tranplant day

Today (May 26th)

After Clinic, Miri took us to Borders in the mall for a coffee - We drove from the corner of Frome Rd/Grenfell St to the Grenfell St carpark. Things are improving but walking 3 city blocks and back is not yet doable. The wound drain has stopped leaking, the staples are still in and the other problems are abating. The all important measure of creatinine (of which more will said later) is now 94 lower than Felicity's 107 -I got the better kidney.

Now a return to the past - pictures will be added later, I wont have the cord to get them off the mobile phone until we next visit Strathalbyn.

19/5/2010 wed 8:00 am

Transplant day

The waiting is the worst of it, waiting and wondering at the outcome. Today is also my daughter Miri’s birthday ( if I take the time to work it out 2010-1971 makes her one short of 40) where did it all go? I have to say I’ve enjoyed most of it and the best has been the last ten or so years despite ailing kidney. I have no wish to leave it now or ever. I may think differently if something happens to Felicity; the primary reason I’ve been so contented this last decade. Feliciy is two floors below, preparing for surgery. I can assume se hasn’t gone in yet because her son Errol hasn’t returned.

Despite the CVC, which truly is a pain-in-the-neck, I slept as well as I ever do. The usual nose blockage and mouth breathing gave me a dry mouth however for which I could get nothing – fasting including fluids since midnight. I woke at 5:30 and watched another murder (from England’s deadliest county – Midsomer). Felicity and Errol dropped in briefly on her way down.

While I’ve been writing this a doctor ( the face is familiar but I can’t name him) Any last minute questions? Not really. It is probably the case that anyone in my position knows just enough to scare them but not enough to know what questions to ask, not that anything would change if we did. What can't be avoided must be endured

Felicity goes in about now 8:30 I go in about midday. The ward boss and one of her nurses introduced themselves but kept their distance, Sarah suspect she has a cold, Gaye has a sore throat, and I have just taken 3 huge tables of some unpronounceable multi-syllabic immunosuppressant drug. As an after thought I should throw in I have cold feet, no socks, short pants, thin blankets and cold air conditioning.

Of such, is life – long may it continue …….

Retrospective Post operative notes

I got back on the ward 10pm according to Miri quoting Errol. I know nothing, noth-ing as Shultz used to say. Thus it seems to me we we’re both later out of surgery than expected for reasons unknown. Miri’s Jason who use work at the QEH as an instrument steriliser suggest it happens all the time; an emergency beforehand and all the instruments have to be resterilised.