I'm Just the Wife

This is a two-hour class required by the hospital for all transplant recipients and their primary support person. A transplant coordinator once again gave an overview of the process, the pharmacist went into great detail about the post transplant medication and regimen, and the importance of following their directions, and the living donor coordinator presented as well. They closed the class with a lot of information about life post-transplant. It's just a lot of information and no two patients are alike. They can talk about "in most cases," for "most people," but until you've been transplanted, there is no way to know what your experience will be. They stressed the importance of being available at all times for a kidney while you're on the list. The coordinator relayed a situation that happened just a few weeks ago - three kidneys were available at the same time and she couldn't get a hold of anyone to accept them. People weren't answering...

We received a letter today from the hospital stating that all testing was complete, that my husband's case had been presented to the team, and he is officially on the list for a transplant. This is the necessary next step in our journey, but it is daunting to say the least.

My husband went in for a repeat MRA and a chest x-ray, and he met with the neurologist immediately following the MRA. An MRA is an MRI without the dye. The dye can cause kidney damage so it's not an option for him. The problem with an MRA is clarity - an MRI is much clearer. The doctor is not sure if he has an aneurysm or an infundibulum behind his left eye. He will have a repeat test in 6 months to check artery stability, and in the meantime was schooled on all the symptoms of a burst aneurysm. I can't imagine what it feels like to be him, but for my part, I feel like I'm living with a ticking time bomb. The good news is whatever this "outpouching" is will not prevent him from being officially listed for a transplant. No one met with him to discuss the results of the chest x-ray, but we are hoping his nephrologist has those results on Tuesday at his next appointment, and that this turns out to be "nothing." There's a 60% chance he'll recei...