This is it! I was admitted to the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) in the afternoon of May 2, 2023, two days before my kidney transplant. My donor son followed the next day.
The nurse on duty informed me that I would undergo dialysis on my first night. When I told her that my AV fistula was no longer working, my nephrologist was informed, and a surgeon confirmed it after the scan. I was brought to the operating room, and an IJ catheter was made. My HD was scheduled at 10 p.m. but pushed through at past 2 a.m. At 6 a.m., I took my first set of antirejection meds. The HD was repeated in the afternoon because my BUN was still high.
Thank God for seeing us through the operations. Special thanks to my sister-in-law, Glenda, who assisted me during my confinement, my doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff.
This journey made me experience a lot of firsts:
• used a wheelchair
• got inserted with an IJ catheter
• underwent two dialysis sessions in one day
• transfused with 6 bags of platelets a few hours before KT
• started taking immunosuppressants and antirejection meds as well as other anti-meds and a whole lot more• transfused with 1 bag of blood because my hemoglobin dropped to 5.3 g/dL
• used a catheter for peeing
• required to drink at least 3 liters of water per day (while on dialysis for 1 year and 8 months, my goal was 800 ml per day)
• stayed in the hospital for 10 days
My donor son was discharged three days after his nephrectomy. I was allowed to go home on the 7th day after KT but left the following day.
Thanks be to God for giving us the strength to overcome all the new experiences and receive His provisions while we were at the hospital.
God is good all the time! 🙏
