Sunday, August 9, 2009

Aug. 5 marks 1 year on The List ....and counting

We passed the 1 year anniversary of RJ officially making it onto the heart-kidney transplant list, never imagining we would still be waiting. It was already a pretty special date: the wedding anniversary of his parents (1945), and the anniversary of my dad's death (1993). So we are not likely to forget it's significance to this generation.

The good news, of course, is that there is no bad news. We have been exceedingly careful since the last hospital stays to keep RJ's diet lower than ever in sodium, potassium and fluids, since those seem to be the most dangerous factors in causing his congestive heart failure. He's doing fine at cardiac rehab classes again, and his only complaint is feeling very tired all the time - not depressed, but without energy. In the big picture, we'll settle for this scenario and skip the drama!

Son Andrew is doing much better. His leg pain is nearly gone, he's back to work, and just has to have regular lab work done as long as he is on the blood thinners, for the next few months. He and Linsey even got their ancient AC system replaced, just in time for this latest heat wave.
All in all, few complaints from the Moss family. RJ and I will continue our frequent visits to the UCSF transplant clinic so that no changes in his condition sneak past us.
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1 comment:

  1. Dr M FooAugust 9, 2009 at 11:01 PM

    Hi there, I'm glad Andy is back to work and there are no adverse events recently... We all are going to the Historic Races Sunday, as that is when Colin is available. We'll miss the older cars, drat. The car vintages start at 1947 and go up, . We need to be there before lunch to walk through the paddock. including Can- Am. If you are up to this event, we'd be happy to meet you there ( Norm wants to drive his Porsche) and help you get around. I believe the walking would be too strenuous for you to go up to the corkscrew on your own, but we could push you way up there and all over the place if we used a wheelchair or something. We have two stong men whose musclepower we could use. Let us know what you think. It will be a lot of fun! Norm just ordered two tickets for pick -up at will call. Patti H.

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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.