I am officially a donor!

[APV]

The kidney transplant to my husband took place 6 days ago at UC, San Francisco Medical Center and everything went very smoothly.  We both got to the leave the hospital after four days.  I ended up staying a little longer than expected because pain control became an issue.  The pain medication was making me very nauseous so they had to play around with the right pain medication and dose so I could be comfortable and not too nauseous.  Nothing too out of the ordinary.  I also think they were being nice to me and allowed me to stay a little longer so I could leave at the same time as my husband.  EVERYONE at UCSF was great. 

My husband is doing amazing!  He looks like a new man.  I am also doing really well now.  My pain is manageable and I feel like my energy is coming back.  I do take a lot of naps and let people take care of things for me.  We have such an amazing support system that I almost feel guilty for all the attention we get.   My husband and I only have to worry about resting and doing as much walking as we can manage.   

I will keep posting more information in the next few days.  We have lots of family around all the time, so I don't always get to my computer.

THANK YOU so much to all of you for your support and kind words leading up to the transplant day.  You helped me get through this experience without fear.

Much love,
Angelica

[sherri]

Welcoem to the club! Must be nice to be so close to your recipient and see their day to day progress. Glad you and your husband are doing well. Let your family and friends "spoil" you. You deserve it.

Sherri

[ohtobeahayes]

Hi Angelica!
Congratulations to both you and your husband!!! Your post gave me happy tears! I am so, so happy, and how amazing for you to see his transformation right before your eyes.
I'm sending you both speedy continued healing vibes, and lots of love. Your incredible bodies are doing so much right now. Completely awesome.
Nicki

[Clark]

Congratulations!  Best wishes to you both.

[Prelude_Sarah]

Angelica, congratulations to both you and your recipient!!!  Enjoy this time of rest, relaxation and relief.  Woohoo!

Sarah

[treehugger]

Welcome to the one-kidney club! And now your husband has three, I assume. So glad you had a positive experience at UCSF. So, did you walk the 9 Long Mile (12 laps)? Did you get your T-shirt? My husband and I both still wear ours proudly.

Take care of each other,
Kara

[Orchidlady]

Welcome home and congratulations Angelica! Enjoy the recovery time. My husband and I found it to be a time of great joy and happiness. The combination of him feeling much better and being able to spend six weeks of time totally together was wonderful!

[pilotjjc3]

Congratulations and welcome to the club!  I hope you both have a quick recovery.

[Scott337]

Angelica,

So happy to see you and your husband are both doing so well.  Please take care of yourself, get your rest and don't feel guilty about being taken care of - you've done a pretty incredible job of taking care of others yourself.  Keep us posted on both of your recovery progress.

Welcome to the club!  Much love and God bless you both.


Scott  

[PhilHoover]

Enjoy the rest time....and follow those doctors' instructions to the letter.

The stool softeners are your BEST FRIEND, and so is a good nap.

[APV]

Thanks everyone for all the warm greetings.  You all make my heart smile.   


Kara--We did get our t-shirt for walking the 9-Long mile.  My husband and I decided to give our t-shirts to our mothers as a thank you for all their support. Our mothers were our rock.  They both walked with us every painful step (literally and figuratively), so they deserve it just as much.  We have lots of pictures and memories to last us a life time.

[treehugger]

Kara--We did get our t-shirt for walking the 9-Long mile.  My husband and I decided to give our t-shirts to our mothers as a thank you for all their support. Our mothers were our rock.  They both walked with us every painful step (literally and figuratively), so they deserve it just as much.  We have lots of pictures and memories to last us a life time.

That's great! Glad you walked that mile. It felt like quite an accomplishment at the time, and I will never forget that. I will also never forget all of our caring nurses, doctors and aides at UCSF.

Kara

[Aries7]

Hello Angelica and congratulations to you and your Husband!

I am SO glad to hear that you are both doing so well. I too donated a kidney to my husband so I can very much relate. I remember how happy we both were once the surgery was over and we knew things went well. You two will always have this special bond. I know for me, the whole experience has really made me look at life a lot differently. It really was a reminder how precious life really is, and a great reminder to really cherish what is truly important, and not to "sweat the small stuff" as the saying goes.

I am so happy for you and your husband. Please continue to keep us posted as to how you are both doing!

Linda