We are back at the Dallas Transplant Institute waiting for Dale’s labs. We enjoyed the trip home and are hoping that we are going back today. It will be great to be home even if it means driving over here a few times a week.

We will have a lot of packing to do – it’s amazing what you can accumulate in a very short time. We carried stuff with us when we went the other day but there is still a lot at the apartment.

They took half his staples out – every other one – including one that was driving him crazy and they are going to start tapering the prednisone so he is happy about that. He also got his pneumonia vaccine.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are home!  Dale’s creatinine was 1.9 and his potassium was down a bit too.  We don’t have to be back til Thursday (and that appointment is at 7:00 – in the MORNING!)

We’re tired and the house is a wreck since we basically just threw everything in the house.  It is amazing how much you can  accumulate in a very short time.  I’m not going to worry about the house tonight – I’m just going to crash and burn!

Just for the night – we aren’t really telling anyone yet because he doesn’t need any visitors yet. He just had to get out of that apartment.

His creatinine was 2.1 today and his potassium was down a bit. We are going to have to watch the potassium for awhile because some of the meds will mess with the potassium so we have to try to not add to the problem with diet. Of course the things that are high in potassium are things like milk, vegetables, beans, nuts – the very things he was hoping to get to eat after transplant. It will get better as they back off the meds but for the next few weeks, no fun food.
If his labs are good again Friday the doc said he could skip Monday so we could enjoy Christmas without a doctor appointment in the middle of it. I am hoping for warm weather – Dale just wants to sit on his back porch. We are so ready to be home.

At least it was sunny and warm today. We got out for awhile and even broke down and bought Dale a cell phone. We figure he is going to need to be able to reach us if he needs to.

We are hoping to sneak home for Christmas even if it means going for labs Christmas eve morning and then heading home and being back here Christmas day night. It would at least be one night at home and with the kids. Hopefully we will be home soon. Even if it means driving over here two days a week I think we would do it.

Dale is feeling better today so we will see what the numbers are tomorrow. We are heading to the store to get something for supper and then maybe watch a movie if we don’t go stir crazy!!!

Happy Birthday Kath!  Happy Birthday yesterday to Diana and tomorrow Mark! Last week it was Skip and this Friday Kinsey!

When Dale went for his labs this morning we had a talk with our doc.  So far the biggest problems Dale has had with this transplant have had to do with medication and it seems to us that they are very aggressive and whenever they make an aggressive change it sets us back.  We would like them to be a little more careful about those changes.  The doc today said that evidently his system is very sensitive to the medications so I think they are getting the idea.

His creatinine was down to 2.6 but his potassium was way too high so they gave him some medicine for that.  Some of the numbers are looking very good but others are a little slow.  They are telling us that it is just his body getting used to this new kidney and that it will be better.  The high prograf levels from the day before yesterday still have him feeling bad so we didn’t do much today. Plus it is pretty cold!   We are really ready to come home.  Hopefully we can come for a few days at Christmas.  I think it would do us both a lot of good that and his potassium coming down so he could eat a few more things!

We are early and waiting for lab results which won’t be posted for an hour and a half or so. We decided to have breakfast while we wait.

I forgot to mention in my last post that BJ and my daughter made Fettucine Marsala and chicken with Marinara Sauce and brought some to us. Evidently they cooked two boxes of fettucine not realizing how much it would make. Everyone ended up with some. It was delicious and my kitchen has been cleaned!  They brought me Latte from Paris Coffee too – there is NOTHING here that compares!  I miss it and appreciate it so much when they bring it even if I have to warm it up.

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Got the labs back.  His creatinine was down a bit but his Prograf level was up (the anti-rejection drug that they increased the other day!)  Now we have to completely lay off the prograf until after his labs in the morning.  Sheesh.

My son is here and we have already shopped and we are back at the coffee shop. He and Dale are reading the paper while I post this.  I’ll post again after his labs tomorrow.  Hello to everyone and I hope you are all staying warm!

I came down to the coffee shop to post this and a couple was in here that haad to leave and go to the emergency room.  He had a transplant 2 years ago and they were sitting there and he started to have a nosebleed.  I told her how to get to emergency (just a few moments from here) since he didn’t want her to call paramedics.   Husbands – sheesh.

Now for the post I had written!

We are getting braver.  We pick a direction and drive and just make sure we can keep some landmarks in view.  We ventured downtown today and made our way around to an Albertson’s grocery store.  We managed to find our way home just fine.
My brother just found out he is diabetic.  When I get internet access again I will be sending him information and I know his wife will be sending me some too.  Dale has been able to keep his sugar down a bit by walking.  We get out of this apartment every chance we get and walk.  He may be moving slow but he is moving and it helps.

I have discovered the joys of steamed veggies and I’m getting ready to steam a bunch and cook some brown rice and pork loin to make some stir fry.
I want to take a moment to thank our kids.  I can’t imagine being able to do this if they weren’t the people they are.  I know they want us home but they have managed to make it to school and work.  My daughter got first chair at all-region and my son is keeping up in debate.  He has gotten multiple awards at the last two meets.  For them to do all this with us gone is awesome and I want them to know how much we appreciate them for hanging in there.

We love and miss you guys and we need you to know that we appreciate you and know how hard this is.  Dad and I will be home as soon as we can!

If you know me you know it is driving me crazy to not have internet but I’ll live.  We had Dale’s first appointment at DTI this morning.  His creatinine was down to 4.1 so we did the happy kidney dance!  So far so good!  We are wishing the weather was warmer but no complaints – at least it isn’t icy!

A little bird told us that if he is doing ok and feels up to it we could go home for a few days at Christmas so we are hopeful.  Right now his appointments are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  We are learning our way around so we get out of the apartment and stave off cabin fever.

I’ll post again when I can – we miss everyone and can’t wait to get home to stay.

As long as everything looks good again tomorrow we get to go to Twice Blessed House. The dietition came and gave us a lot of information on diet because for the time being with the high doses of steroids on board he is diabetic. The diet is so much better than the renal diet in terms of him being able to add back foods he likes that he is feeling pretty good about it. He has no problem sticking himself which is good because I’m not sure I could do that. The things he is going to get to eat that he hasn’t been allowed for four years are sweet potatoes, beans, nuts, cheese, and milk. He also has had to be careful about eating vegetables that are high in potassium (which is most of them) so now he can have tomatoes, spinach, broccoli, and potatoes!

We went for a walk and sat outside for a few minutes. It is such a pretty day!

I’m sitting here looking at Dale who is wearing pants for the first time in a while!  That sounds kind of funny doesn’t it? His creatinine was down to 5.6 today!!!! We are getting to go for a walk off the floor after the docs come through so he will get some fresh air.  It is supposed to be a whopping 80 degrees here in Dallas today so we will make a little trip outside.

I’ll try to post later but wanted to share this good news.  For the uninitiated we want the creatinine to end up as close to 1 as we can get so every point is progress.

This is a time out from the day to day details of Dale’s medical situation and some thoughts about what happens when you donate a kidney. I know that Dale’s sister has been so upset about the possible rejection and problems Dale has been having. All of his sisters have worried about him and have been checking on him but Sondra has been especially upset.

I know she would have been upset even if she had not been the donor but I can only imagine how this changes the depth of a person’s feelings. To offer an actual physical part of yourself to another human being to heal them and then to have it not be working has made her wonder if her gift wasn’t good enough. I know you are reading this blog Sondra so I want you to pay attention!

Matthew 25 tells us:

34″Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’37″Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40″The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Of course it matters that the kidney should work and that life should be better for Dale but no matter what happens he knows that you did this wonderful thing for him.

1 John “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”

We love you – Jesus loves you , and you showed your love. Never forget this. Dale won’t.