OUCH!
The good part is that I can drink all that I want now. The bad part....ouch!
I'm still on morphine so I doze off about every hour. My brother walked (yes I said walked) to see me today, so I have incentives to walk tomorrow. Right now just getting into the chair is a feat for me.
Time to snooze--
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
October 3, 2007 Janet Update
Janet reported to Methodist Hospital yesterday at 5:30 AM as planned, her brother Joel having reported at 3:00 PM the day before, since the doner preparation starts the night before transplant. Joel went into surgery about 8:00 AM, with Janet wheeled off about 9:45 AM. Each had their own surgery suite and team of doctors, which coordinated their work to reach critical milestones at designated times, each team going into holding patterns as required when the other get delayed. The object is to have the doner kidney extracted from Joel and implanted imediately into Janet. The exchange happened about about noon, and Janet was taken to recovery about 3:00 PM. Joel finished a couple of hours earlier, as more of his surgery was completed prior to kidney removal.
Recovery for both took about 1.5 hours, then they were transfered to their permanant hospital beds, Joel in the doner preop area, and Janet in the transplant intermediate care unit since she requres more instrumented continuous monitoring and constant nursing attention. As expected both were tired and sore from the day long proceedures, and rested as best they could with the continuous checks on condition and vital signs. Janet's bigest complait was thirst and frustration that she could not be given anything to drink until all signs of the anesthisia and potential nausia had passed, which didn't occur until after 9:00 PM. Joel felt like he had been punched in the stomach by a 2 ton gorilla.
The transplanted kidney was extacted in perfect condition and imediately began to do its thing once the connection proceedures were completed. By this morning Janet's blood tests are showing all parameters within acceptible ranges, and continued movement in the proper direction. Some variation in body temperature and blood pressure is still present, but not unexpected. Due to the dose levels of antirejection medications, they are being administered via the IV lines, and as expected are creating a little fog in the wheel house, although not nearly what we were prepared for. This morning she got out of bed and sat in a chair for an hour, and had her first solid meal about noon. She is tired and the recovery is not painless, but amazingly, within a couple of hours of the transplant she indicated she was already feeling energy levels she hasn't experienced in a couple of years since here kidneys lost function. So far so good.
Joel is recoverying on schedule as well. He too got out of bed for the first time this morning, and also with severe pain. His tubes have been removed, and he is cleared for all the walking he can stand to work out the soreness, which is expected to diminish with exercise. He is expected to be discharged from the hospital tomorrow, to conitnue a few days of rehab at the Hill house before returning to Portland for additional down time to complete the healing process.
Janet and I want everyone to know how much we have and continue to appreciate the caring and support everyone has given her. It has done wonders to minimize the lonliness and keep the optimizm in the future. If all goes well, her hospital stay may only be three or four more days. Stay tuned.
Recovery for both took about 1.5 hours, then they were transfered to their permanant hospital beds, Joel in the doner preop area, and Janet in the transplant intermediate care unit since she requres more instrumented continuous monitoring and constant nursing attention. As expected both were tired and sore from the day long proceedures, and rested as best they could with the continuous checks on condition and vital signs. Janet's bigest complait was thirst and frustration that she could not be given anything to drink until all signs of the anesthisia and potential nausia had passed, which didn't occur until after 9:00 PM. Joel felt like he had been punched in the stomach by a 2 ton gorilla.
The transplanted kidney was extacted in perfect condition and imediately began to do its thing once the connection proceedures were completed. By this morning Janet's blood tests are showing all parameters within acceptible ranges, and continued movement in the proper direction. Some variation in body temperature and blood pressure is still present, but not unexpected. Due to the dose levels of antirejection medications, they are being administered via the IV lines, and as expected are creating a little fog in the wheel house, although not nearly what we were prepared for. This morning she got out of bed and sat in a chair for an hour, and had her first solid meal about noon. She is tired and the recovery is not painless, but amazingly, within a couple of hours of the transplant she indicated she was already feeling energy levels she hasn't experienced in a couple of years since here kidneys lost function. So far so good.
Joel is recoverying on schedule as well. He too got out of bed for the first time this morning, and also with severe pain. His tubes have been removed, and he is cleared for all the walking he can stand to work out the soreness, which is expected to diminish with exercise. He is expected to be discharged from the hospital tomorrow, to conitnue a few days of rehab at the Hill house before returning to Portland for additional down time to complete the healing process.
Janet and I want everyone to know how much we have and continue to appreciate the caring and support everyone has given her. It has done wonders to minimize the lonliness and keep the optimizm in the future. If all goes well, her hospital stay may only be three or four more days. Stay tuned.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Carter Brooks Hill -Day 1
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I couldn't figure out how to manage these pictures, but wanted to post them for everyone to see.Carter is just one hour old and on his way to the nursery to get cleaned up.
Mike wasn't in Houston for the birth but came directly from the airport the next day. I'll post Grandpa Mike meeting Carter on the next post.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Carter Brooks Hill
We have a new grand baby! Carter Brooks Hill was born at 4:15 pm today and is just gorgeous. He is skinny at 6# 15 oz with long narrow feet and long fingers. We all thought he had dark brown hair, but Libbie's Mom just called and said after he was cleaned up and returned to his Mother his hair is more golden. He has blond eyebrows and blond eyelashes. He does have the distinctive Just-Hill cleff chin and the paternal side of the family is proud that three out of three babies have our chin.
He was very alert in the nursery and Joel said his eyes watched him as they got to know each other. Joel also told us that Libbie was marvelous during the whole day and started pushing about 3:15 pm with baby by 4:15 pm. Waiting is never easy, but Joel got so busy that he didn't come out and tell us that things were happening. So Jan and I were standing in the hall trying to determine for ourselves what was happening. When we saw a nurse bring in a scale for weighing babies, we both looked at each other and started to tear up! We guessed that the baby was indeed here.
Aimee and Reagan arrived around 1:00 pm with Justin and Lauren arriving shortly thereafter. Libbie's father and step-mother arrived from San Antonio shortly after Joel announced the birth to us, timing it almost perfectly. Ray and Ethan made it in time to see Libbie and then to walk to the nursery to see Carter.
We all just finished a delicious Thai dinner which is why this note is so late tonight. I'll post pictures in the morning because Justin has my camera in his car and he is still visiting with the Vandersteegs down the street.
More later -Janet
He was very alert in the nursery and Joel said his eyes watched him as they got to know each other. Joel also told us that Libbie was marvelous during the whole day and started pushing about 3:15 pm with baby by 4:15 pm. Waiting is never easy, but Joel got so busy that he didn't come out and tell us that things were happening. So Jan and I were standing in the hall trying to determine for ourselves what was happening. When we saw a nurse bring in a scale for weighing babies, we both looked at each other and started to tear up! We guessed that the baby was indeed here.
Aimee and Reagan arrived around 1:00 pm with Justin and Lauren arriving shortly thereafter. Libbie's father and step-mother arrived from San Antonio shortly after Joel announced the birth to us, timing it almost perfectly. Ray and Ethan made it in time to see Libbie and then to walk to the nursery to see Carter.
We all just finished a delicious Thai dinner which is why this note is so late tonight. I'll post pictures in the morning because Justin has my camera in his car and he is still visiting with the Vandersteegs down the street.
More later -Janet
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Blog Set-up
Blog Set-up I'm one week away from final labs to make sure my blood still matches my brother's blood, twelve days away from surgery. I'm not really focusing on the surgery...yet, because I'm waiting for Joel and Libbie's first baby, which is due tomorrow. Every time the phone rings, I catch my breath and hope that this is "the call". I'll post pictures of the baby to get this blog thing working
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