NellieTuesday, January 27, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
Hold
Jake is now on 'hold' on the transplant list. He had to have an MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) and hepatitis B booster because his blood test showed no antibodies. But the MMR vaccine contains live cultures, so that means he can't have a transplant until they run their course. What does that mean? He's still on the list, but has a hold status for a month. On the bright side, it gives us another month to pack!
We also met with the dialysis clinic person today. She cleaned Jake's cath and put in a couple of tablespoons of fluid to flush it and some heparin to stave off clotting. Next week they'll put in a couple of cups of fluid and then drain it. He'll actually start the dialysis process mid-February.
Much to the relief of all involved, Jake's bladder has healed and that cath has been removed. So overall a good day of health-care visits.
We also met with the dialysis clinic person today. She cleaned Jake's cath and put in a couple of tablespoons of fluid to flush it and some heparin to stave off clotting. Next week they'll put in a couple of cups of fluid and then drain it. He'll actually start the dialysis process mid-February.
Much to the relief of all involved, Jake's bladder has healed and that cath has been removed. So overall a good day of health-care visits.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Surgery
All things considered, Jake's catheter surgery went pretty well. There was a slight complication, however. On the first try, the surgeon nicked his bladder, causing a small tear. Apparently this is somewhat common in diabetics, and we were warned about the possibility prior to the surgery, so it wasn't a complete surprise. What that means, though, is that Jake has two catheters right now: the one for dialysis and the one so that his bladder can heal. As you can imagine, he's not too happy about the second one. It will remain in until Friday. Otherwise, he's doing well. At least well enough to play his computer game :)
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
Listed!
Great news! As of today Jake has been officially added to the UNOS transplant list! The insurance company finally came through for him. Now it's just a waiting game until the organs become available. Because that could take some time, he still has to start dialysis. Slowly but surely we're getting there!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Dialysis
The time has come for Jake to start dialysis. It sucks, but we are grateful that the treatment is available.
A short time ago, we found out that Jake's kidney function had dropped from 17 percent in October to 10 percent the first week of January. A 7 percent drop in three months is not good. And since 15 percent is when they start the dialysis, the doctors wanted to get things moving quickly.
Yesterday, we met with a nurse practitioner who showed Jake his dialysis options. Jake, the nurse and doctors have decided that peritoneal dialysis (PD) is the best choice.
In PD, a catheter is inserted through the wall of the abdomen into the peritoneal cavity. Solution flows in and out of the cavity through the catheter, which must be inserted by a surgeon during an outpatient procedure.
PD cleans the blood and removes extra fluids using the body's own membranes as a filter. The peritoneum, or abdominal cavity, contains the stomach, spleen, liver and intestines.
PD solution is places in the peritoneum. The membrane filters waste and fluids from the blood into the solution. After several hours, the solution is drained from the cavity and is replaced with fresh solution.
It sounds a bit complicated, but it's pretty simple and can be done at home. Jake will be able to keep working, either changing the solution every couple hours or with the use of a machine at night while sleeping. That decision will be made when he actually begins treatment.
We met with the surgeon today, and Jake will have the catheter inserted on Monday. About three weeks after that, they will start dialysis treatments. During those three weeks, nurses will flush his catheter to make sure no bacteria forms, and we will get training on how to administer PD.
Also, Jake is still not on the transplant list. Apparently his paperwork got sent to the wrong department, but it's now been tracked down and he should hear something in the next few days.
A short time ago, we found out that Jake's kidney function had dropped from 17 percent in October to 10 percent the first week of January. A 7 percent drop in three months is not good. And since 15 percent is when they start the dialysis, the doctors wanted to get things moving quickly.
Yesterday, we met with a nurse practitioner who showed Jake his dialysis options. Jake, the nurse and doctors have decided that peritoneal dialysis (PD) is the best choice.
In PD, a catheter is inserted through the wall of the abdomen into the peritoneal cavity. Solution flows in and out of the cavity through the catheter, which must be inserted by a surgeon during an outpatient procedure.
PD cleans the blood and removes extra fluids using the body's own membranes as a filter. The peritoneum, or abdominal cavity, contains the stomach, spleen, liver and intestines.
PD solution is places in the peritoneum. The membrane filters waste and fluids from the blood into the solution. After several hours, the solution is drained from the cavity and is replaced with fresh solution.
It sounds a bit complicated, but it's pretty simple and can be done at home. Jake will be able to keep working, either changing the solution every couple hours or with the use of a machine at night while sleeping. That decision will be made when he actually begins treatment.
We met with the surgeon today, and Jake will have the catheter inserted on Monday. About three weeks after that, they will start dialysis treatments. During those three weeks, nurses will flush his catheter to make sure no bacteria forms, and we will get training on how to administer PD.
Also, Jake is still not on the transplant list. Apparently his paperwork got sent to the wrong department, but it's now been tracked down and he should hear something in the next few days.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
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