Monday, March 24, 2008

Kidney Chronicles... Still Wishin' and Hopin'?

Happy Spring, officially! Here's the latest on this seemingly never-ending story. Bob had his second Echo-stress test as scheduled on March 12, and he felt strong and comfortable strolling along on the treadmill. However, the staff administering the test and watching the feedback from all his heart monitors decided to stop him after 10 minutes, even though he was feeling fine. That has us concerned, but so far no official results........ cardiologist Dr Rame was away last week at a conference, and plans to meet with some of the other docs who have worked on Bob to get their input on the results before making his recommendations. The current plan, according to our transplant coordinator, Melissa, is for Bob's case to be presented once again ( along with Dr. Rame's feedback) to the kidney transplant selection committee this coming Friday March 28. So we welcome any and all positive energy, good vibes, prayers and cheerleading on Bob's behalf for that day. The longer this goes on, the more of a longshot it seems to be, so we will take any and all help from friends and family!

In the meantime, he is feeling relatively energetic, keeping up on his exercise, and enjoying every race he watches on TV. Aside from the extreme dietary restrictions due todialysis, he is a pretty happy camper under the circumstances. He did the driving to Sacramento yesterday for a very fun day at Andy and Linsey's, where we both enjoyed a great dinner and a rousing game of Mexican dominoes with Linsey's parents, brother, and sister-in-law! Those of you knowing Bob's interest in game-playing can appreciate what a positive sign this was!

We won't expect an answer on Friday, but hope for information early next week. We will of course share any news as soon as we receive it. Poor Dave has this hanging over his head also - who knew that more than 2 years after offering his kidney, we still don't know our collective futures!

Here's hoping all of you are well and happy and enjoying this great time of year.

Love,

Cherie - and Bob, aka Irving
Posted by at

1 comment:

  1. UnknownJuly 1, 2009 at 11:39 AM

    The RJT Tribune has been one of our favorites, hey, we'll even pay to subscribe! Your articles are far fom tiring, indeed they are interesting and inspiring to say the least, and we look forward to your updates all the time. What a way to keep your friends and loved ones informed. Our hats off to you both for your courage and strength and for keeping the faith, and the sense of humor in the face of all these. Way to go Bob and Cheryl!! We love you!!!!

    Hugs...JP and Cora

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
RJ/Bob/Irv is a 61-year-old beloved husband, father, uncle, brother, motor racing fanatic, and Livermore resident who received a heart and kidney transplant in February of 2010. Bob's recent years have been defined by his health, which forced him into early retirement. Unfortunately, many of his days were spent in a dialysis center or at various medical appointments, primarily due to his living with diabetes for over 40 years. Numerous were panic visits to various Emergency Rooms all over California for treatment of chest pain. But now no more dialysis and no more late-night dashes to UCSF! The main focus of Bob's family, friends, and doctors has been a prompt transplant, so that he can get back to traveling with his Sweetie, driving fast cars, enjoying great music and laughing with his friends. This blog will function as a way to communicate with all interested parties and to keep everyone informed. And hopefully it can serve a great purpose also, in making people more aware of the importance of organ donation and how each life saved has a positive effect on dozens of related friends and relatives.