Post #1000: First Post With New Kidney

Another new beginning, this time with a pre-owned kidney. Surgery went well, and everything seems to be working. My donor (sister) is doing great and being discharged later today.

We got to the hospital at 6:00 am and it took about and hour to wait and get checked in. Afterwards, we both went to pre-op to change and get IV ports, etc. However, my potassium levels were still high so they wanted to dialyze me one more time. I got wheeled up to the dialysis unit, and was hooked up for two hours. UCLA contracts out their dialysis services to DaVita so I had some of their techs work on me. As usual, my fistula was giving them trouble; it took three people and four needle sticks to get good bloodflow. Our surgeries were scheduled for 8:00am but was delayed for five hours due to dialysis. I was taken to the OR around 1:00 pm and woke up at 8:00 pm. The first 30 minutes were weird. I was very disoriented and felt the urge to pee really badly. However, they had stuck me with a catheter to measure urine output so I couldn’t go anyway.

After an hour they wheeled me up to my room. Unfortunately, I did not get my own room and I’m sharing with a Korean man. I haven’t seen him yet since the separator curtain is always drawn. I did get the TV in my half of the room instead of the window. The first night wasn’t that good. I was tired and hungry and the catheter hurt. Also I had what felt like a full bladder which kept me awake. Meanwhile, a ton of people came through the room to take readings or to disseminate information.

I finally got something to eat around 9:00 am. To my disappointment, it was a bariatric liquid meal with plain broth, juice, sugar-free gelatin, and herbal tea. Lunch at 1:00 pm was basically the same.

I did go for a walk before lunch. The pain wasn’t that bad, but due to orthostatic hypotension, my BP would drop a lot when standing up and I would feel dizzy. I ended up walking around the building hallway three times and it felt good to get up. It’s about 2:30 pm now and I’ve already spoken to the dietitian and pharmacist. The main lesson is tomorrow morning. It going to be busy in this room with two patients. There is a lot to learn but I can’t screw up and lose this kidney. My sister needs her other one for herself. 😀