This is a great picture of Duni with a few of his grandkids, Molly (Jen's dog) and Ali. Jen took the picture at her house. Whenever Duni is up in CT, he is in charge of mowing the lawn...he needs jobs to keep him out of every one's hair:)
My mom just called and told me she has an appointment with her transplant team next Wed the 21st. They will spend a few hours going over all her tests and discussing exactly what she can expect before, during and after the transplant.
The chief of my dad's transplant team is on vacation this week, so as soon as she returns they can schedule his big meeting. Hopefully that will be next week as well.
If all goes well during those 2 appointments (and neither of my folks get a cold or the flu), they could schedule the transplant as early as Tues Feb 27th. All transplants at MCV are on Tuesdays, so if not the 27th, then probably March 6th.
On a side note, during dialysis today my dad asked the tech to check his cholesterol. Back in 2003, when he was first diagnosed with kidney disease, it was in the mid 300's. He tried a statin for a while with no success. My mom was able to get it down to the mid 200's with a lots of nutritional supplements. Imagine his shock when they told him it was 180!!! That is with no meds and no change in his vitamins.
There is a huge misconception in this country that high cholesterol is from a diet high in saturated fat. That is simply not true. For those of you who just gasped - pick up a copy of The Cholesterol Conspiracy to learn what in fact causes and cures high cholesterol. And it is not a diet low in saturated fat - that in fact can raise cholesterol.
The key for my dad was a strict gluten free diet. Once he eliminated gluten - 100%, his intestinal tract was able to heal and his body stopped absorbing excess cholesterol. Americans have destroyed their digestive systems over the years through overuse of antibiotics, ibuprofen, and highly refined foods. This leaves the body vulnerable to all sorts of health issues such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure. His BP is also back down to 125/90 - after 2 weeks back on 6oz of Xango.
I love the human body - it is such an amazing creation that can and will respond to a healthy lifestyle.
