Robert J has authorized me to share this latest turn of events, since he is once again without internet access. We had the best time last evening with our kids and our son-in-law's wonderful family. I drove him directly from the hospital to the BBQ, and we enjoyed the company, great food and beautiful evening immensely.
It was after we arrived at home after 10 pm and prepared for bed, that he noticed that the fluid in his catheter bag was definitely the wrong color - red instead of yellow. (Apologies in advance for probable TMI). After we both pouted and whimpered for a few minutes, he called in and of course was directed to return to the UCSF Emergency Dept. asap. So we re-packed all his personal belongings that had just been unpacked, swapped pajamas for clothes again, fed the cat and headed out to the freeway for the 50-mile ride back to the hospital. It was pretty much a repeat of the previous Friday night, but with different faces to greet us - "What are you doing back here so soon Mr Moss??".
By then the catheter (Foley Jr.) was the correct color again, but more research was of course needed. The round of lab work began, and he was taken for a CT scan. By 4 am the decision was made to keep him there, send him for the biopsy as scheduled and then admit him back to the 10th floor after that. I bailed out at that point and returned home to sleep. I had taken my pillow on this trip hoping it would make my chair more comfortable, but no such luck.
Which brings us up to the moment. I just spoke with him from the cath lab holding area, where he was preparing to enjoy the famous turkey sandwich/apple/milk/graham cracker bag lunch that is so enjoyable after hours of no food or drink. The biopsy went well, with no outward signs of rejection, although the tissue biopsy results are needed for specific info. He had not heard any theories about the kidney issue, although one doc said it could have been a small and temporary blood clot that passed through. He has been on and off blood thinners so much this week, his blood is bound to be confused. It's been thinned, then thickened with plasma so he would not bleed too much during the biopsy, then thinned again each time the biopsy was cancelled.
He will be located back on the 10th floor as soon as a bed is available. I will return tomorrow to visit, and bring him home yet again if we are so fortunate. No bets are being placed, however. He is in very good spirits, considering, and knows that he has the best care possible. He is almost at the 6-month anniversary of the transplant, and we can't help but wonder if the excitement will continue another 6 months, or settle down as it does for many transplant recipients at this point in their recovery. We are looking forward to a very special family arriving from Barcelona next week for a short visit to the Bay Area, and don't want them to have to see him in a hospital room again - been there, done that, on their previous trips.
And that's the news for now.......TGIF!
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