We had the ultrasound this morning at 8 a.m. Same results as last Thursday. Creatinine was 2.1 last Thursday and its down to 1.7 which is GREAT!
So the deal was if the above happened then they weren't going to do the "extra procedure". uh huh. Not so. Here's what happened this morning after the ultrasound and after the lab results were in. Dr. Precht and Dr. Marks (the two top surgeons on the transplant team conferred and decided that since the kidney was still showing signs of fluid retention, which is not normal, that they needed to do the procedure. And the procedure needs to be done in the hospital under what they call the conscience sedation and she'll need to spend the night.
Sigh.
So, the extra procedure is this. They put her to sleep, and put a small tube into her new kidney to drain the fluid. Then they put dye in her tube so they can see where the blockage is (if there is a blockage) and then, if needed, they put the stint back in to keep the flow going from the bladder to the new kidney. Then they put a bag to catch the fluid for two days, then they take the tube out.
Sigh.
I trust these doctors so at some point you have to say, okay. So, I said okay.
Of course this had to happen the week our weekend trip to Las Vegas was planned with Kristie. And Nigel's Mom and sister, Jenny, are in town from England this week and are coming to Vegas with us. Oh, and did I mention that we're also meeting Nigel's son from LA in Vegas? And that we all have tickets to see Cher on Saturday?
Yeah.
So, Plan B is Katie to the rescue. Again. She's flying up Wednesday night to stay with Kristie while we go to Vegas. She said I needed a break. She's right.
But, I feel guilty.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
More prayers needed
Had the ultrasound yesterday. Do you want the good news or the bad news? Okay, the good news first. The kidney looks fine. Thank you God.
The bad news is there is a potential plumbing problem. The artery that goes from the bladder to the new kidney looks a bit distended and that could be why her creatinine is up, maybe. So, they're going to do another ultrasound Monday and if it looks the same and her creatinine is down, then they'll do nothing.
If her creatinine is up and the ultrasound shows more distension, then they have to do an extra procedure where they insert a tube into her new kidney to drain it for two days and then they put the stint back in. All of this would be painful for Kristie.
Please pray that her creatinine goes down and that her ultrasound shows nothing new.
Sigh.
The bad news is there is a potential plumbing problem. The artery that goes from the bladder to the new kidney looks a bit distended and that could be why her creatinine is up, maybe. So, they're going to do another ultrasound Monday and if it looks the same and her creatinine is down, then they'll do nothing.
If her creatinine is up and the ultrasound shows more distension, then they have to do an extra procedure where they insert a tube into her new kidney to drain it for two days and then they put the stint back in. All of this would be painful for Kristie.
Please pray that her creatinine goes down and that her ultrasound shows nothing new.
Sigh.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Prayers Needed
Kristie's creatinine is up to 1.9...it should be 1.0 so we're having an ultrasound today. Please pray it goes down today. Not fun.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
UNBELIEVABLE
Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, prescription plans, health plans, THIS MESS IS UNBELIEVABLE.
Okay, so the powers to be, i.e., the government, decided to terminate Kristie's Medicaid and put her on Medicare. Up until now, filling her prescriptions was easy. Nigel's private insurance was primary and Medicaid picked up the rest - no monies out of pocket. Same with the medical visits and the surgeries and the hospital stays. Easy peasy.
NOT ANY MORE!
Enter Medicare with all their rules and regulations. No primary or secondary system, but rather an "either, or" system. I have spent so much time on trying to figure this out that its UNBELIEVABLE. I don't know how people do this who actually have a full-time job too. Its stressful.
Here's what I've finally figured out after many phone calls and reading of booklets.
Doctor visits and hospital visits are covered by Nigel's insurance first, then Medicare.
Prescriptions are sometimes covered by Medicare but if we want to use Nigel's insurance we pay a $25 copay per prescription. I just spent a half hour on the phone with Medicare's Prescription Drug Plan called "Medco" going thru Kristie's list of medications to see what they cover, if they need pre-authorization by the doctor (which is different than actually handing them a written prescription by the doctor!!!!), if they don't need pre-authorization.
And to top it all off, if I want to use Medco for her prescriptions, I can only go to the pharmcies who are Medco pharmicies. So goodbye Bartell Drugs and hello Wallgreens. I was going to use Safeway, but after experiencing 3 20 year olds working there yesterday in the prescription department, I was NOT impressed. So am switching to Wallgreens. Wish me luck there.
GRRRRR - please pray for patience.
Also, Kristie's red blood cell count is down to 27 - it should be 37. She had an EPO shot to help with that last Thursday but it only went up 2 points. She'll probably have to have another EPO shot this Thursday - haven't told her yet. And if it doesn't go up she'll have to be given blood. That's a little scary and I don't want that to happen. Pray her count goes up - we'll do labs again tomorrow. Also tomorrow, after our clinic appt., she has to have a bone scan (xray) to make sure her bones aren't getting brittle from all the meds. Something they typically do 8 weeks after a transplant.
Yes, its been a long 8 weeks.
We're hanging in there.
Okay, so the powers to be, i.e., the government, decided to terminate Kristie's Medicaid and put her on Medicare. Up until now, filling her prescriptions was easy. Nigel's private insurance was primary and Medicaid picked up the rest - no monies out of pocket. Same with the medical visits and the surgeries and the hospital stays. Easy peasy.
NOT ANY MORE!
Enter Medicare with all their rules and regulations. No primary or secondary system, but rather an "either, or" system. I have spent so much time on trying to figure this out that its UNBELIEVABLE. I don't know how people do this who actually have a full-time job too. Its stressful.
Here's what I've finally figured out after many phone calls and reading of booklets.
Doctor visits and hospital visits are covered by Nigel's insurance first, then Medicare.
Prescriptions are sometimes covered by Medicare but if we want to use Nigel's insurance we pay a $25 copay per prescription. I just spent a half hour on the phone with Medicare's Prescription Drug Plan called "Medco" going thru Kristie's list of medications to see what they cover, if they need pre-authorization by the doctor (which is different than actually handing them a written prescription by the doctor!!!!), if they don't need pre-authorization.
And to top it all off, if I want to use Medco for her prescriptions, I can only go to the pharmcies who are Medco pharmicies. So goodbye Bartell Drugs and hello Wallgreens. I was going to use Safeway, but after experiencing 3 20 year olds working there yesterday in the prescription department, I was NOT impressed. So am switching to Wallgreens. Wish me luck there.
GRRRRR - please pray for patience.
Also, Kristie's red blood cell count is down to 27 - it should be 37. She had an EPO shot to help with that last Thursday but it only went up 2 points. She'll probably have to have another EPO shot this Thursday - haven't told her yet. And if it doesn't go up she'll have to be given blood. That's a little scary and I don't want that to happen. Pray her count goes up - we'll do labs again tomorrow. Also tomorrow, after our clinic appt., she has to have a bone scan (xray) to make sure her bones aren't getting brittle from all the meds. Something they typically do 8 weeks after a transplant.
Yes, its been a long 8 weeks.
We're hanging in there.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Childeren Need our Help
I watched Oprah today and am shocked at the thousands of children that are victims of sexual abuse each year althought I shouldn't be because I am a survivor of sexual abuse. Please help by emailing your Senator right now to help pass Senate Bill #1738. I just did it and it only took a few minutes by cutting and pasting the letter below. Thank you!. Julia
Help Pass Senate Bill 1738—The PROTECT Our Children Act
Hundreds of thousands of children are victims of sexual abuse each year. Due to the sheer lack of resources, law enforcement is unable to follow up on the majority of leads they have.The PROTECT Our Children Act will:
Authorize over $320 million over the next five years in desperately needed funding for law enforcement to investigate child exploitation.
Mandate that child rescue be a top priority for law enforcement receiving federal funding.
Allocate funds for high-tech computer software that can track down Internet predators.
Act Now!
Your U.S. senators will be voting on the bill soon, so it is crucial you contact them immediately.Go to www.senate.gov to find contact information for the senators in your state. Search for your senator by name or state by clicking on the arrow from either dropdown menu. Contact information is provided here.
To send an e-mail, click on "Web Form" below his or her name, and e-mail your letter to make a difference!
Call Your SenatorsIf you choose to contact your senators by phone, be sure to tell them, "Vote yes on Senate Bill 1738—The PROTECT Our Children Act."Write to Your Senators
If you choose to write a letter, fax, telegram or e-mail, you may use the following sample letter—and modify it how you see fit.
Dear Senator:I know that you believe, like I do, that we must do everything possible to protect children from sexual predators. That is why I am asking for your help.Last year alone, U.S. law enforcement identified over 300,000 criminals who were trafficking in movies and pictures of young children being raped and tortured. Experts say that one in every three of these criminals has local child victims. Child pornography trafficking over the Internet has given us a trail of evidence that leads straight to their doorsteps, but the vast majority of these children will never be rescued because investigators are overwhelmed, outnumbered and underfunded.As your constituent, I urge you to do everything in your power to pass the PROTECT Our Children Act (S. 1738, Biden-Hatch). This bipartisan legislation passed the House 415-2, but it is now the victim of petty partisan politics.Now that we know where these children are and how to protect them, there is no excuse for the Senate to fail to take action this session.
(Your name here)
Instructions for How to Copy and Paste the LetterTo copy and paste the letter into your senator's web form at www.senate.gov, point your mouse arrow at the beginning of the text that you want to copy. Click your left mouse button and hold it down. While holding the left mouse button, drag your arrow to the end of the text that you want to copy. Release the button. The text should be highlighted. Place your mouse arrow over the highlighted text, click your right mouse button once and let go. A new menu should appear. Select Copy from the drop down menu. When you get to the message form field for your senator at www.senate.gov, point your arrow at the beginning of the message field that you want to copy your text to and right click with your mouse. Click Paste from this menu.
Submit your form and help our children!
Help Pass Senate Bill 1738—The PROTECT Our Children Act
Hundreds of thousands of children are victims of sexual abuse each year. Due to the sheer lack of resources, law enforcement is unable to follow up on the majority of leads they have.The PROTECT Our Children Act will:
Authorize over $320 million over the next five years in desperately needed funding for law enforcement to investigate child exploitation.
Mandate that child rescue be a top priority for law enforcement receiving federal funding.
Allocate funds for high-tech computer software that can track down Internet predators.
Act Now!
Your U.S. senators will be voting on the bill soon, so it is crucial you contact them immediately.Go to www.senate.gov to find contact information for the senators in your state. Search for your senator by name or state by clicking on the arrow from either dropdown menu. Contact information is provided here.
To send an e-mail, click on "Web Form" below his or her name, and e-mail your letter to make a difference!
Call Your SenatorsIf you choose to contact your senators by phone, be sure to tell them, "Vote yes on Senate Bill 1738—The PROTECT Our Children Act."Write to Your Senators
If you choose to write a letter, fax, telegram or e-mail, you may use the following sample letter—and modify it how you see fit.
Dear Senator:I know that you believe, like I do, that we must do everything possible to protect children from sexual predators. That is why I am asking for your help.Last year alone, U.S. law enforcement identified over 300,000 criminals who were trafficking in movies and pictures of young children being raped and tortured. Experts say that one in every three of these criminals has local child victims. Child pornography trafficking over the Internet has given us a trail of evidence that leads straight to their doorsteps, but the vast majority of these children will never be rescued because investigators are overwhelmed, outnumbered and underfunded.As your constituent, I urge you to do everything in your power to pass the PROTECT Our Children Act (S. 1738, Biden-Hatch). This bipartisan legislation passed the House 415-2, but it is now the victim of petty partisan politics.Now that we know where these children are and how to protect them, there is no excuse for the Senate to fail to take action this session.
(Your name here)
Instructions for How to Copy and Paste the LetterTo copy and paste the letter into your senator's web form at www.senate.gov, point your mouse arrow at the beginning of the text that you want to copy. Click your left mouse button and hold it down. While holding the left mouse button, drag your arrow to the end of the text that you want to copy. Release the button. The text should be highlighted. Place your mouse arrow over the highlighted text, click your right mouse button once and let go. A new menu should appear. Select Copy from the drop down menu. When you get to the message form field for your senator at www.senate.gov, point your arrow at the beginning of the message field that you want to copy your text to and right click with your mouse. Click Paste from this menu.
Submit your form and help our children!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Vegies
Vegies are not my thing so I am forever on the lookout for vegie or saled recipes that I think I might like. I dug out my "Best of Cooking Light" cookbook and found a recipe for a Spinach, White Bean, and Bacon Salad with Maple-Mustard Dressing. Both Nigel and I LOVED it. Here you go:
1/4 cup maple syrup (buy real maple syrup at Trader Joes; its cheap there)
3 T cider vinegar (I used rice vinegar and it was great)
1 T olive oil
1 T Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1 15 ounce can white beans or garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup sliced green onions
5 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
2 7 ounce bags of baby spinach (I used one bunch of fresh adult spinach for us)
Combine first syrup, vinegar, oil, mustard and salt & pepper in a microwave safe bowl, stir with a whisk and microwave on high for 1 minute or until hot.
Combine rest of ingredients in a large bowl; add the dressing, toss well. Serve immediately.
8 servings. 124 calories, 4.2 g fat per serving (1 3/4 cup serving size)
To make two large servings, I used 1/2 can of the beans and one large bunch of spinach. I made the dressing as usual and saved the remainder for another time.
YUMMY
1/4 cup maple syrup (buy real maple syrup at Trader Joes; its cheap there)
3 T cider vinegar (I used rice vinegar and it was great)
1 T olive oil
1 T Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1 15 ounce can white beans or garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup sliced green onions
5 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
2 7 ounce bags of baby spinach (I used one bunch of fresh adult spinach for us)
Combine first syrup, vinegar, oil, mustard and salt & pepper in a microwave safe bowl, stir with a whisk and microwave on high for 1 minute or until hot.
Combine rest of ingredients in a large bowl; add the dressing, toss well. Serve immediately.
8 servings. 124 calories, 4.2 g fat per serving (1 3/4 cup serving size)
To make two large servings, I used 1/2 can of the beans and one large bunch of spinach. I made the dressing as usual and saved the remainder for another time.
YUMMY
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
VOTE
Thanks to Cathie for sending this photo to me as a reminder why ALL WOMEN NEED TO VOTE!!!
Oprah has started her new Fall shows...yay! Yesterday she had all the Team USA Olympic athletes on - they are so amazing! We watched alot of the Olympics while it was on television and it was so nice to share in their dream.
Today she had on Charice who is the girl from the Phillipines she had on a few months ago. You can find her on U-Tube. She sounds like Celine Dion and she's only 16!
Oprah's starting a new program featuring smart and talented kids. If you want to enter your child, go to oprah.com and upload your video of your child doing their thing! Notice she said "smart" or "talented", so they're not just looking for singing or dancing. Cool.
I'm on a quest to save money by cutting spending painlessly. How am I doing that? One example is by looking at some of the monthly expenses we've been paying that need tweaking. I looked at my cell phone bill and realized that I wasn't using two of the features I thought I would use so I went to the Verizon Wireless store today and asked them to revamp my plan...guess how much I'm going to save each month? $60!!!!
I'm also on a quest to "use what we have first". For example, after visiting the Verizon Wireless store, I walked into the new Sephora store and spent about 15 minutes trying to find a lip gloss that wasn't sticky and the color I wanted...I walked out without buying anything. Why? Because I have a lip gloss already and two tubes of lipstick that are not used up yet. Am I totally happy with them? No, but I need to use them up first before buying something else. I'm using all my lotions up too before buying any other. I have about 5 assorted lotions sitting in my basket, just sitting there!
It's surprising how well this works with food too. Make a commitment to use what's in your pantry and freezer first before going to the grocery store.
I'm also following Katie and Nich's lead in that I'm trying to buy food grown or trucked in from locals which means I shop first at my local neighborhood family owned fruit and veggie stand first where I can get fruit, vegies, and some dairy. Then I shop at my family owned meat market where I can get all my organic meat, chicken, lunchmeat and cheeses. These two places also carry some canned items and local bakery items. I only go to QFC now for whatever these two places don't have.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Goodbyes
Eating Popcorn with Mom.
Her new Mizzou pajamas! 
Helping Grandpa pack the van!
Saying Goodbye to Kermit & Kristie!
We'll miss Katie & Calla!Throwing Rocks!
Goodness gracious. The house is quiet...way too quiet. To keep busy, we're painting today.
Katie left a message at 8:30 a.m. that after driving all night, they arrived home to Sacramento safe and sound.
Thank you Katie. You're our angel and my light in the dark days.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Happy Labor Day
After 3 doctor appts last week that were more than 4 hours each, we're all really tired of doctors. Don't get me wrong, they're all really nice (well, all but one so far) but by the time you travel there and wait, then wait some more, pretty much your whole day is shot.
Another problem is parking garages. Last Wednesday, I dealt with two parking garages. Paying to park a car is ridiculous and patients who HAVE to go to a doctor's appt SHOULD NOT have to pay to park. $5 here and $10 there, don't we have enough to pay for if we're going thru a medical situation? Sheesh...
Nuff complaining.
I love the Food Network; I learn alot from it. for example, this morning, I watched Molto Mario and learned an easy way to peel butternut squash. Nigel and I ate at Mario Battali's resturant in Las Vegas and it was so yummy! Please go if you're ever in Vegas...Emerill Lagasse's restaurant in Vegas is great too. Make reservations though. The next time we go to Vegas, we're going to eat at Bobbie Flay's restaurant. Can't wait.
We're painting the guest bedroom; well, I helped with the roller part yesterday until my stomach muscles near my incision could not take anymore, Nigel did the rest, and its looking good. The second coat will go on today and we'll put the new bed frame together (from Ikea), put up new curtains, add a table or two, move the dresser into the closet, and it'll look like a real guest room.
Nigel's Mom is coming to visit from England and will be arriving on September 26th. Thus, the big push to fix up the guest room. His sister, Jenny and her boyfriend is coming as well. We're going to Vegas with all of them the first weekend in October - got tickets to see the Cher show - fun.
His Mom, Beryl, has been to the U.S. before but Jenny has not and they all wanted to see Vegas. Hopefully, Kristie will be well enough to travel...we'll have to clear it with her doctors in the next couple of weeks. They did say she could go back to her social programs the middle of September. That's good because she's really missing her friends for almost two months now.
Calla is such a little bundle of energy; she's so interested in anything that you're doing or anything you're eating. She's so fun to watch and to play with. Of course, she's exhausting too but sooooo much fun. Our house will be to to quiet when she leaves on Friday. Sigh.
Happy Labor Day!
Another problem is parking garages. Last Wednesday, I dealt with two parking garages. Paying to park a car is ridiculous and patients who HAVE to go to a doctor's appt SHOULD NOT have to pay to park. $5 here and $10 there, don't we have enough to pay for if we're going thru a medical situation? Sheesh...
Nuff complaining.
I love the Food Network; I learn alot from it. for example, this morning, I watched Molto Mario and learned an easy way to peel butternut squash. Nigel and I ate at Mario Battali's resturant in Las Vegas and it was so yummy! Please go if you're ever in Vegas...Emerill Lagasse's restaurant in Vegas is great too. Make reservations though. The next time we go to Vegas, we're going to eat at Bobbie Flay's restaurant. Can't wait.
We're painting the guest bedroom; well, I helped with the roller part yesterday until my stomach muscles near my incision could not take anymore, Nigel did the rest, and its looking good. The second coat will go on today and we'll put the new bed frame together (from Ikea), put up new curtains, add a table or two, move the dresser into the closet, and it'll look like a real guest room.
Nigel's Mom is coming to visit from England and will be arriving on September 26th. Thus, the big push to fix up the guest room. His sister, Jenny and her boyfriend is coming as well. We're going to Vegas with all of them the first weekend in October - got tickets to see the Cher show - fun.
His Mom, Beryl, has been to the U.S. before but Jenny has not and they all wanted to see Vegas. Hopefully, Kristie will be well enough to travel...we'll have to clear it with her doctors in the next couple of weeks. They did say she could go back to her social programs the middle of September. That's good because she's really missing her friends for almost two months now.
Calla is such a little bundle of energy; she's so interested in anything that you're doing or anything you're eating. She's so fun to watch and to play with. Of course, she's exhausting too but sooooo much fun. Our house will be to to quiet when she leaves on Friday. Sigh.
Happy Labor Day!
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