Patience, patience....

I've been told by my 5 year old that patience is a virtue. In times like these, who has patience? Certainly not me. Nor my sisters.

Jamie's post mentioned that Nicole's kit came back a compatible match. Everyone is excited that Jamie went from the unknown in regards to living donor options to having three COMPATIBLE options and here is how it went down...My kits were submitted simultaneously with Jenny's and Nicole's was submitted while I was waiting for final results. Jenny was a compatible match all along. I had to submit a second kit because of the antibody/antigen thing and got results on Jamie's birthday (I was in Toys R Us shopping when Mayo called) and Jamie found out about Nicole's results on Friday.

SO, I'm sure you are asking what are next steps. Well, that's making the decision on who is going to share organs. There are pros and cons for each one of us in donating. We are weighing those amongst ourselves and Jamie has had her questions answered by her coordinator this morning. All three of us will give Jamie whatever she wants (however I told her I wouldn't shave my head for her), but the most important is making the decision on what's best for Jamie.

It's a very hard decision to make even though it could be a sibling or extended family member. Did I think twice about it? I sure did. Was I being selfish? Yes I was. I thought long and hard about my decision and realized that I couldn't live with myself if Jamie had no other options but me and my selfishness put Jamie through medical hell for years while waiting for a donor. Once I made my decision, I was very comfortable with it and seeked out living donors to hear their stories. I educated myself on the potential complications, what the surgery entailed, what recovery was like and what life was beyond donation. It's not life threatening, complications are the same as any other surgery, recovery is a few weeks and life beyond is no different.

To have my sister physically with me for my whole life is more important to me than a few weeks of pain and slow moving. And we'd have matching scars!!!

Organ donation should not be done to bring attention or sympathy to oneself, illegally to extort money or as a means to hold it over someone's head for material items/favors. It should be done willingly and to SAVE A LIFE.

www.matchingdonors.com is a resource that has appeared in segments in the local news, the Today show and various other media outlets. My amazing daycare provider watched a segment and shared the link with me. If you are serious about donating an organ, whether being a living donor or a donor in death, I urge you to check out the link.

Nicole's results are in....

I received a call from Nicole last night stating that she talked with Mayo and she is also a compatiable match. Wow I have 3 matches. That is great. Now I have to do the hardest part and figure out who would be the best. I myself called Mayo to get some questioned answered that I had and didnt get anything that I wanted to know.
I'm really frustrated because this is a big deal for me and Im having a hard time. I am going to call again on Monday to talk with another coordinator to hopefully get my questions asked. I would really like a medical oppion on who would be better for me.
I go see my Nephrologist on Monday to have more blood drawn again to see where my levels are at now. I will know some of those results and will share them with you all at a later time.

Happy Birthday!!!!!!

Wishing Jamie a very happy 27th (thanks Trina!!) birthday today. I will admit I had forgotten how old/young Jamie is. End of May, Parker will be 8. Lord how time flies. Jamie and I had a long conversation this morning about this. My mad hatter turned 5 today. Very fitting for me to give Jamie her first niece as a birthday present. I'm so glad I could make that happen!! For Jamie's birthday this year I followed the usual behavior and called versus mailing a card (well except for the whole niece thing..only time I was on time giving her a gift). I'm never on time with a card or gift, but I do make the phone call. I want to do something special in light of everything that's going on. I have the perfect gift in mind, however am not quite sure where/how I want to purchase it. I may need to do some research or suck it up and deal with nasty, gnarly, snotty salespeople. I might have to be drunk to do that.

Test results.....I may hear something later today, otherwise for sure tomorrow. Nicole (whom I have yet to find the words to thank) sent her donor kit in today and will get results end of week.

Happy Belated Mother's Day to all Moms!!!!

Volunteer donor

A friend and coworker Nicole Kelley has offered to do the blood test to see if she would also be a match. She is 24 years old and in good health. She called on wednesday the 6th and went through the phone questions and gave all her information. They sent out her a kit and she should receive by early next week. When she receives it, she will then go the lab and have all the blood drawn that is required. She will then ship it by fedex overnight. She will be able to call 4-5 days after she shipped it to get the results. Her blood type it A- which is a match for blood type.
She has offered to do this just incase my sisters dont work. Mayo will only allow 1 person to do the 2 day testing to make sure that there body is healthy enough to go through it. So I want more than just 2 people to test to see who would be the best. If for some reason, that 1 person goes through the testing and they find something else that would not let them go through the surgery then my insurance will cover for another to be check. My insurance will cover all of the blood work and testing that these girls are going through. My inusurance will also cover there surgery as well.
I am very thankful to all the people here that have offered to test. I already have been told by my surgeon that it would be best if I had someone within 10 years of my age to be a donor. I am on the waiting list so I can still get a phone call if someone in the region my age has passed away and they are organ donors and are a match I could get theirs. A living donor would be best but if the opportunity comes I will take it because I dont want to put my sisters or any ones else through the surgery and recovery.
I go on May 18th to see my specialist at Mercy to get my levels drawn again. I will know some of those levels at the office right away. I then have my last Chronic Kidney Disease class on May 28th. These classes give me all the information that I would need to get prepared for the surgery or if I ever have to have dialysis.
I am showing some symptoms of kidney failure but they are mild. Some signs are no energy, tired, some nausea, no ambition to do anything, and weakness at some point.

Can we say drug addict?

So I called ahead to the hospital to make sure I could go there to the lab to get the blood draw for this latest kit. I got all the instructions and went there at 7:45am so that I could get right in and get to work without having to take to much time off. I get there and they look at me like I've got 4 heads when I explain what I needed to have done.

They took me to a registar person to get me registered. What should have taken 10 minutes took 45 MINUTES. The entire system to register in patients went down and the woman had to register me in by filling out tons of paperwork.

So that woman took me over to the lab area and I gave the woman there the box and the order. Again, I got the 4-headed look. Why? So I get a buzzer thingy and sit and wait amongst all the other people waiting patiently. The woman at the lab check in asked who I registered, I told her, she picked up the phone to call. All this just to get some blood drawn. Geez!!!

I finally get called back and get settled in the chair that looks like an electric chair. She puts the stretchy thing on my left arm and then stops when she sees the crook in my arm. She asked me about the puncture marks. I told her that I donate blood on a regular basis and I've had two blood draws in as many weeks and for some reason they always go for the left arm. I almost asked her if she wanted to check between my toes and fingers for other track marks.

I got through that fiasco pretty much unharmed. Hungry and aggravated, but unharmed (if you don't count the large red mark from the needle that she left).

Keep in mind that I and the Mayo Coordinator decided that I would do the blood draw tomorrow since the lab was really busy. I went today because my tomorrow is pretty busy and today made more sense. So this morning I get a call from Mayo today reminding me to get the blood draw done if I haven't done it already.

So Tuesday should hold the results.