Home Again

Many people said, "Hope to see you soon!" when we left UNMC on Saturday...meaning they hoped Dan got a transplant soon and returned to the hospital under happier circumstances. I hope that is true...but for the moment we are glad that he is simply feeling well.

We have unpacked and are getting back into our routine. Dan had dialysis yesterday and he's hit his target weight so they are not taking so much fluid off him (which made him tired.) He's had company and phone calls so he's been busy during the day and is tired at night.

We really dreaded and feared the kidney removal...it just seemed so final....but the goal has always been for Dan to feel well so we are still achieving that goal. An unexpected benefit of this whole experience is the support and encouragement of family and friends....for such an extended period of time. Thank you for being there for us...it has been the greatest gift of all.

Coming Home!

Dan will be dismissed tomorrow morning! Actually he could have been dismissed this afternoon if his wife wouldn't have been shopping.....but Barnes and Noble called me.

So I am not the only one that thinks he is doing extraordinarily well. Nonetheless we will be glad to be in our own home with our own dog.

People here have been very thoughtful. We know so many of them and they have been genuinely sorry to learn of the transplant's failure and very glad to hear that Dan is doing well now.

The next time I publish....we will be home!

Surgery a Success

Dan's surgery went absolutely as well as possible. It was quick (one hour) and the kidney had not embedded itself into the tissue too much so it was easy to take out. There was a big pocket of infected fluid under the old incision and the kidney was thrombosed (black and blue) because it did not have blood flow.

Dr. Mercer (Canadian and very nice) predicted that Dan would heal up quickly and feel much better without the infection and the kidney.

There were some problems...he had to be admitted last night for three units of blood and there was some confusion this morning about if he was Dan J. Mahalek or Danny J. Mahalek. "How many of us can there be that were born 9-22-42 and are having a nephrectomy?" he testily inquired.

However all was resolved. Surgery is over. Dan has eaten, been a smart aleck to the floor staff, and is napping. Needless to say we all are feeling better.

Surgery Thursday

Dan has been having a tough time lately. He’s been having high fevers and his incision site hurts and the bottom line is that the transplanted kidney needs to come out because it might be causing some of these infection problems.

This is a milestone we did not want to reach, but if removing the kidney makes Dan feel better then we are in favor of it. So the surgery is scheduled for Thursday morning.

There are other good things than can come of this….Dan can quit taking the anti-rejection drugs which suppress his immune system and he can heal up before I return to school. Also, they will not transplant a person who has an infection. So we are ready for the kidney to be removed.

We go to Omaha tomorrow for the pre-op stuff and the surgery is first thing Thursday morning. I will take our laptop with us and update the site after the surgery.

Thank you for all your good thoughts…they mean a great deal to us.

Infection

The latest news is that Dan is battling an infection and has been for a week or so. He's had IV antibiotics twice and is taking pills. They also removed the catheter in his chest in case that was the cause of this problem.

He is feeling a little bit better so maybe they've got the infection on the run plus dialysis three times a week might be helping.

Dave, Annie, Josh, Kate, and Abby are here from Chicago plus lately we've been dog sitting two dogs....so things are rocking around our house. We need to keep his strength up for all this.

Three Times a Week

Well we’ve been on a tour of medical facilities and in a nutshell there is good news and bad news….

Bad News: Dan has severe anemia, infection, poor dialysis coverage, a pocket of fluid near his lungs, and severe malnutrition.

Good News: They are doing something about all of this. He’s had a blood transfusion and an IV of antibiotics. Unfortunately he needs dialysis three times a week to get the coverage he needs and hopefully all of these things will help with the nutrition.

I felt really guilty about the nutrition part and I would like to go on record as saying that I really tried in this area….even though he wasn’t hungry. However, Dan got so run down that his body couldn’t make good use of the nutrients and somehow the improved dialysis coverage will help with this.

We are sad that he needs dialysis three times a week. It will certainly cut down on flexibility, but if he feels better then it will be worth it.

Personal Aside: I continue to be impressed with Dan’s personal courage and his indomitable will. He still has a sense of humor about things and never gives up. He is a very strong man that I am proud to have married.