Updates

Updates as of 10/01/2010

First and foremost I want to thank everyone again for all of the continued support.
The response to the face book emails has been overwhelming and I think I have personally emailed everyone back to say thanks. But just in case I missed anyone, I want to say thanks for your support.

Next is the time to hurry up and wait.

As some know I have mailed out donor applications to different people and now is the time that I have to kick back and wait for transplant to get the applications in and then for them to schedule 4 people for the first round of blood work.

Once they get the applications back they will review the information and pick the top 4 out of the people that completed the application.

Right off the bat if anyone has high blood pressure or high blood sugar; they will be deleted from my list of donors. Since both of these conditions can lead to kidney failure they will not use your kidney in order to protect the safety of the donor.

The donor is given a Donor Workup Checklist. On this check list it outlines the testing that will take place.

1) Initial Blood Test – Type and compatibility

2) Education with Donor Coordinator. The donor will get a full medical
work up and meet with the transplant social worker.

3) CAT Scan of the Kidneys and evaluation with the donor nephrologists and the
donor surgeon.

4) Cardiac Stress Test (if over 45) and other test as needed or repeated.


Once these tests are completed, the patient review team will review the case and contact the donor and recipient and schedule the transplant date.

As you know your medical information will be protected at all times through this procedure. Even if you get to step 4 and decided not to donate a kidney you can be removed from the program at any time and your reasoning will also be kept confidential.

The donor has a right to refuse up until the point and time for surgery.

Who pays for all of this testing? Donor work ups are covered through the transplant program which in turn is paid by my insurance. So there will be no cost to the donor to donate a kidney.



Insurance will only allow 1 donor at a time to be tested.

This makes it tough on the recipient, because if they get to the last test and something kicks that donor out of the program, then we have to start all over again. And part of the hurry up and wait is they take about 2 months to test the donors. So if you get to the last test 2 months have gone by and then we have to start over, now I would have to wait another 2 months for the transplant and now I’m already at the 4 month mark before they decide to go forward with the transplant and God help me if they get the second donor kicked out for some reason and I have to start over a 3rd time.

Now some good news though for the out of town donors, they will make arrangements to get all of your test completed within a week, depending on how much time you have to spend in Florida while they do your test. This will cut out all of the un-necessary travel back and forth to have these test completed. The transplant team said they would be willing to work at anything they could to make the process easier for the donor.

So as we start into October we get to hurry up and wait for the applications to be returned and then for the patient review committee to start picking my top 4 and to get the testing started.

Once again I want to Thank You for your continued support through these tough times.

May God bless you with happiness and health…

Thanks

Blake