A Plea for MyDaddy

Yesterday was National Kidney Day/World Kidney Day. And in honor of MyDaddy, I would like to make a plea to help us find a Living Kidney Donor.

MyDaddy is running out options and continues to have  issues with dialysis. He is on the list for a cadaver donor, but his best chance for survival with less complications is with a living donor. His insurance will pay for everything, all we need is a tissue match and we can go from there.  His blood type is B Positive, but you do not have to be a blood match.

MyDaddy is fighting for his life, please help us find a donor.

Please share this message with your friends, family, or whoever you think may be interested in donating a kidney.

Send me a message if you can help.

And please continue to keep MyDaddy in your prayers.

All’s well…

MyDaddy - Mardi Gras 2007

My birthday was wonderful.

All that anxiety for nothing.

41 feels fabulous.

MyDaddy had surgery yesterday.

He came through surgery well,

but we had a bit of a scare while he was in recovery.

He was having trouble breathing.

His blood oxygen level was 85%,

after sticking a tube down his throat and nose,

and working on him they got it up to 96%.

Normal is 95-100%.

He retained a lot of fluid from surgery,

so they sent him to dialysis and kept him overnight.

He’s probably going to go home today after his surgeon checks him out.

It’ was pretty scary,

but he’s breathing fine now,

and he feels so much better.

So glad that all’s well!

I’m okay,

after a trip to the emergency room yesterday.

I started having chest pains Saturday afternoon.

I have a lung disease that affects the upper lobe of my left lung,

so it’s not uncommon for me to have chest pain.

So I didn’t think much of it.

I didn’t sleep well Saturday night,

I couldn’t get comfortable because my chest was still hurting.

We spent Mother’s Day with mom,

had a great day but my chest was still hurting.

Yesterday morning,

I had already  made the decision to call my pulm.onary doct.or;

when I started experiencing shortness of breath on the way to work.

I drove to my doc’s hospital and went to the ER.

They immediately hooked me up to oxygen and monitors.

After blood work and a series of chest x-rays,

they ruled out any problems with my heart.

I have an extremely rare lung disease,

so I had to explain Swyer James McLeod Syndrome to the ER doc.

They were concerned that my lung had collapsed

or that I had a pul.monary em.bo.lism (blood clot).

Further testing ruled that out.

When I explained that it hurt more when I moved around,

he concluded that I had a muscle strain in my chest wall.

So after five hours,

I left with a script for Mo.trin to reduce inflammation

and Lor.tab for pain.

I’m back at work today.

I’m still sore,

apparently it will take some time for this heal.

But all in all,

I thank God

because,

I’m okay.

A little better……….

But not really.

I’m still feeling icky.

The headache is still lingering.

The nausea & trots are gone.

But I still don’t feel well.

I can’t describe it.

I feel run down.

Whatever it is,

I hope it goes away

REAL SOON!

dare I say it?

All is good!

We made it through the week without any major problems!

Shug is rehabbing his knee three times a week. He’s tired and in a lot of pain, but he’s really doing well. I’m so proud of him. 

We’re still staying with Mom & Dad.  We may go home this weekend, it depends on how well Shug is moving around.  They’ve been so helpful to us. I haven’t missed any days at work because they are able to take Shug to therapy and his doctor’s appointments.  There is no way that we could have gotten through this without them. 

I’m preparing for my 40th birthday this weekend.  I’ve been told to pick out something that I’ve always wanted, but won’t buy for myself.  Any other time, I would have a list of things, but I’m drawing a blank right now.  Hopefully I’ll come up with something before this weekend.

That’s it! No major catastrophes, no bad news.  Just life going on around us.  What a blessing.

Blown apart!

I don’t have much time, but here’s the deal.  Shug’s knee, for lack of better words, is FUCKED UP!! Not only is his knee dislocated, his ACL, PCL, LCL and Peroneal Nerve are shredded.  His lateral hamstring and his PCL are both pulled completely off the bone.  He’s still in the hospital on IV pain medication.  He is scheduled for reconstructive surgery on Friday.  We’re looking at two months on crutches and a lot of rehab. 

Please say a few extra prayers for us.  We need them!

Add 1/2 a cup of heavy cream..

*deep breath*

My life’s recipe is calling for something to remove the bite of all that cayenne pepper that was added on Friday!

So my Big Brother is going to be okay! Praise God & Baby Jesus! He spent the weekend in the hospital, but was released yesterday afternoon. The emergency room doctor’s read his echo cardiogram incorrectly (Thank God).  His heart is functioning at 40%.  While that’s not a great number, it’s a good number for him and it’s much better than 32%.  It turns out that he is having PVCs. He is hypersensitive to them because it’s basically the same feeling he gets if his heart is in an irregular rhythm and his defibrillator fires.  They’re changing his medications and will continue to monitor him.  This is something that he will continue to live with, and he will be okay. 

We are just so thankful that it’s not time for a heart transplant.

Add 1 Cup of Cayenne Pepper

Whereas most recipe’s call for a teaspoon of cayenne pepper; apparently my life’s recipe calls for a cup! 

God give me strength! 

My Big Brother is in the hospital.  Back story; in 2003 he had a pace maker/defibrillator implanted after he passed out at work. His cardiologists discovered that his heart was damaged from taking a popular supplement. It came as shock to everyone  for several reasons – he worked out religiously, didn’t drink or smoke. On the surface  he was very healthy with about 6% body fat and he was only 39 years old.  He was dealt a blow when we found out that he had electrical and pumping problems. His heart was functioning at about 70%.  Earlier this year he found out that his heart was functioning at 57%.  A month ago he learned that it had decreased to 32%. 

He needs a heart transplant.

Right now, I’m walking on faith.  I have to. I have to be strong for my mother. She’s falling apart right now. She just buried her sister two weeks ago. 

*big sigh*