Living Donor Love

I was first evaluated in 2018 but at that time my bloodwork led us to decide not to actively pursue transplantation. On January 9th of this year, I was reevaluated for a kidney transplant by my team at Northwestern. This time, it’s go time. The transplant nephrologist examined me and curated a list of tests and examinations that I would need to undergo and pass in order to be ready for a transplant.

Among the first requirements I tackled was seeing my cardiologist on January 30th for my annual visit. He gave me clearance for the surgery but the transplant kidney doctor wasn’t satisfied. I have a heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which would cause a standard stress test to come back as abnormal. After some anxiety about potentially having to take a test that used kidney damaging dye, I ended up taking and passing several noninvasive cardiac tests.

I also needed dental clearance. To achieve this, I had a root canal and two teeth extracted. I’ll eventually be getting implants to replace my missing teeth but that will happen after my kidney transplant. In the meantime, my social worker was concerned that I would not have adequate support when I came home from surgery due to my wife’s limited ability to care for me. In order to meet this requirement, I promised that I will use a home health care agency after I’ve had surgery and returned home.

On February 5th, I had a regularly scheduled colonoscopy which met another requirement on the transplant nephrologist’s list. I also needed psychiatric clearance, which I received on February 18th. On February 20th, I had an abdominal CT scan to check for a space to place a new kidney. Frustratingly, the transplant nephrologist noticed that I had a high level of urine in my bladder and a bladder ultrasound on March 20th showed that I am retaining too much urine. So this is where I am today. In a few weeks on April 30th, I have an appointment with a urologist to address my urine retention. And that’s all that’s left, as I understand it, to get clearance for kidney transplant surgery.