Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc

Monday night, the first treatment of the week. I hope the weekly blood work comes back fine, as it thankfully has been doing so far. My phosphorus has been the only thing showing up a little high from time to time. I am lucky in that I don't have a whole lot of dietary restrictions yet because my blood work is always so good. Unfortunately, I've been through the renal diet in the past and I truly feel for those patients who have to be on it. Diabetics have it twice as bad. Every time I've been hospitalized and put on the "renal diet" I've been stuck with baked, skinless chicken and rice almost every night, and a bagel with cream cheese, with 1 scrambled egg substitute every morning. Num Num! I like to eat so, to me, this is the part of dialysis/kidney disease that I find difficult to deal with. Hopefully, I will get a new kidney before the dietary restrictions have to be thrust upon me again. (For a good idea of what the renal diet is, and isn't, click on the link above.)

 Speaking of getting a new kidney, I had a close call last month. As well as being listed with UNOS, I am in a program at Methodist Transplant and Specialty Hospital here in San Antonio called the Paired Donor Program. Essentially, here's how it breaks down: 1) I have a friend or family member who wants to donate but can't because of tissue or blood type incompatibilities, in this episode being played by Laura Williamson McCafferty. 2) The hospital matches us with another pair that is in the program but are incompatible with each other. 3) If all the tests come back positive, Laura gives her kidney to the other recipient who needs one and that person’s friend/family member gives me theirs. A kind of swap meet for kidneys. http://www.texastransplant.org/kidney/kidney_incompatible.html

Well, I got a call last month saying that a 60 year old couple was an initial match and would I be down if the further testing came out positive. I'm not one to really look a gift horse in the mouth so I said yes, though I did have some reservations about it. Yeah, the nurse said that they were good to go otherwise they wouldn't be in the program, which is true, the program at Methodist has strict parameters and guidelines to ensure the best matches possible. But still, a 60 year old kidney, I would be waiting for it to give out again because it's old. Well, in the end my antibodies went to town on the 60 year old's and the transplant was a no go. I had to wait a weekend to find out and it was pretty tough to find out on Monday that I would have to wait some more. But then I thought about the thousands who were going to dialysis that Monday and were in their fourth or fifth year of going, and I remembered how lucky I am to have never had to have gone that long. Yet.

 Well that's it for Monday, turns out I won't get my blood results this week due to some malfunction that happened tonight with the machines. Oh well, mine haven't changed that much lately. If any of yall have any questions about the Paired Donor Program or the renal diet feel free to ask. Leave a comment and I'll get back. Until next time I wish you all good health and great love.