Happy, Happy, Happy

My nephew, Jody's, kidney transplant has been completed, and we are very pleased with the results. Of course, an "Allen Adventure" had to be thrown in for good measure.

It seems that the best transplant surgeons are perfectionists who seldom achieve the fit they want on the first attempt. This is a very good thing. Jody's transplant surgeon finally had the blood flow to the new kidney the way he wanted it on the third attempt. The remaining challenge was getting blood flow from the kidney to the main vein in Jody's leg. A vascular surgeon was called in to take a graft from Jody's other leg. This procedure was successful, and the surgeons were satisfied. We are very thankful that they are so picky.

At one point, the doctors were considering whether to attempt to save the kidney or the leg. Their choice would have been to save the leg and attempt another transplant with a new kidney. Thankfully, that decision never had to be made. I don't remember signing up for a leg transplant before the surgery.

Other than the blood flow issue, the transplant was fairly uneventful. At least that is what they tell me. I remember being wheeled into the operating room. I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't like I had seen on TV. I scooted over to the operating table, and tried to get comfortable. Yes, it was a little chilly in there, and I was definitely not dressed for cooler weather. The nurses put a mask over my nose and mouth. I started praying to get myself relaxed and ready for the surgery. I think I got as far as, "Dear God,...". The next thing I remember is waking up in my hospital room. They say I was in recovery for a couple of hours, but I don't remember any of it. I had a hard time staying awake for the rest of the day. Apparently, I am a big fan of anesthesia. I do remember falling asleep while trying to eat the hospital food. I think that was due to a combination of anesthesia after effects and the boredom of the clear liquid diet.

Jody had to spend some time in ICU, so I walked down to see him on Tuesday. It was good to get up and moving even if Missy couldn't stop laughing at me. I had green hospital socks, blue wraps on my calves to keep circulation going, and two different color (and sized) hospital gowns to keep everything covered. I also had my handy, dandy IV pole to wheel around with me. Add all of that to the hunched over, old man walk of someone who just had major abdominal surgery, and you have quite a sight to behold. Jody looked really good considering all that he had been through. The new kidney was working well, and his numbers improved day by day. Eventually, he did get moved into a regular hospital room a couple of doors down from me. I was released from the hospital on Wednesday, and Jody escaped on Friday afternoon.

All in all, it was a very long and very successful week. Missy asked me a few days ago if I would do it all over again. I told her that I would have to think about it because I only have one kidney now. I don't think that is what she meant. I have no regrets at all about donating a kidney. It made it a lot easier knowing it was going to my nephew. We give him a hard time sometimes, but that is part of the territory of being an Allen. We are very proud of the man, husband, and father that he has become. Jody has a great wife and amazing kids. We are continuing to pray that his new kidney will help him enjoy the quality of life that he deserves and desires.

If any of you are considering organ donation, I would highly recommend it. Living organ donation isn't for everyone, but I do sincerely believe that just about everybody should be organ donors when they die. You may be surprised how many people you can help with your gift. My father-in-law didn't have many useful organs due to a long list of illnesses. Several people, however, were recipients of parts of his eyes. Their lives will never be the same. Missy and I have been on both sides of living organ donation, and both are a blessing.

Thank you for all of the prayers, support and encouragement through this latest journey. Jody, myself, and our families greatly appreciate it. We are all doing well, and as Phil Robertson would say, we are all "happy, happy, happy."

Goodbye, Kidney

Two years ago this month, we were dealing with some "Mayo Madness" as Missy was being thoroughly tested for her liver transplant in Arizona. Today, the madness continues as I prepare to donate a kidney to my nephew, Jody.

As usual, the road hasn't always been smooth for us, but God has been present each step of the way. Missy and I are swapping our patient/caregiver roles. This could be interesting. I hope that I am as good of a patient as she was. Those roles will be back to normal next week as she has another stent procedure.

It is definitely different being on the patient end this time. This will be my first surgery, so I'm not quite sure what to expect. I thought that I might be more anxious or nervous, but that will probably kick in once we get to the hospital.

Jody, myself, and our families would greatly appreciate your prayers during this time. We are praying that this transplant will take care of Jody's health issues and that he can return to enjoying quality of life again. Now, all we need to do is find a red bow for his hair.

Long Time, No See

Wow, I didn't realize it has been so long since I posted to this blog. So much has happened over the last eleven months.

Missy's new liver is doing very well, but she is still having problems with bile duct issues. During the most recent post, Missy was dealing with stents in her bile ducts. She went through that procedure again in March, May, August, and October when they were finally removed. Lately, she had been experiencing some of the same symptoms. We really couldn't afford another trip to Phoenix, so we asked if a local doctor could run some tests. The Mayo staff approved that request, and Missy met with a new, local doctor last Friday. An MRI test was taken, and the doctors thought they saw some stones in the bile duct. Fortunately, they didn't see any strictures at that point. As we have experienced many times throughout this journey, what we see is not always what we get. The ERCP was performed this morning. The expectation was that the stones would be removed, and we would be on our way.

My hopes were up when the doctor came out after about 30 minutes. This procedure has never gone by so quickly in the past. He said that everything went well, and that he would see us in a few minutes. I waited with Missy in recovery for a while. When the doctor came in, he didn't have bad news, but it wasn't the news we were expecting. There were no bile duct stones. He referred to something called sludge in the duct. I guess it is a softer, more fluid type of stone. The sludge was removed without any problems. The doctor also said that he found one stricture. That stricture was opened up with a balloon, and three stents were placed in that duct. This was all done quickly and without complications. It does mean, however, that the procedure will need to be repeated in a couple of months so that the stents may be removed. In the meantime, we will send results and photos to the doctors at the Mayo Clinic and wait for their recommendations.

Our feelings are mixed at the moment. We are very glad that everything went so smoothly today. We are a little disappointed that Missy will have to go through this again in a few months. We were really hoping to get the stent issues behind us for good. The good news is that feelings don't dominate our lives. Sure, we would have loved for things to have happened a little differently. That doesn't change who we are or where we go from here. God doesn't always answer our prayers in the way that we would prefer, at least not at the moment. More often than not, we see later on down the road that what we would have liked really wasn't what was best for us. So, we are very thankful that all went well today and that Missy's recovery is going very well so far. We will continue to trust in God's provision for what lies ahead. He will never leave us nor forsake us.

Speaking of different answers to prayers, we have seen a new benefit from an answer that we originally didn't prefer. It has been almost two years since I was tested to be the donor for Missy's liver transplant. I was extremely disappointed not to be able to make that sacrifice for her. God had some other things in mind, however. Looking back, we can see situations that were better since I was not the donor. I was able to be Missy's caregiver. Very soon, she will get to return that to me.

I have been approved to donate a kidney to my nephew, Jody. The transplant is scheduled to take place next Monday in Oklahoma City. If I had donated part of my liver to Missy, I wouldn't be able to donate a kidney to Jody. Kidney transplant is more common and seemingly less complex than liver transplant, so I am thinking this will be a little easier than Bobbie's surgery. My surgery will be done with a laparoscopic incision, so recovery will be much easier. I will only be in the hospital a couple of days, and I could very well be home on Thursday. This will be my first surgery of any kind. I'm not really nervous about it, but I am a little anxious. I am excited for Jody in hopes that my kidney will help him have a better quality of life in taking care of the kidney disease that he has. I have seen what Missy's transplant has done for her, and I am praying for the same kind of improvement for Jody.

Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings. Thank you to those who have prayed and supported Missy through her journey. As I have posted before, the journey is ongoing. Thank you for those that will pray for Jody as he continues his journey. I'll do my best to make another post soon and let everyone know what new adventures God is leading us through.