Lee's Tests Done & Dusted!

This is Lee's latest update:

I attended Albert Luthuli Hospital again on Friday, 6 November. I was there for an angiogram and an ultrasound of the kidneys. I was also supposed to meet with the surgeon today but he postponed it as he still needed to check on a few additional things before meeting with us. I started with the ultrasound which was all okay, and the more she tried to look under my ribs for the kidney, the fainter I felt at the thought of them trying to get the kidney out from under my ribs!

Next was the angiogram. I remember, not too fondly, having the angiogram done 10 years ago for the same reason. I recall them injecting the iodine into my groin, through a rather large needle, and then I watched on the screen as the dye went through my body. I was pleasantly surprised to realise that technology has in fact improved and whilst I still had to take tablets to counteract my allergy to Iodine, the whole process was very uneventful. I had to lie on the bed with my arms above my head and go through the “tunnel” while the nursing staff watched on the monitor from their little room. The heated Iodine was injected once and that was that.

Then it was on to the Clinical Psychologist for some Q and A, particularly as to why I was doing this. Was I paid? Was I coerced? What am I getting out of it? How will I feel if the kidney rejects after one week? How do I feel about living the rest of my life with only one kidney? Then a few “do I know who I am”, “where I am”, “what day it is”, “who is our President” kind of questions. When he asked for the family medical history, he couldn't fit it all in the space provided and had to carry on writing down the margin.

After that it was on to the Social Worker who supports all the renal patients, including donors and recipients at Albert Luthuli. She was so surprised to hear our history, that my twin sister had donated a kidney 10 years ago, that Terry is so young, that he was having a second transplant (she has never had a patient who has had two transplants). Her job was to enquire about my social welfare ie. do I have support from family. Have I made arrangements at work for the time I will be out of the office, who will take care of me when I get home, have I sorted out arrangements for my children etc. etc. etc. She also asked about being coerced or paid to give a kidney.

Someone asked an interesting question the other day “Which kidney will they take and why?” I had no idea so I found out why. Apparently they generally take the left kidney because it is easier to get to and because it has longer blood vessels than the right kidney so it is easier to work with.

Terry and I should be meeting with the surgeon this week to finally set a date so that we can prepare ourselves socially, mentally and physically.

Ciao xxx