Kevin's Blog

Let me try to catch you up on Kevin’s medical news. His kidney tests once again showed slight improvement on Monday so the decision was made to repeat them again today (Thursday) and decide whether to treat him for rejection. This afternoon, UCLA had the results and again showed improvement with his creatinine down to 1.3.  It has been a busy month for Kevin and he feels like a pin cushion, but we are moving in the right direction and hope to get back to a normal routine soon.

As Kevin improves, the focus around here seems to be returning to me. I had my third spinal injection this afternoon to relieve back pain. Carrie brought me home, and as much as I don’t like a lot of attention and pampering, I thought that in light of my caring for them after the transplant, it might feel good to be on the receiving end for a short time. Well, I guess that seeing me in this condition was just too much for them. Kevin just left for a Dodger game and Carrie went to eat sushi with a friend. I guess we all handle worry differently. Carrie did leave me a schedule of when to put an ice pack on my back. I guess she didn’t think I could figure out “once every hour” on my own.

Please don’t worry about bringing me a meal on such short notice. I’m sure someone will come home eventually.   Thanks again for sharing this journey with us.

My Ice Schedule From Carrie

Yesterday, for the third time this week, we left for UCLA at 5am. Tired, but looking forward to hearing some good news from the biopsy report. Normal routine of lab, breakfast, and hours of waiting to see the doctor. Worth the wait to finally have some answers. Well, the doctor came in with to say that his creatinine was 1.4, another slight improvement from the last few tests. He went on to explain that the biopsy results showed what he termed “borderline rejection”, meaning that they just can’t be sure. Another biopsy might provide the answer but they prefer not to put him through that again. Kevin agreed. As his lab results are gradually improving, the decision was made to return to the lab on Monday. If he is returning to normal, we come home. If not, they will treat him for rejection which consists of a three day course of steroids. Not the clear answer I was hoping for but at least we are trending in the right direction.

Some have asked how we are holding up these past few weeks. Carrie is fine and Kevin just takes it all in stride. I wish I could say the same for me.  I am having trouble sleeping at night but do a little better in the waiting room or while driving on the freeway. Forgot my card when I went to the gym on Thursday. Guy at the desk said I had to have ID with me while I work out. When I asked him why, the little twerp said they had to be able to identify me in case I had a heart attack or something. Carrie thought that was amusing for some reason.

Hoping for good news next week, I’ll let you know. Have a great weekend.

Well, Kevin’s labs had not improved yesterday morning and by 11am he was preparing for a biopsy of his kidney. As they explained the procedure and showed Kevin the device they use, I said a silent prayer. “Lord, please make sure they don’t allow me to stay in the room.”  Kevin”s main concern seemed to be taking photos of the biopsy “gun” with his Iphone to send to his friends.

The procedure went well and he had to stay in bed in the recovery room all afternoon to make sure there was no bleeding. The doctor came by at 5:30 to let us know that they saw some damage to the kidney but they felt that it was not rejection. We hope that will be confirmed when we get the final results today. We will be at UCLA tomorrow to discuss the cause and possible treatment but we are hoping that this is something caused by his recent infection and will resolve in time. I will try to post tomorrow when we have more information. Thanks for all the prayers and support.

I am getting some heat for not keeping people up to date on how Kevin is doing. Well, excuse me, but I thought my life might be a little more interesting, but apparently not.

We spent half the day at UCLA last Friday to find that his infection is under control but his creatinine had risen to 1.6, after our getting used to 1.1. Kevin’s doctors made an adjustment in his immunosuppressant medication and wanted us back today in hopes of improvement. Another long morning today to find that it had only improved to 1.5. Well, at least it didn’t go up. We will be returning on Wednesday to repeat the tests, and if no improvement, perform a biopsy that day. Needless to say, we are praying for improved numbers in a few days.

On a more positive note, my back epidurals have been helpful and I may someday be able to wear lace up shoes again. Carrie is fine other than a rib injury which she claims occurred when she was hanging head first in our trash can. She told me she was separating recylcables but I think she was looking for something to eat. That’s  it for now and I look forward to posting some better news soon.

Kevin using his Ipad at UCLA

Hope you all had a fun filled and safe weekend. We spent ours in the UCLA emergency room and the observation unit. Bottom line, I think Kevin was feeling a little neglected with all the attention I was getting because of my spinal epidural procedures, broken bone in my foot, and physical therapy for my shoulder. I think Carrie’s colonoscopy was the last straw and Kevin knew he had to come up with something dramatic to get the attention back on him. I’m not sure yet how he did it, but he found a way to get an infection in his bladder and his brand new kidney.

We were off to UCLA Saturday afternoon and by evening we were settled in the ER with a temperature of 102+ and not feeling too well. My biggest concern at that point was what I was going to do with 8 pounds ground sirloin and hot dogs that I had just purchased for the 4th and would I miss being honored at church for my military service.

Anyway, he got started with fluids and IV antibiotics while we waited for results of blood cultures. He was transferred to the observation unit about 2am and not feeling much better. A different antibiotic was started Sunday morning and Kevin seemed to turn the corner within a few hours. This morning (Monday) his fever is gone and his kidney function is returning to normal. He will be coming home today and return for more tests and evaluation later this week. Thank all of you who had heard of his situation and prayed for him and to those of you so willing to step in and take over his responsibilities over the busy weekend at church.

Today is our day to celebrate. For those of you who have been so generous with meals in the past, don’t worry. We will being eating hot dogs and burgers the rest of the week.