Duni's Up to His Old Tricks Again

My dad called me yesterday to tell me that he finished the deck off the back of the house. He also called to tell me that he was going golfing on Monday with his buddies (25 days post-op...they said he wouldn't golf for at least 90 days). He did promise to have one of his friends hit off the tee, and he would take over on the fairway to prevent any strain on his incision. He is also back to driving and mowing the lawn.

He had his weekly check-up today and the doctors just laugh at him at this point, because they know they can't stop him from doing whatever the hell he wants to do...welcome to our world:) They love him, which is no surprise, and find our family fascinating. He got his staples taken out today, and didn't want any kind of special scar-diminishing cream, because he thinks "it looks cool."

He also requested all his lab tests so we keep an eye on his progress, which they of course found odd, but were happy to oblige. It is so awesome to track his recovery in numerical form by his lab results. His creatinine continues to drop, this week it is at a 1.4. His BP is holding steady at 115/75, so they dropped one of the BP meds altogether today. His glucose hovers between 80-100, which is excellent, his potassium is down from a record high of 5.8 to a 4.2, his bun is coming down, his hemoglobin is going up and his protein is going down - all great, great, great. We will continue to tract these numbers as Duni LOVES to see them. He actually enjoys taking his BP and temp the required 4 times a day - he cracks me up.

Same Old Duni - Different Day

Need I say more...this email I just got from my mom says it all:

I love your father - truly I do. He decided he HAD to build a deck off the back door - HAD TO. So Kenny came up and they are in the midst of building a deck. He just walked in and said my back hurts.....I wonder why? 17 days post-op from a kidney flippin transplant, bending, nailing, carry lumber...and he wonders why his back hurts.

I love your father - truly I do - but let's face it - sometimes he's a stupid as a brick.

Duni is dangerous when he's bored!

MaryAnn is Offically Done!

Mom had her post-op check-up and the docs gave her their final seal of approval. She has no issues or problems that they can detect and will no longer need to do any follow up care with the transplant clinic.

She was thrilled. She can now drive and go back to work. She was growing restless just sitting around the house. Now she can chauffeur Duni around town. He has another appt. on Thursday. Every time he goes, they lower his meds. He loves that and is encouraged by how well his body is responding the my mom's kidney. His BP is still in the 120's, his glucose is back in the 90s and his creatinine is around 1.2.

Everyone from the transplant team has called them a dream couple. No issues before, during, or after the transplant. It's almost as if we have been working our tails off for the last 3 years preparing Duni for this to make sure his body would respond this beautifully...oh, wait...that is ALL we have been doing for the last 3 years. For anyone who thinks this result is just good-luck, think again. Good health has to be fought for, and we have been fighting for this for a long time. My parents are brilliant examples of what a healthy lifestyle can overcome. It is never too late to change your course and get on the road to a healthy life. It just take a little hard work and a stubborn New England attitude doesn't hurt:)

Pluggin-Along

I went down to Richmond on Friday to see my folks - and all is well. I took my dad to the transplant clinic for his check-up. His creatinine had gone up a little since he left the hospital, so they wanted to take it again to see if they needed to readjust his meds. It looked fine on Friday, so they kept his meds the same. His BP continues to drop - now consistently in the lower 120's - so they will stop one of his BP meds on Monday. Other than that, they couldn't be happier with his recovery.

After I dropped dad off at the house, I went to the Trotter's to pick up my kids and bring them over to see Grammy Squirt and Duni. My mom and dad LIVE for their 6 grandchildren, so seeing them was the best medicine! Caroline had lots of new things to show them. Since she saw them last she has learned how to jump rope, do a 1 handed cartwheel, and do a running cartwheel with a hurdle...yes, she is taking gymnastics. Her new random goal it to learn how to hola-hoop. Jackson is my techno-file and showed my dad his new video camera that can record up to 8 minutes of film or hold 20 digital pictures. Grammy Squirt always has the best food for Jackson, so he spent most of the time with his nose in their fridge looking for her special treats.

Then on Saturday morning, Caroline and I took Grammy Squirt shopping. We were out and about for a few hours. She had to move slowly to avoid pain at her incision, but gains more strength and mobility everyday. Dad and I then went out to Home Depot and Costco and he looked healthier than most guys at both places. His coloring is awesome and you'd never know he had a major organ transplant 12 days ago by the look of him walking around. His big thing will be trying to do to much to soon. He has no patience for "taking it easy". But he did admit that he was tired after our outing, so both my folks took a nap.

We left Saturday afternoon with both of them looking and feeling great. My mom and I spent an hour going over his meds and how to fill his huge pill box. We also went over his nutritional program to determine the rate at which to reintroduce certain supplements based on the guidelines in his transplant handbook. We were all pleased to see that they encourage supplement intake as soon as possible, they just warn against taking herbs, which I am not a big fan of anyway, so that wasn't a problem.

Mom will be able to drive on Monday, so she will take Duni in for his next check-up tomorrow morning. Once they both get clean bills of health next week, these postings will probably slow down to once a week or so - unless something crazy happens.

Jen's Gone Home

Jen just swung by on her way back home to Connecticut. She left my folks down in Richmond this morning. They will have a quiet day at home before I invade them tomorrow morning with my kids. Paul has a cold, so he can't visit. With all the crazy immuno-suppressants they've got him on, he can not be around people with viruses such as colds and flues.

His first post-op check up was yesterday. He was there for a few hours getting blood drawn and meeting with the surgeons, coordinators and various folks. They were all really pleased with his recovery. His BP has stayed well below 130, so they will be decreasing his BP meds. His energy is great and his pain is minimal. He has another appointment tomorrow that I will be taking him to. They expect to lower his immuno-suppressants meds at this appointment.

I hope to get my hands on the pictures Jen took of my dad when he left the hospital on Monday. I will post then when I get back from Richmond.

Out and About

Today was the first day both mom and dad were out and about Richmond. Jen dropped my dad off at a friend's house while mom and her went shopping. They were gone a few hours. Both mom and dad are taking a nap this afternoon, so Jen is enjoying a few quiet moments.

I forgot to mention in yesterday's post that my dad's kidney is fully functioning, so he will never need dialysis again - Praise God! His creatinine level is down to a 1.5 from a high of 11. My mom's pre-op creatinine was a 0.7. His BP is has remained in the 130's since arriving home. He is sleeping great and has a much better attitude since leaving the hospital.

The transplant coordinator keeps emphasizing to us that neither of my parents are sick - so they should not be treated that way. And frankly, being treated like a patient irritates them both. If anyone else tells my dad to take it easy, he is going to put his fist through a wall. He is a grown man and knows the rules, but wants to get back into the swing of things as soon as possible.

Their first post-op clinic visit is tomorrow morning at 8am. Look for a blog tomorrow on how that goes.

Duni's Headed Home

Duni just called me from the lobby of the hospital waiting to get in the car to go home!! He sounded excited, tired, irritated, joyful and relieved all at the same time. Over the next few days both my folks will be continuing their recoveries. Out of respect for their wishes, they need a few days to regroup before they will be up to re-entering life as usual.

As many of you know, my parents are both extremely private people. Chances are neither one of them will ever want to talk about the transplant in great detail again. My dad has this unbelievable ability to close the door on his past - both the good and the bad. Once he is done with something or someone, he can walk away and never look back. He might want to talk about the transplant or he might not. If he brings it up, then feel free to ask away, but if he just shrugs a question or inquiry off, he is not trying to be rude, he has just moved on. This surgery was just a bump in the road for him. His kidney issues have never been a big deal to him - hence the reason only 4 people on the planet ever knew about them and also the reason I started this blog - otherwise no one would ever have known he was even getting a kidney transplant...you think I'm kidding!?! The last thing he wants to do is rehash it all. He's got people to see, places to go and golf to get back to.

Jen took some pictures of him today and hopefully I can get those posted soon. I will continue to update on a daily basis this week as he recovers at home. Jen is going to his first follow up appointment on Wed and I will be going to the second one on Friday. Jen will be heading home on Thurs and I will go stay Fri to Sunday.

Weekend Update

Not much to report since the last post, hence no posts since Friday. I came home early Sat morning to spend the day with my family - Sat was Jackson's 8th birthday. He has been wearing that birthday hat all week and has slept in it a number of times:) He is really into music and baseball at the moment, so his favorite gifts revolved around those. It was nice to get a few hours break from the hospital and all the drama that has surrounded the past few days.



Jen spent the day at home with mom, just resting, walking around and generally getting the cob-webs out of her body. That anaesthesia really did a number on her. Jen went to the hospital for a few hours to hang out with Duni. He was off all pain meds by Sat. They discovered the medication he is allergic to and were able to give him the last dose of that and be done with it for good - which made him happy. He was bored and restless and just wanted to get home by Saturday night.

I woke up early on Sunday morning to drive back to Richmond for my dad's big discharge. But I got a phone call from Jen that said his BP was not low enough for them to release him Sunday morning. I talked to Dad around 8am and he asked me to come down anyway because he was confident that he would be released in the afternoon. So Jen and I stayed at the hospital for 7 hours - and his BP never got low enough for his release.

The 3 of us hung out in his room and watched some bad TV, dog shows and old movies, walked around, ate bad hospital food and watched that stupid BP monitor every 10 minutes. Duni was getting pissed, so Jen and I kept taking little walks around the hospital so he could rest. His BP periodically would come down as low at 118/85, but would shoot back up to 160/90 a few cycles later. The docs wanted it between 130 and 140 for 2 hours. Ugh...that was the kicker.

So Jen and I left last night and called the nurses station before bed and his BP had been hovering around 140 for an hour. They felt confident that he would be released this morning. He is not a happy camper. He wanted to come home on Thursday. I'm waiting on a call from Jen right now to see what the docs said, so I'll post once we know for sure when he is being sprung.

** Jen just called and dad's BP stayed at 118 overnight - after they gave him an anti-anxiety med. Apparently this whole BP thing was the result of him being stressed out. His recovery will not be compromised by undue stress. We will not allow it - period.

Friday Update

Today was another fun day at the hospital. Dad was up and around a lot this afternoon with the physical therapist. She took him around and took his heart rate and BP after a few laps. Both those vitals reminded stable after 20 minutes of exercise. She was pleased with that. We hung out for a few hours and talked about all sorts of random stuff - but had a nice time just shooting the breeze.

Mom slept most of the day and is still not up to eating much. She has no pain (that the meds can't control), and is able to go up and down stairs without any problems.

Here is a good picture of dad and Jen walking around today.

Day 4

I just wanted to post a quick note before we head out for the morning. Mom is upstairs resting. She was up early and after a few hours of relaxing with Jen and I, she needed a nap. She isn't very hungry, but is drinking lots of liquid.

Dad called at 7am. He slept great last night - no itching. He put in his daily menu requests to Jen and she got all his GFCF food squared away for the day. We are headed over there now with new DVDs and lots of food. The infamous Duni appetite is back.

The nurses and docs are so impressed by both my folks recovery that they all requested info on NEDlife and the programs we have done up until this point. They are all anxious to see how my dad's long term recovery fares compared to folks who have not implemented these programs. There are two researchers at MCV who are doing studies on the role of gluten and vitamin D deficiency in kidney disease, so they are particularly intrigued by dad.

Mom's Home

One down 1 to go! Mom is upstairs resting. We took her home today around noon. She looked and felt great this morning as was able to urinate on her own - which was the main criteria for her discharge. I am gathering up food for dad and headed back to the hospital to hang out with him for a bit while Jen stays here with mom.

Dad is having an allergic reaction to one of his anti-rejection meds which is giving him a severe "rash". The rash is not visible on the skin, but is causing intense itching all over his body. They were able to calm the itching with high doses of benadryl, but are looking into switching this med.

Here are some pictures from today's visit. Dad got up and went for a walk for the first time this afternoon and was able to clean himself up a bit. All of these things brought him great joy. I am on the hunt for the cord to his DVD player so he's got something to do this evening.

Calling it a Night

It is 10pm and my dad just called Jen - he is still awake and sitting in his chair - what a dork. We didn't make it back to the hospital tonight - we stayed out late with Steve at dinner...we all needed to relax. We called the nurses as soon as we got home. My mom is off her IV, but they had to put the catheter back in because her kidney was not producing enough urine. She has not eaten anything, but is not nauseous.

Dad just called to remind us to bring his toiletries and food - he's bored. His creatinine levels have come down from a high of 10 to a much more acceptable 3. The docs are very pleased with that. His blood pressure was pretty erratic today ranging from the 180's to the 120's. He seems to be leveling off in the 140's, which makes the nurses happy. My mom's BP is 98/65, a little low, but nothing to worry about.

Tomorrow there will be more walking, peeing and eating of solid foods...I'm having a deja-vu of life with a toddler. Speaking of kids - Jackson got the flu today. He threw up 5 times. He has not gotten sick since he was 18 months old - not 1 fever, not 1 runny nose, no vomiting, nothing. While this might seem like a bad thing, it is actually encouraging because his immune system has been on overdrive for 7 years, attacking everything too aggressively, including not just viruses and bacteria, but also his liver, gut and brain. Paul is doing a great job taking care of him, lots of love and spot remover:)

That means they won't be able to come down here on Sunday for Jackson's birthday party because my dad's on high doses of immuno-suppressants which make him extremely vulnerable to infection. But hopefully Paul and the kids can come the following weekend to check on Duni and Grammy Squirt.

Day 2 - "Unbelievable Progress"

It is 5pm and Jen and I just landed back at my folk's house after a long day at the hospital. We were so overwhelmed when we were finally able to get to check our cell phone voice mails (cells are not allowed in the transplant unit) to find both our inboxes FULL of messages of love and support. You all are amazing. All 4 of us feel disconnected from the real world, but knowing that we have been covered in prayer gives us all strength and peace.

When Jen called the nurses at 6am this morning for an update, they had nothing but good things to say about both mom and dad's progress. They both slept great and were drinking clear liquids. By the time we got to the hospital they were both sitting in chairs and had some hot tea. Mom was still a little groggy, but much more lucid than last night. Her catheter was out and her pain meds had been lowered. Dad was up in his chair giving the nurses hell. 24 hours after a major organ transplant and he is already the life of the party! Typical Duni:)

Soon after we arrived, the occupational therapist wanted my mom to walk around. She wanted to go see my dad, so she walked down the hall to his room. He was THRILLED to see her - it was such a sweet and tender moment to see these 2 people, who have been married for 40 years and been through a tremendous amount of joy and pain together, to be overcome with emotion and gratitude for the others sacrifice. I caught the moment on film:


Our favorite uncle (my mom's brother, Steve) is taking us out to dinner tonight. He has been taking great care of Jen and I this week. After dinner, we plan on going back to the hospital to check in one last time before turning in for the night. The docs expect my mom to be able to come home tomorrow afternoon. They still anticipate that my dad won't come home until Sunday. We will be bringing him his portable DVD player - because "I'm bored", and his toiletries, because "I stink" and all his food because "I won't eat anything MaryAnn hasn't prepared".

We will post again tonight before bed. Thanks again for all your love - we feel blessed to have friends like you. We promise to get back to all of 40 of you who have called in due time as the craziness settles. Please bear with us, we are thinking of you as much as you are thinking of us. Without good friends like you, things would be harder to deal with.

Four Exhausted Duni's Call it a Day

I have been awake since 4:30am - and I was the last one up!! Mom woke up at midnight and couldn't go back to bed. Jen was up at 3am and she went downstairs and joined my mom for coffee. My dad meandered down shortly after. By the time they pried my lazy butt out of bed at 4:30am - they were all showered and perky...I thought I was going to kill them all - it felt just like high school:)

Jen and I are home now - and will be lucky if we can stay awake until 8pm. When we left the hospital at 4pm, they were both beyond exhaustion and drifted happily into a drug-induced la-la land. We hope to see them a little more lucid and mobile tomorrow afternoon. I have posted a few pictures below of them pre-op and of Jen and I in the waiting room. I'll post pics of them tomorrow once all of the tubes and gone and they look a little less fragile.

Recovery... a picture of contrasts

I just got off the phone with Ali and both Duni and MaryAnn are in their respective rooms recovering. Ali says that MaryAnn is very tired, weak and generally looks like she just got out of major surgery. Duni, on the other hand, is sitting up and talking to the doctors and is as happy as ever. Both are right on track and, according to the docs, this is fairly normal.

Ali was very surprised how good Duni looked. He has a number of tubes and dials and cords coming out of him, but is all-in-all in good shape. Both sets of kidneys seem to be working great.

This will be the last post of the evening. Ali and her sister are going to give the patients a chance to rest. Phase 1 is over; now comes the hard part of recovery...

Everyone to post-op!

Ali just called and everyone's surgery is complete. MaryAnn finished an hour ago and is already heading to the recovery area after spending a little time in post-op. Duni is just entering post-op and should be there for about 2 hours before heading to recovery.

Everything went very well and Duni's new kidney was functioning properly before they started to stitch him up! There were no complications or hiccups and all is going better than expected.

The next post should be in 2-3 hours after Ali gets a chance to see Duni...

40 minutes ahead of schedule!

Because of MaryAnn's great health, MaryAnn is 40 minutes ahead of schedule. Her kidney should be in transit to Duni right now. Duni is all opened up and ready to receive his new kidney. The transplant coordinator is very optimistic and things continue to look good. Next update should come in an hour or so.

And they're off...

Ali just called and said both Duni and MaryAnn are into surgery! MaryAnn evidently only had a few IVs in her, but Duni "had all kinds of things plugged into him." Ali said the docs and nurses were great and everyone is excited to get this done so recovery can begin. Speaking of, Ali also said the docs are hoping MaryAnn will be walking around tomorrow morning.

The next update should come around 1pm-ish when they've got some news from the surgery. Keep the whole family in your prayers.

Getting close

So we're getting close to the transplant hour. I'll post updates throughout the day tomorrow.

Jen's Here

Jen arrived at my place this afternoon. We are headed down to Richmond tomorrow. We have both prepped our husbands and briefed them on the weekly schedules and meals. They both took copious notes and are intent on running things as smoothly as possible. Jen and I are both excited to spend time together as the original "Dunis", but will miss our own little families.

I will blog tomorrow night after we land in Richmond. We need to be at the hospital at 5am on Tues, so we will all hit the sack early.