eat. It was almost noon and I hadn't eaten since dinner the night before. Thankfully I wasn't nearly as manic as I could have been.

Please keep Jamie in your thoughts and prayers and hope the results are good results.

Let's try it again......

So the doctor's appointment yesterday was uneventful. It was the first time I've seen this doctor and was apprehensive the moment I walked in. There was a male doctor that was loud and condescending. Fantastic. I got called back by the nurse, had to get on the scale that is in front of EVERYONE. Hateful little machine that was. I was put in a patient room and the door was left open. Condescending doctor was with a patient and had the door OPEN and was talking to this man about his colon infection and said doctor was going to cure it. I was appalled. I wouldn't want the ENTIRE office hearing about my colon infection. *shudder*

Anyway, the doctor came in (a female doctor in the practice) and appeared to have the personality of a rock. We started talking children and she found her personality. She gave me two prescriptions for a muscle spasm I've been dealing with for a while and the order for a cholesterol test. I walked down the hall to the lab carrying my little white box with MAYO - LIVE SPECIMEN ENCLOSED. Wouldn't you know it, the lab's policy changed and unless I was having blood drawn for something else, I was SOL. Because they didn't have anyone to bill. Bill my damn insurance. I DON'T CARE.

I go back tomorrow morning at 11:10am for a blood draw for the cholesterol test and to satisfy the requirements for Mayo. I pray for everyone that will cross my path. I have to fast and get nohthing until the draw is completed. Water only. I'm not a very nice or good person when denied food and coffee.

Doctor Day

Yes, I wasn't scheduled for the doctor until next week, but the kit came much earlier than expected and Jamie did ask nicely. My appointment is at 3:45pm. This is an entirely new primary care doctor since the kids and I went completely on Tricare (military benefits). I will miss my old primary care doctor. He was so pretty to look at....*sigh*.

Anyway, I'll have the blood draw today to satisfy the requirements for the kit and then will find a place to get this sent. I think the carrier is FedEx and I'm wondering if I could drop it at the UPS store.....I must investigate.

While I'm waiting for the doctor, I'm hanging out in a VERY quiet house. I spent some time at the gym before getting my morning coffee so I'm desperately in need of a shower. Which I might have time to do before my calls kick in.

I thought it was supposed to be sunny and warm today, but it's overcast and chilly enough for a light sweater. I've got the doors and a few windows cracked to air out the house. I really should be working, but I've got a letter to write for Mad Hatter's school and a few other personal errands (like Sam's...Chunky needs diapers and we are out of milk) that I've been putting off. Unfortunately Chunky is not potty trained and really has no desire to be, so diapers are an absolute MUST.

I did get the educational material about donation from Mayo. It didn't tell me anything I didn't already know except where the incision sites are. One happens to be in the perfect spot for a tummy tuck....I wonder if they'd just pull everything a little taught as a thank you for donating an organ. I did leave the material on the table and told Brent to read it to put his mind at ease. We'll see if he does.

The donor kit arrived.....

I received the donor kit in the mail on Saturday. It was a small white box with Mayo Clinic on the outside and Live specimen all over the outside. Of course the postman (who is very friendly and will strike up general conversation) waited with much curiosity while I explained to Madi why the box wasn't for her and what was in the box (my kids are gift nuts...every time a box comes in the mail they think it's for them!!). He offered all the luck in the world, commented on how nice our flower beds looked, chatted with the kids for a minute and went on his way.

I had made an appointment with my general practitioner last week giving the kit enough time to arrive. I will go on April 30th for the blood draw (well, 4 vials worth of blood) and will ship the vials to Mayo. 4 days after shipping I can call Kaye, our donor/transplant coordinator, for the results. If those all come back good, then I guess I'll be scheduling my trip to Rochester.

Oddly enough, I am no longer scared or nervous. More anxious to keep this moving. And my decision to do this feels right. I'm not second guessing anything or doing a lot of what-ifs. Whatever happens/will happen is what is destined to happen. Will it all be sunshine and lollipops? I sure hope so. Chemically induced or not ;).

If I haven't said it before, if marking organ donor on your drivers' license is not something you are comfortable with doing, consider donating blood. The lives it can save are worth it. It takes an hour, it hurts only when the needle is inserted and you get a treat after!

Day 1 of testing....

The first day up at Mayo started at 5:30am. I had to register and get thing going. I had to also check in at another area which did not open until 6:10am so we had to wait in a cafateria. After the office opened I got check in when they gave me a ton of information and then sent me to lab. Once I got to lab and called back they took 21 vials of blood. I didnt think I would have blood left after that.
Next was a ultrasound. I got to that area and got called back right away. When she started the test she had to push really hard on my stomach which kinda hurt. The test only took about 10min and then I got to leave.
Its now about 10am and I was on my way to another appointment. I also want to tell you that these appointment are not in the same location. We had to travel through subway level to get to the right areas. Walking back and forth to all areas, I think we all got a really good excersice.
I finally go to the radiology area where I needed a chest x-ray. I again got register but I hadnt sat down when they called me back. They were fast. They took a couple of pictures and it was all done. WOW how quick.
I also had to see a financial advisor that filled me in on insurance stuff and the cost of a transplant for a living donor. The transplant will cost approximatly 150,000 - 250,000 dollars.
My next appointment was a electrocardiography. I was still at the register desk when they call me back. This test only took about 10min as well. I was in and out.
It is now 3:00pm when I went to go see a doctor to tell me all the results from all of the testing. Dr. Talor told me that all of the testing came back normal and that they did not find anything unsual. Some of my blood levels are high. My creatinine is 3.8 and the normal range should be any where between 0.6 - 1.2.
This is a sumed up version of what my day consist of on Monday the 13th.

When it all started.

Well it all starts with when I was 11 yrs old, on a family vacation in St. Cloud, MN on a cabin resort. I started to get sick, which was a frequent thing for me back then because I was always sick with the flu like symptoms. It was like an every week thing. So it got to the point when I was so weak that I could not even walk up a little hill to get to the cabin. My energy had weaken so bad that I could not do anything. Once I got to the cabin , it got worse. I went blind. I was taken straight to the hospital but went unconsious on the way.
At the St. Cloud hospital they did a bunch of test but then I was life flighted to St. Paul Childrens Hospital. They continued to run more test when they realized that my right kidney never grew from birth. It was causing damgae to my body and my left kidney. Having this conditin also made me have high blood pressure.
Once all the testing was done, I went in for surgery. I remember laying on a cold metal bed and pushed down this hallway and it was very warm. When I got to the operating room and put a mask on me and told me to count down starting with 10. I think I made it to 8. So it did not take very long.
After surgery, I was taken back to my room on a ventalator. When they went to remove the breathing machine but blood pressure sky rocketed and my vials were unstable. They said that they about lost me (as me dying). They kept the breathing tube in unitl everything got back to normal. Eventually things got better and I got off the breathing machine.
About the next day I was up and sitting in a chair and feeling better. They moved me from ICU to another floor to recover.
I spent the whole summer of '93 in the hospital. This is my short story of how this all started.......

Mayo Clinic Information

Mayo Clinic has a great website with all kinds of educational information and I've included a link in case you want to read up on kidney transplants/living donors and what the process entails.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/kidney-transplant/

And to my knowledge, Jamie has not been put on a donor list as she has two living donors, Jenny and I. If, through testing we prove to not be compatible and no other living donors are an option, then Jamie will be put on a transplant list. We are praying that is not an option.

How does one become a living donor for Jamie if Jenny nor I are compatible? You must have blood type A, be in good physical and mental condition and are very serious about donating an organ. Other criteria for becoming a living donor can be found at the above website under Living Donors.

*NOTE TO BLOG LURKERS* There is no monetary compensation and we will not 'buy' your kidney. It is illegal to do so and absolutely unethical for our family to consider that.

Day 3 of Testing

I talked to Jamie this morning. She has a couple more tests and meetings with doctors/social workers and then will head home. She said she is pretty wiped out from all of this. Early mornings, tons of information, lots of waiting and just being emotional. Do you blame her?

I also had a conversation with the transplant/donor coordinator today. Kay is a lovely woman and really put me at ease. She asked a bunch of medical questions that you normally find on a first time patient form to see a doctor. I should receive the educational material and donor kit in about a week. I'll get a blood draw and FedEx it to Mayo and then need to call 4 days after that for the results.

I might have mentioned this before, but if this goes smoothly, the surgery will be late May, early June. Jamie will stay in Rochester after surgery for about 3-4 weeks for monitoring. Mayo has a Transplant House that Jamie would move to during that time.

Jamie did say that she would have an opportunity to get online on the way home (yeah for aircards!!) and do a post.

Please continue to keep Jamie in your thoughts and prayers.....

Day 2

Jamie had a full day of tests yesterday and I talked to her about 4pm last night. They were shopping (naturally). Her creatin (sp?) is up from 3.6 to 3.8.

Jamie called me this morning with the name and number of the transplant/donation coordinator so that I could call and get things moving. I've done that and am waiting for the coordinator to call me back. Jamie stated that if everything moves smoothly and stays on course, she could have the transplant late May, early June this year. I'm shocked to say the least. I didn't think it would move this quickly.

Jamie was on her wait to a training class and mentioned that she'd call later. Until then....

It starts today.....

This blog was created as an outlet for Jamie as well as Jenny and myself to document this entire kidney transplant/donor process and to keep friends and family updated.

At this time, Jamie has been at Mayo Clinic in Rochester going through the beginning tests. From what she told me today, they've taken 21 vials of blood (explain how that is possible?), she's had an ultrasound and was going for chest x-rays at 10:30.

Dad, Mom and Jenny are all with her. The hotel they stayed in last night was a Bates Motel replica, so they quickly checked out first thing this morning and are on the hunt for something a little less creepy.

Please excuse the bare bones of this blog for right now. I promise to get it more visually appealing in the near future.

Please keep Jamie in your thoughts and prayers through this. I'll ask Jamie to start at the very beginning when she first got sick and bring you current.