All down hill from here

9 years have past by and I was living life to its fullest. I went through highschool just like everyone my age. I played in a few bands, hung out with friends, and graduated. I wasn't top of my class or anything but I did get a few certificates for music. At the time I was planning on going through a community college and going to Rowan for a degree in music education. This would be put on hold, well more like completely put away, when my kidneys started failing. In May of 2011 I had a stent put into my ureter. My doctors saw a kink in it and thought that it was the reason for the protein in my urine and for my creatinine going up. This was only a temporary fix.
   In June the doctors tried one last attempt to get my kidneys back into normal function. I would start plasmapheresis. This is when your blood is passed through a machine that seperates your plasma from the rest of your blood. After the seperation a synthetic plasma is replaced into the blood. The reason why the doctors performed this was because my antibodies were beginning to increase and fight against my kidney. With plasmapheresis the synthetic plasma replaces your white blood cells in order for your body to stop fighting the kidney. There was only a 30% chance that this process would work. Needless to say it didn't. I would have to start dialysis in August of 2011 because of ESRD, or end stage renal disease.
  Through all of this I must say I was very lucky for one special event. In April I met a girl by the name of Jessica Gonzalez. In May we decided to officially be together. I have to say that God must have put her in my life at the most perfect time. I needed a person that could help me emotionally and physically during this stressful time. I was having other personal issues that she also was helping me with. She is the love of my life. I could not ask for a more perfect woman. She cares for me in every way that I need. She keeps me level headed in my most depressing times. She is really amazing.
   Next time.... I start the dialysis process.

Complications (cont'd)

  So after waking up with all the nurses around me I was able to ask what happened. I had a seizure. Apparently my temperature got so high that when it finally peaked and I had a seizure when I was standing at the scale. I don't even remember it happening. All I remember was standing at the scale and then waking up in the bed. Needless to say, I was admitted into the hospital right away. I was given medicine to try and bring my fever down and fluids to stay hydrated. I was very tired through this whole process. I was sleeping at least 12+ hours a day when I was in there. This was what gave away what my issue was. I had mono. The high fever and extreme fatigue were general symptoms of it. It was also going around my school at the time. No matter how hard I tried I still ended up getting sick.
  I was in the hospital for almost a month. I missed yearbook signing and the end of the year field trips. I also missed the 7th grade graduation. In our school district, you move up to a new school in 8th grade. I ended up being sent home with a clean bill of health. Thankfully the sickness did not affect my kidney function or anything else revolving around my kidney. I would then spend my summer just relaxing and trying to keep myself busy. This was rather difficult.
  I was always a little more difficult on myself when it came to enjoying things. I was always being way too careful when it came to playing outdoors and hanging out with friends. If I knew a friend was sick, I would be sure not to hang out with them until I was 100% positive it was OK. Honestly, I'm still like that. I'm always very careful now when it comes to my health. Being that way would make it easier for my kidney to last for a very long time. I wouldn't have any problems until 9 years later.

Complications

   So the school year started that September just like every other year. I was going to my doctor appointments every other day just for standard check ups just to watch my kidney function. Other then that the beginning of the year was rather simple. You see, for me it was going to be a little more complicated then most school years. Having the new kidney not only made me feel better but it also made me a little more stressed. After having the transplant i had to be put on anti-rejection medicines. This would make it so that my body wouldn't attack the foreign object, the new kidney, that was in me. One of the key side effects of the medicine was a lowering of my immune system. The medicine was keeping my body preoccupied from infections , pretty much. So, that made it easier for me to get sick. I was always careful of what I was doing and who I was around. If anyone was sick I would be sure to stay away from them. I also never shared my drinks, food, etc. This was pretty easy, for the most part. During flu season I was told by my doctors to be extremely care around sick people. I think it even go to the point to where I was even tempted to wear a face mask out in public. Although with a low immune system I was still able to not get sick, for long.
   Near the end of my seventh grade year I started getting a fever. At first I ignored it because I thought maybe it was just from the heat. Well, I was wrong. Day after day my fever got higher and higher. At one point my fever got to almost 102 degrees. Needless to say there was something wrong. I was then taken to the hospital in Philly and went straight to the emergency room. My mom had called ahead so they were waiting for us with a room. I was put into a gown and had my temperature taken. 101.6! I've never had a fever that high before. The nurses were very concerned about my well being. I was then told to stand up and get my weight. My mom helped me stand up at first because I was extremely weak. I walked up to the scale and waited for my weight to come up. Then, everything went black. I woke up in a hospital bed with nurses all surrounding me in a panic.
  Next week...what the heck just happened?

Recovery (cont'd)

 So recovery was actually kind of easy for me. I was only in the ICU for one day. In total I was actually only in the hospital for about a week. My dad was only in for about 4 days in total. I was told numerous times that I should have been in there longer. Apparently I was supposed to be in the ICU for a week and in the hospital in total 3 weeks. I feel that the main reason I wasn't in there for so long was because of my support group. I had family members, family friends, and even people from my church come to see me in recovery. That was another reason I was probably only in there for a short period of time. I had a lot of people praying for me. I was up and moving around by day 3 after the surgery. I felt very week after the surgery but I was able to get on my feet and walk around the hospital floor. I had no complications with my surgery scars and I was taking everything with the kidney well.  Needless to say, my recovery was rather remarkable.
   The months following would be a little bit difficult. I would have somethings to get used to. First, I was going to the hospital every other day just to be sure that everything was working properly. Blood work, urine test, and physical checkups were part of the norm on those days. Second, I was taking a crap-load of medicine (lol). I was taking anti-rejection medicine along with blood pressure and cholesterol medicine. You see, high blood pressure and high cholesterol go hand and hand with kidney disease. So I had to stay on the medicine from before along with the new ones. The new schedule of medicine was very important. Missing one day of anti-rejection medicine could cause me to have my kidney be rejected by my body. I NEVER missed a day without taking my anti-rejection medicine for 10 years after that. That's kind of amazing for a kid that 10 years old.
  I had alot of things going on at the time. I was getting prepared for a new year at school with a new kidney. I had to be very careful with being around sick kids. My immune system was low because of the medication. I would have to stay away from sick kids all year long. My family was being helped for a few months after I had my transplant. My church was always bringing over dinner for my family. It was relief for my mom because she was also worrying about my health and work among other things. Once everyone got into the swing of things our lives got a little bit easier. Until I started having some complications.
  Next week... complications ensue.

Recovery

I remember waking up from surgery and there being a blinding light in my eyes. Once everything came into focus I realized i was in my own room and the blinds were wide open. After looking around I started seeing familiar faces: my mom, my grandfather, and my aunt and uncle. Once I collected myself I got a sharp pain in my stomach. I just experienced the pain from my surgery scar. I was then told that I was put on a morphine pump. This would allow me to pump in morphine at anytime I wanted just by pushing a button. Of course there was a limit on how much I could do per hour. I would mainly use it for sitting up and later on for walking around.
  I remember saying hi to everyone and asking how the surgery went. Obviously, it went well. After saying my hello's I started drifting back to sleep. I told everyone I was tired and I was sorry if i feel asleep. Needless to say, they all understood. That was around 3 or so when I said that. At 7, I finally woke up after being well rested. My mom was visiting my dad in his room so in the mean time I was just doing what I could to relax. I was thinking to myself how wonderful it is to have an awesome dad to donate his kidney to me. Also, how lucky I was to survived the transplant. I was lucky just to be alive, and I appreciated every moment that I was.
  After and hour or so my mom came back to see how I was. I told her I was fine and that morphine was helping me...ALOT. It was then where she started to go into the details about what happened in surgery. You see, surgery went perfectly well for my dad. No complications or anything. In and out. For me, there was a little bit more to be said. What happened was when the doctors opened me up where they were supposed to put in my kidney there was an issue. From all my other surgeries that I had before I had alot of scar tissue in that area. So, what they needed to do was cut me open a little bit more and place the kidney a little bit lower. When it was all said and done my scar is about a foot long. It took them over 40 staples to keep me shut. My dad, on the other hand, only had some liquid stitches and some strips.
  Next week, more on my recovery. I would also like to dedicate this post to my dad. Dad, without you I would not be alive for as long as I am. You're the greatest dad any one could ask for. I love you, Dad.

The Day Has Arrived.

  The night before transplant we had all kinds of paperwork and procedural stuff that we had to handle. The usual paperwork, like agreeing not to sue and what to expect the day of the procedure, was filled out in the lobby of Children's. After, what seemed like hours, we were finally placed in a room together. I had one bed and my dad ,the other. My dad was placed on an IV line as soon as we got to the room. The line was for the diuretics he needed to take. At first I had a little laugh about it, he was told he was going to be using the bathroom all night. The laugh didn't last long for me though. I was just then told I had to be on an all liquid diet for the next 12 hours.. That night was pretty much smooth sailing otherwise. 
  So today was the day. August 1st, 2001. This was the day that I was going to receive a kidney from my dad. I was all set and ready to go. My mind was running the whole night so I got hardly any sleep. My life was going to be completely different. I was going to be a little more normal and be able to do more. Me and my dad both went into the pre-op room where we were given a final run through of what was going on. After signing a few last papers and saying a little prayer together, me and my dad were all set to go. My mom, in tears of course, tells us she loves us and we go on our separate ways. We wouldn't see each other again until after the surgery was complete and we were healed up.
  Going down the hallway to the surgery room was a little intimidating. I was excited for the kidney but anxious about the results. I was told about how it was possible things could go wrong and how I would need to be very careful to take care of the kidney. I didn't care, I just wanted to be as normal as I could be. After being fully prepped and laid on the operating table I was laying there and soaking in all that I was seeing and hearing. Just in case something bad were to happen I wanted to remember thigns how they were. The last thing I remember is the doctor telling me "Ok, you're going to feel some cold in your IV. Just breath normally and count down from 10 to 0." I started counting. 10. I didn't feel anything. 9. I started feeling drowsey and yawned. 8. My eyes were closing. 7. My eyes were completely shut. 6. I was falling asleep. 5. I was out. The last thing I remember saying to myself was, "Damn, I didn't even get to 0." and "Why do I hear Bob Marley in the background?" The doctors had the radio on and Bob Marley's "Buffalo Soldier" was on.
  Next week is when I come out of the surgery and a little bit of my recovery.

Pre-Transplant Testing

  It was roughly after my 12th birthday that we started the process of figuring out how I was going to have a transplant. My parents wanted to make sure that I didn't have to go on dialysis so they started the process early. The doctors wanted me to go on dialysis so that way I have a better appreciation for the importance of taking care of my new kidney. I knew the importance of a kidney because of the fact that I was sick all the time. All I could think of was how I was going to feel better and be just like the other kids. That was what drove me to keep positive during the whole process of getting a donor.
  Both my parents wanted to try to donate their kidney to me. My mom was working a job where she knew she could get plenty of time off. My dad was working for the state and accumulated enough vacation time that it would be no problem.  The first initial blood test came back that they both were a positive match for a transplant. After some careful deliberation it was decided that my Dad was going to be the donor. Of course one blood test wasn't enough for to be the deciding factor. He had to get a tissue typing test, some scans and a lot more blood work.
   It was roughly May when all the test came back positive for my dad's test. He was given the OK to donate his kidney to me. The doctors decided that they were going to put off the transplant as long as they could. My function was still there but it was slowly declining. It wouldn't not be until late July that they decided that the transplant would take place on August 1, 2001. That day is the day that changed my life forever. At the time I thought nothing of my dad wanting to donate his kidney to me. I knew my dad loved me and he would do anything for me. It was not til looking back on it now that I realize how deep his love is for me. He put his life on the line to make sure that I was able to live a happy life. I love him so much for that. My dad is the greatest.
  Next time...the transplant begins.