1. Having chronic kidney disease for over twenty years, one biological fact has been always on my mind and has been a subject of every appointment I've had with every kidney doctor I've seen: Kidneys remove waste products from the blood and produce urine.
Therefore, when a donor's left kidney was grafted into my lower abdomen, so was a ureter, the tube that drains urine from the kidney to the bladder.
The surgical connection between the transplanted ureter and the bladder needed time to heal, so in order to hold the ureter open and maintain proper drainage, the surgeon placed a stent in the ureter.
Today was a very important day in my recovery.
Dr. Levi Deters, urologist, removed that stent in his office using a cystoscope inserted into my bladder through my urethra.
Thanks to a local numbing agent, I felt maybe three seconds of discomfort during the procedure caused by a bit of pressure, but much like when Nurse Jenn removed my catheter, Dr. Deters complete the procedure quickly.
Why was having this stent removed a big deal?
Most important, its removal confirms that healing is taking place and that my new ureter can function on its own.
Less important medically, but a great turning point for Debbie and me is that now I can drive a car again. As long as the stent was in, driving was off limits.
Debbie and I left Spokane Urology after the procedure and I strode happily to the Camry, piled in the driver's seat, and drove us back to Kellogg without a problem!
2. I take a bunch of pills every day at the same time: 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
This morning, I was so preoccupied with putting on sun screen, making sure I had my sunglasses, remembering to wear a mask, making sure I knew the route to Spokane Urology, and other things that for the first time since my surgery, I forgot to take my 8 a.m. pills.
I called Nurse Jenn and left her a message that I would take my pills the second we were back to Kellogg, and asked her to call me back if I needed to do anything differently.
She didn't call back.
We arrived home shortly after 11:30. I took my morning medicine.
I also take two medicines in the afternoon. I did that at the right time. Then I got completely back on schedule and took my 8 p.m. meds.
I hope the panic I felt as we approached Coeur d'Alene and I realized, right then, that I forgot to take my pills, will stick with me as a reminder not to forget again.
Taking these meds, especially the anti-rejections pills, in a regularly scheduled manner is crucial as I transition into living with a transplanted kidney.
3. Back home, back on schedule, a bit pumped after getting to drive again, I turned to a very simple recipe and made Debbie and me a pan of lemon and garlic shrimp penne.
As it has several times before, it worked!
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