Again?!

I'm starting to think that someone only wants Jim to get one organ. We received a letter confirming Jim's placement onto the Baylor transplant lists for both Fort Worth and Dallas but yet again they only say Kidney list not pancreas kidney list. So after making several phone calls they clarified on UNOS that no, Jim is on the Kidney Pancreas list, I'm not sure why this is so hard. This is probably the 3rd time I have had to clarify which list Jim is on because of misleading paperwork. I think that when he actually gets called in for surgery I am going to take a permanent marker to his belly and draw the organs on for them and say "TWO ORGANS PLEASE OR NO CUT!!" I think that would be pretty straight forward (:

Other than that, no big changes which is a good thing! Jim continues to stay feeling pretty well overall and we are thankful for that.

Prayer requests: The Lord grants Jim continued good spirits.

Bible Verse: "My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock, and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken." Psalms 62:1&2

Fundraiser

Let the countdown begin. We are almost 2 weeks to our first fundraiser for Jim! We are getting really excited to see so many of our friends and family. We can not thank everyone enough for supporting us!

If you haven't sent your money in please send it to either Betsy or I so we can get you your tickets. We are trying to get a head count so that we know how much food to get.

The link for the fundraiser is above at the top of the blog, please feel free to invite anyone and everyone!! I just want Jim to be surrounded by people that love him!!

Prayer Requests: Betsy and I can pull everything off in 2 weeks, Jim continues to feel ok.

Bible Verse: "And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." Romans 5:2

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So we have made it to the halfway point of this long process! We are ON THE LIST!!!!! After some phone calls to the insurance we received the news today and couldn't be more excited. Of course I immediately start packing a hospital bag, writing instructions for our dog, and adding up my PTO while Jim pleasantly smiles and lets me be neurotic without saying a word. (oh, I love this man!) The waiting list itself for a pancreas/kidney is approximately 6-9 months so we will just keep our prayers steady for the sooner the better.

We visited Jim's nephrologist (kidney doctor) today and she is ok with us holding off on dialysis a bit longer. We have another appointment in 2 months and will re-visit it then but for now he is in the clear. Jim received another procrit shot to help boost his red blood cell count for his anemia. We always know when he is getting low again because he starts sleeping like a teenager. Jim's blood pressure was a little high again today so we have to keep on eye on it and let her know if it is behaving or not.

Prayer Requests: Blood pressure starts cooperating and comes down a bit, transplant happens quickly and peace for the organ donating family

Bible Verse: "This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalms 118:24

I'll take 6.0 anytime!

Lab results came back today from his 24 hour test and his creatinine is at 6.0 so the doctor feels good about waiting till our appointment in a week and a half to talk about port placement. If I understand this correctly, we are in the clear for another week and a half before any scheduled or emergency surgery has to take place!! YAY! The LORD is good! It might seem like a small thing, but a week and a half feels like a really long vacation when I don't have to think about lab results.

Prayer Requests: Kidneys continue to hold and we can leisurely schedule port placement without having to worry about emergency surgery. Jim continues to feel good, and remains relatively symptom free

Bible Verse: II Chronicles 7:3 "He is good and His love endures forever."

Fundraiser

The link above is for our 1st fundraiser dinner/wine tasting. When you click on the link it will take you to Jim's home page for the foundation. On the left side in MY FLYERS you can click on the "WINE TASTING, DINNER, SILENT AUCTION" for more details. Hope to see you all there!

We are SO confused

It turns out that the urgency that was created on Wednesday with making sure we started this 24 hour lab was not really urgent at all. Jim completed the 24 hour lab, dropped it off at the facility, just to find out that we will not receive the results until Tuesday. When we spoke with the nephrologist's nurse she reported that the doctor did not seem real concerned and was fine with us speaking with her on Tuesday about the next step. So...with that being said, we are not in the hospital this weekend- YAY!! However we are slightly confused by the urgency, that turned out to not be urgency.

Again we are blessed with one more weekend without dialysis and a hospital stay!

Prayer Requests: The Tuesday lab results are stable and Jim is allowed to continue on a non-urgent dialysis path.

Bible Verse: "Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. " Psalms 23:6

That Stung A Little

Although we knew it was just a matter of time before we would get these results it still stings a bit to hear the numbers over the phone. As you may have gathered, not such great news from his labs today. Jim's creatinine level is up to 6.2 which is the highest it has ever been so we are now having to do a 24 hour test starting tomorrow morning and ending Friday morning. We call and get the results on Friday afternoon. This 24 hour test does not allow Jim to work so he will have to take off tomorrow and maybe the rest of the week depending on results. Pending what the labs look like we may need to be admitted to the hospital for emergency port placement and dialysis. This is definitely not the direction we were hoping to go this quickly.

On a side bar...

If I may just brag on my husband a little I would like everyone to know what a wonderful man he is.(especially those who have never met him) He never ceases to amaze me with his dedication and determination to win all of our struggles. He carries this cross with such integrity and silence that I am in constant awe. I am unsure if I would be able to find the strength to work if I were in kidney failure, and yet he finds such joy in helping his patients that I am humbled and I see myself wanting to emulate his compassion and love for others.
Sorry for the soap box, but I just sometimes feel that I get so caught up in reporting lab results and surgery outcomes that I forget to talk about what a truly remarkable man Jim is. This is just a small part of why I thank the Lord everyday for giving me my husband.

Prayer requests: 24 hour results are stable and we do not have to get admitted. That the Lord gives us strength and peace as we muddle our way through this next hurdle.

Bible Verse: I Chronicles 16:11 "Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always."