Kevin's Blog

Hi Everyone,

Well… the time has finally come.  Nearly 7 months later, after numerous tests, poking and prodding, I have finally reached the end of the pre-transplant process and have been rewarded with a date.

On February 9, 2010, I will undergo my third kidney transplant!

Yesterday, Friday, I completed the last two procedures that were required before moving onto the transplant surgery.  And this Monday, the 11th, mom and I will go in to have our final blood crossmatch, EKG, x-rays, and meet with the transplant doctors and surgeons.

What an exciting time!  I can’t thank you enough for your prayers and support going through this process and leading up to the transplant.  It’s been a challenging few months, but the time has gone by quickly.  I am fortunate and blessed to have my mom available as the donor, and look forward to the good health her kidney will provide me for years to come!

-Kevin

Hi Friends,

It has been quite a whirlwind of a week, and there is a lot more in-store, so I thought I would update you all.

As you may recall, I was supposed to have two tests done on Friday, December 4th.  These two tests were the only thing I had remaining in order to schedule my kidney transplant.  Unfortunately, I had been experiencing pain in my side where my current kidney is, so the doctors thought it would be best for me to get checked out before having the tests done.  Well… long story short, just as I was about to be put out for my procedure, my blood results came back and showed that I had an infection, and the procedure needed to be canceled.  This subsequently led to me being hospitalized that evening at UCLA, and spending 5 days in the hospital.

Surprisingly, this is the second time I had been hospitalized for this pain, and similar to the first time, the doctors thought that giving me high doses of steroids would fix the problem.  Well… this worked the first time, but unfortunately, it didn’t work this last time.  After three days of IV Solu-Medrol, the pain and swelling was still there.

Obviously, something needs to be done.  The plan now is to remove my kidney.  Because it continues to act up, this could cause complications for my upcoming transplant, and that’s not a risk that either myself or the doctors want to take.

So, next Wednesday, December 16th, I will have a procedure called a nephrectomy at UCLA.  It will take approximately 3-4 hours, and I will be recovering in the hospital for 4-5 days.  This also means there will be a 6-8 week delay in the transplant as my body recovers from this surgery.  Although I had been hoping to avoid this surgery, it is agreed that this is what’s needed to keep me healthy not only now, but also in the future after my upcoming kidney transplant.

So we continue to move forward!  Thank you all for your constant prayers, encouragement, and support throughout all of this.  I have never felt so loved and cared for.  I look forward to continuing to bring you updates!  I always welcome your comments; just click on “Contact Me” at the top of the page.

-Kevin

This is a question I get asked almost anywhere I go. And I guess now that I have this blog, I can answer that question for a lot of people! And although it will change almost daily, here’s where things with my transplant stand as of now:

It has been 5 months now (June 15th) since I was evaluated for my third kidney transplant at UCLA. The time has gone quickly, and I am almost to the goal. But there are still two more tests that need to be completed before I am given a transplant surgery date. These two remaining tests will allow the surgeon to look inside my bladder and make sure my “plumbing” is intact and working correctly. I tried having these tests done about a week and a half ago, but they weren’t completed successfully. So, I am waiting for the tests to be rescheduled, and this time, I will be under anesthesia as to lessen the pain that goes along with these tests.

So… we are close! I would have had the tests done last Friday, but unfortunately ended up in the ER instead due to stomach pain. Luckily, it didn’t turn out to be anything serious, but it caused enough concern that the tests had to be canceled. Oh well.

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support. I honestly don’t know how I could do this without being surrounded by so much encouragement. I look forward to sharing more good news with you all soon.